Mining education in the UK

There are some mining engineering courses in the UK at present, while many students enter the industry via a geology degree; both require at least three A-levels. First-year programmes in mining engineering are mainly devoted to general engineering principles, together with geology and surveying and an introduction to mining and mineral engineering. Courses generally include experience of a mine and some give students the chance to learn to use mining equipment and explosives safely.

Students are encouraged to do work placements during their holidays. Placements for more advanced students are often done in foreign countries. Getting real experience in industry practices, such as surface and underground surveying, is very useful.

During the second year, more emphasis is placed on mining and management, while the engineering and geology topics learnt during the first year are developed further. Third-year subjects include mine design, geotechnical engineering, mining geology and mineral management. Assessment throughout mining engineering courses varies between coursework, essays, practical write-ups and surveying presentations, as well as end-of-programme projects.

On completion of a mining engineering or minerals engineering degree, a high proportion of graduates enter employment related to their studies in the minerals industry, either in the UK or overseas. Graduates can also be found working in fields as diverse as sales and marketing and operations management for major UK minerals providers. Alternatively, some graduates opt to continue their training by undertaking taught postgraduate Masters courses in geotechnical engineering and computing, or work towards research degrees or a PhD.

http://www.independent.co.uk/student/career-planning/az-careers/mining-engineer-1545674.html

Ex.13 Read more about mining education in the United Kingdom. Compose 3-5 questions about the texts.

a) The Mining Engineering degree is taught by the University Camborne School of Mines (CSM), which has over 120 years experience in training mining engineers and an excellent international reputation. Many extractive industry operations around the world will have a CSM mining engineer somewhere within their staff.
CSM is one of the best equipped departments of its kind in Europe. Our staff are actively involved in research and you will benefit from their cutting-edge knowledge and our research facilities. We are also the only university in the UK to have its own test mine for teaching and research.
Our degree programme is truly multidisciplinary, including elements of civil and mechanical engineering, geology, metallurgy, economics, environmental management and health and safety. Its also highly vocational, so in addition to lecture-based study, the programme includes field trips, tours, a summer industrial placement and practical classes in surveying and in our test mine. You will generally spend your second year summer vacation gaining work experience anywhere from Australia to the UK and will often be paid for doing so.
The Mining Engineering degree programme is professionally accredited by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3), providing the opportunity for you to work towards Chartered Engineer status after you graduate.

b) Cardiff University School of Earth and Ocean Sciences was established in 1891. Its history has closely mirrored the evolution of Cardiff University to being the major research university in Wales and is now one of the leading research institutions in the UK rated 5A in the 2001 Research Assessment Exercise (RAE). The School has maintained this international rating in the 2008 RAE. Fostering world class research enhances the student experience by having frontier earth scientists from a variety of disciplines involved in national and international research programmes teaching and researching alongside one another.

The School is located in the heart of the Civic Centre of Cardiff in the Main Building of the University. The building also includes the Science library and a 24-hour computing facility. It is located adjacent to the National Museum of Wales, with its superb geological collections.

Major research laboratory refurbishment includes extensive new geomicrobiology facilities, geochemical laboratories, microscopy, stable isotope laborator and 3D semi-immersive visualisation laboratory. Major new equipment includes a high performance parallel computing cluster and state-of-the art upgrades for the 3D seismic laboratories. The School also owns a research vessel, Guiding Light, which is used for teaching practicals in coastal mapping and hydrographic surveying.

The School currently has a staff of more than 55 academics, including professors and two Fellows of the Royal Society. The current Head of School is Professor John Parkes.

http://www.bachelorsportal.eu/studies/37914/mining-engineering.html

Ex. 15 Prepare some more information about foreign mining schools. Present the information you’ve obtained in class

Ex. 16 Read some information about Moscow State University of Mining. Ask ten wh-questions about the text. Prepare a brief retelling of the text

Text 3