Geological Engineering, M.S.

Why Study Geological Engineering at Montana Tech? 

The geological engineering degree features a research-based curriculum, including courses in field geology, sedimentology, mapping, surface modeling & volumetrics, mineralogy and more. You’ll learn from industry-experienced — and connected — Montana Tech faculty who are passionate about helping you succeed in geological engineering. You’ll be prepared for geological engineering careers or to pursue your master’s in geological engineering at Montana Tech.

Outstanding Faculty

The Geological Engineering Department at Montana Tech has distinguished faculty members who all hold Ph.D. degrees in subdisciplines including Civil Engineering with Geotechnical emphases, geochemistry, hydrogeology, and stratigraphy. Each faculty member has significant industrial experience they bring to the classroom, laboratory, and field site.

World-Class Geological Engineering Labs

You have plenty of hands-on learning opportunities at Montana Tech. With access to state-of-the-art and fully equipped laboratories, our geological engineering degree students will graduate learning how to operate sophisticated laboratory and field equipment. Our geological engineering department is home to state-of-the-art facilities including a triaxial testing lab, an underground mine facility, and geotechnical and groundwater modeling software.

Geological Engineering Internships 

Obtain even more hands-on experience through internships to supplement your bachelor’s degree from Montana Tech. Through our annual Career Services events, you’ll have access to more than 100 companies that come to campus to recruit Montana Tech students for geological engineering summer internships for continuing students and full time employment for our geological engineering graduates.

Exceptional Location

By choosing Montana Tech for your geological engineering degree, you’ll benefit from our location in Butte, Montana. You can tour local engineering operations and pursue geological engineering internships in Butte as well as in nearby cities such as Bozeman and Missoula. Plus, you’ll also have innumerable opportunities to enjoy Montana’s great outdoors in your free time.

Thesis and Non-Thesis Option

You can earn the Geoscience, M.S. option in geological engineering with by taking 30 credits and completing a thesis or publishable paper, or by taking 36 credits, without a thesis or paper. 

Study Geological Engineering and Have Fun Too

Get involved in various clubs and organizations on campus. Or enjoy the expansive nature Butte, Montana offers for year-round activities. Ski at nearby resorts or in the backcountry, enjoy local hot springs, hike the Great Divide, or fish in pristine mountain streams.

Be Ready for a Career in Geological Engineering

Through this rigorous Geological Engineering degree you’ll not only gain the knowledge and skills you need to succeed. You’ll also develop communication, interpersonal, and project management skills. From Montana Tech’s engaged geological engineering faculty to Career Services, you’ll have the resources, support, and connections you need to land coveted internships and jobs and receive a top geological engineering salary.

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What is Geological Engineering? 

Geological engineers focus on designing solutions to problems related to the materials of the Earth’s crust, including minerals, sediments, rocks, water, and solid and fluid hydrocarbons (coal, oil, and natural gas). Their specialized engineering knowledge is required in the design and construction of civil works such as roads, dams, and foundations for buildings and bridges; the evaluation and utilization of groundwater resources and their interaction with surface waters; the search for, development, and extraction of rock, mineral and energy resources; and the protection and remediation of the environment. Geological Engineers are also routinely involved in the characterization and mitigation of geologic hazards, such as earthquakes, landslides, ground subsidence, and volcanic activity.

What Types of Jobs Do Geological Engineering Graduates Get? 

Our geological engineering graduates do field and laboratory work with rocks, soils, groundwater, and mineral resources all over the world. Graduates pursue careers in engineering, consulting, mining, and slope stability. A degree in geological engineering allows students broad engineering skills in a wide array of fields. Many of our students will go on to pursue Ph.D. degrees at Montana Tech or other prestigious universities.

Explore Classes for the Geological Engineering Degree

The thesis option requires 30 credits, with a minimum of 15 at 500 level, and the remainder at 400 level.  The non-thesis option requires 36 credits, with a minimum of 18 at 500 level, remainder at 400 level. Course schedule is determined in cooperation with faculty advisor.

The final examination for thesis and publishable paper-option students will consist of an oral presentation and defense of thesis or paper. Questions may be asked on any topic related to the thesis/paper or course work taken as part of the graduate program. The presentation will be open to all interested parties, but the defense will be open only to the student’s graduate committee.

The final examination for non-thesis option students will consist of a written and/or oral examination formulated by the student’s graduate committee. The oral examination will draw questions from the written examination plus any course work undertaken as part of the graduate program.

Students who are not already certified as an Engineer-In-Training are required to take the national Fundamentals of Engineering examination.