Detailed Information
Program of Study
SIUC is the only university in the state of Illinois that offers graduate and undergraduate degrees in mining engineering. The Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering is well-known both in the national and international spheres for its coal research. The Department is among the leading mining engineering departments in the country on the basis of externally funded research grants.
The College of Engineering offers graduate work leading to the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in mining engineering. The program provides advanced study in areas such as rock mechanics and ground control, mineral and coal processing, surface and underground mining systems performance optimization, innovative mining systems, surface mine reclamation, in situ mining, mine environment and ventilation, coal bed methane reservoir engineering, carbon dioxide sequestration, and coal combustion by-product utilization and management.
A student must develop a program of study with a graduate adviser and a graduate committee, which comprises 3 graduate faculty members. Each student may, with the approval of the graduate committee, take courses in other branches of engineering or in areas of science and business. For thesis-option students, a minimum of 30 semester hours of graduate credit is required. Each candidate is also required to pass a comprehensive oral exam that covers all of the student’s graduate work, including the thesis. If a student prefers the nonthesis option, a minimum of 36 semester hours of graduate credit is required, including the preparation of a research paper. In addition, each candidate is required to pass a written comprehensive examination and an oral examination on the research paper. Students with a mining engineering background pursuing a master’s degree with a double major are required to take a minimum of 18 credits with the thesis option and 22 credits with the nonthesis option in mining engineering. For a student with a background in the related fields, such as minerals engineering and geological engineering, the minimum credit requirement in the Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering (MMRE) is 24 credits with the thesis option and 28 credits with the nonthesis option. Additional deficiency courses are prescribed for students with a background in nonrelated fields.
Research Facilities
Most of the research projects are externally funded by industry and federal and state agencies. The Department has well-equipped laboratories for rock mechanics, mine ventilation, coal and mineral processing, carbon dioxide sequestration, and coal bed methane studies as well as environmental studies. In addition, the faculty members in the Department have special facilities for conducting pilot-scale research using the high-bay facility of the Illinois Coal Development Park. The laboratories and the off-campus research facilities are used for undergraduate and graduate instruction and research. Students have access to Morris Library, which houses more than 1.6 million volumes and subscribes to 14,800 current periodicals. The library provides direct access to the other libraries in the state of Illinois, as well as Internet access to libraries and other resources throughout the world.
Financial Aid
In 2007–08, 13 students received support, including assistantships with full-tuition reimbursements. Additional information about financial aid may be obtained from the College of Engineering or the Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering.
Cost of Study
In-state graduate tuition is $328 per credit hour in 2009–10. Out-of-state tuition is 2.5 times the in-state tuition rate ($820 per credit hour). Graduate students with at least a 25 percent appointment as a graduate assistant receive a tuition scholarship. Fees vary from $589.03 (1 credit hour) to $1557.50 (12 credit hours). Students with a graduate assistantship receive a 25 percent reduction in the primary care medical fee.
Living and Housing Costs
For married couples, students with families, and single graduate students, the University has 690 efficiency and one-, two-, three-, and four-bedroom apartments that rent for $499 to $720 per month in 2009–10. Residence halls for single graduate students are also available, as are accessible residence hall rooms and apartments for students with disabilities.
Student Group
Of the 13 students, 12 are full-time and 9 are from other countries.
Location
Southern Illinois University Carbondale (SIUC) is 350 miles south of Chicago and 100 miles southeast of St. Louis. The scenic main campus occupies 981 acres and includes a wooded area preserved in a natural state, a lake with a beach and swimming area, canoe- and boat-rental facilities, a walking (or jogging) trail, and fishing piers. The campus provides an array of cultural activities, including frequent performances by opera, theater, symphony, and dance groups, given by both local and traveling performers.
The University and The Department
Since its chartering in 1869, Southern Illinois University Carbondale has grown into a comprehensive university with a student body of approximately 22,000. Supported by the state of Illinois, the University offers a wide variety of undergraduate and graduate programs in liberal arts, sciences, engineering, medicine, and law. The objective of the University is to provide a comprehensive educational program that meets a student’s needs.
Applying
Students seeking admission to the graduate program in mining engineering must meet the admission standards set by the Graduate School and have a bachelor’s degree in engineering or its equivalent. A student whose undergraduate training is deficient may be required to take course work without graduate credit. The nonrefundable $45 application fee must be submitted with the application. Applications are processed on a rolling basis.
The Faculty and Their Research
- Yoginder P. Chugh, Professor; Ph.D., Penn State, 1971. Coal combustion by-product utilization and management, rock mechanics and ground control.
- Satya Harpalani, Professor and Chair; Ph.D., Berkeley, 1985. Mine ventilation, coalbed methane reservoir engineering, in situ mining, carbon dioxide sequestration.
- Manoj K. Mohanty, Professor; Ph.D., Southern Illinois at Carbondale, 1997. Coal and mineral processing, experimental design and statistical analysis.
- Bradley C. Paul, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Utah, 1989. Underground mining systems and solution mining, minerals processing, hard rock and industrial minerals, geostatistics, mine environmental studies.
- Anthony J. S. (Sam) Spearing, Associate Professor; Ph.D., Silesia Technical, 1993. Underground mining, ground support, rock mechanics.
Correspondence and Information
Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Diana Lyall
Department of Mining and Mineral Resources Engineering
Engineering E4–Mail Code 6603
1230 Lincoln Drive
Carbondale, Illinois 62901
Telephone:
618-536-6637
Fax:
618-453-7455
Email:
lyall@siu.edu
