Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering
Graduate program at Colorado School of Mines
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Select a program type below to learn more. What’s the difference? Read more about program types.
Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering
The Master of Science program prepares graduates to apply design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation techniques to structures unique to the underground space, all while considering a host of environmental and other factors. The master’s option is built on a foundation of seven courses totaling 18 credit hours. In addition to the three courses that make up the graduate certificate, students learn about engineering geology and geotechnics and soil behavior and take lab courses that provide hands-on experience with the tools and skills commonly used in underground construction. The thesis MS option requires a minimum of 6 credit hours in independent research, ideally focused on industry.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (3 letters).
- No letters are required for current Mines students or Mines alumni.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering Master’s Non-Thesis
The Master of Science program prepares graduates to apply design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation techniques to structures unique to the underground space, all while considering a host of environmental and other factors. The master’s option is built on a foundation of seven courses totaling 18 credit hours. In addition to the three courses that make up the graduate certificate, students learn about engineering geology and geotechnics and soil behavior and take lab courses that provide hands-on experience with the tools and skills commonly used in underground construction. When possible, non-thesis MS students should complete a practically focused independent study with an industry partner—this may include an internship on an underground construction and tunnel engineering project.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (2 letters).
- No letters are required for current Mines students or Mines alumni.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering
This program prepares graduates to apply design, construction, maintenance and rehabilitation techniques to structures unique to the underground space, all while considering a host of environmental and other factors. The PhD program requires the same core courses as the MS program and a total of 42 credit hours in coursework. PhD students must also successfully complete qualifying exams, write and defend a dissertation proposal and write and defend a doctoral dissertation. A minimum of 24 credit hours must be devoted to this research, which is expected to fundamentally advance the state of the art and be disseminated via scholarly journals and industry periodicals. PhD candidates are also expected to complete a three-month internship or, alternatively, complete an industry-focused research project via independent study.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation (3 letters).
- No letters are required for current Mines students or Mines alumni.
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Statement of Purpose
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Graduate Certificate in Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering
The interdisciplinary graduate certificate in Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering comprises three signature courses, totaling 10 credit hours. Two anchor courses teaches underground construction engineering in soft ground and in hard rock, while the third courses covers construction engineering and management principles.
Application Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree
- GRE: Not Required
- Letters of Recommendation
- Statement of Purpose
- Suggested if GPA is less than 3.0/4.0
- Resume or Curriculum Vitae (CV)
- Transcripts
- International students please review the English proficiency requirements
Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering
University Transportation Center for Underground Transportation Infrastructure
Credits and Deadlines
View the academic catalog to see the courses and credit requirements for this program.
Master's Thesis & Doctorate (PhD) Program Deadlines
Select a Term:
Spring 2025 Deadlines | Fall 2025 Deadlines
Spring Deadlines
| Degree Program | International* | Domestic | Online |
|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Energy Systems | Not Accepting* | Not Accepting* | |
| Applied Chemistry | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Applied Mathematics & Statistics | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Applied Physics | Not Accepting | Not Accepting* | |
| Chemical Engineering | Not Accepting* | Not Accepting* | |
| Chemistry | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Civil & Environmental Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Computer Science | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Earth Resources Sciences Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Electrical Engineering | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Engineering & Technology Management | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Environmental Engineering Science | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Geochemistry | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Geological Engineering | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Geology | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Geophysical Engineering | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Geophysics | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Humanitarian Engineering & Science | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Hydrology | Not Accepting* | Not Accepting* | |
| Materials Science | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Mineral & Energy Economics | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Mining Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Nuclear Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Operations Research with Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Petroleum Engineering | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Physics | Not Accepting* | Not Accepting* | |
| Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Quantum Engineering | October 1 | November 1 | |
| Robotics | October 1 | October 1 | |
| Space Resources | October 1 | November 1 | November 1 |
| Underground Construction & Tunnel Engineering | October 1 | November 1 |
Fall Deadlines
| Degree Program | Priority | International* | Domestic* | Online |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Advanced Energy Systems | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Chemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Mathematics & Statistics | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Applied Physics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Chemical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Chemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Civil & Environmental Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Computer Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Earth Resources Development Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Electrical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Engineering & Technology Management | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Environmental Engineering Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Geochemistry | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Geological Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geology | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geophysical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Geophysics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Humanitarian Engineering & Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Hydrology | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Materials Science | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mechanical Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Metallurgical and Materials Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mineral & Energy Economics | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Mining Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Nuclear Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Operations Research with Engineering | January 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Petroleum Engineering | March 1 | March 1 | ||
| Physics | December 15 | March 1 | March 1 | |
| Quantitative Biosciences & Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Quantum Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Robotics | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 | |
| Space Resources | March 1 (International on-campus) | July 1 (Domestic on-campus) | August 1 | |
| Underground Construction & Tunnel Engineering | December 15 | March 1 | July 1 |
Residential (on-campus) Master's Non-Thesis & Graduate Certificates Deadlines
| Spring Deadlines | Fall Deadlines | |
|---|---|---|
| International Students* | October 1, 2024 | March 1, 2025 |
| Domestic U.S. Students | December 15, 2024 | August 1, 2025 |
| International students are not eligible to apply for residential certificate programs. We encourage you to check out our online certificate options | ||
Online Master's Non-Thesis & Graduate Certificates Deadlines
| The following deadlines apply to online master's non-thesis and graduate certificate programs for domestic U.S. and International students. | |
| Spring I & II (January 6 start) | January 2, 2025 |
| Spring III*** (March 10 start) | February 17, 2025 |
| Fall I & II (August 19 start) | August 1, 2025 |
| Fall III*** (March 10 start) | October 22, 2025 |
| **The Fall III deadline is only available for the following programs: Additive Manufacturing; Business Analytics; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage; Chemical Engineering Processes in Energy Transitions; Data Science: Computer Science; Data Science: Earth Resources; Electrical Engineering (Professional Master and Certificate Only); Engineering and Technology Management; GIS & Geoinformatics; Mechanical Engineering; Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering | |
| ***The Spring III deadline is only available for the following programs: Additive Manufacturing; Business Analytics; Carbon Capture, Utilization and Storage; Electrical Engineering (Professional Master and Certificate Only); Engineering and Technology Management; GIS & Geoinformatics; Mechanical Engineering; Product Management (Offered for only session III in spring); Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering | |
Get Connected
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Career Connections
At Mines, your career goals are the focus. You will connect with world-class faculty and industry experts in your field, all while enhancing your knowledge through hands-on learning and research.
Why study Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering at Mines?
The underground construction and tunneling industry is growing. In February 2020, Tunnel Business Magazine spoke to four high-level tunneling professionals who all found much to be optimistic about in the North American tunneling market, citing continued expansion in the transportation and water/wastewater sectors in the U.S. and Canada.
Bruce Matheson of Terratec noted the many projects mandated by the U.S. Clean Water Act and the Canada Water Act to protect bodies of water. “Whilst not so glamorous as the big mega-projects, they play a vital role from an environmental point of view,” he said. “Tunneling isn’t just about mega-projects, however. Whether they are big or small, there seem to be a lot of projects about.”
“Tunneling is an exciting market to be part of, particularly as a younger professional,” said Brian Gettinger, tunneling services leader for Freese and Nichols Inc. “The industry has a growing need for leadership at all levels: project, corporate and technical management. And we are seeing challenging mega-projects get started all over the county. Excavation technology continues to improve and allow even challenging conditions to be excavated reliably and safely.”
While federal funding for transportation has flattened, local and state governments have increased their investment in tunnel construction. That, combined with the growth of public-private partnerships, has sustained growth in the industry, which is expected to grow in the next five years.
Reports on the growth of the tunnel boring machine market are also promising: it’s expected to reach $8.4 billion by 2025, from $5.2 billion in 2017, according to Allied Market Research.
This means engineers who specialize in underground construction and tunneling are in high demand. “We have 100 percent placement of our graduates,” says Civil and Environmental Engineering Professor Mike Mooney, who leads the UCTE graduate program at Colorado School of Mines. He reports an average of two to three job offers for every student who completes the program.
Job titles for underground construction and tunnel engineers vary. According to ZipRecruiter, tunnel engineers earn an average annual salary of $105,517. Glassdoor pegs the average salary for senior underground engineers at $94,485 per year, while Comparably.com says the average chief underground engineer in the United States makes $124,903 yearly. Mining and geological engineers, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, had a median pay of $92,250 per year in 2018.
Underground Construction and Tunnel Engineering careers
- Civil Designer
- Civil Engineer
- Construction Engineer
- Construction Field Quality Control Engineer
- Construction Manager
- Construction Superintendent
- Contractor Compliance Engineer
- Design Engineer
- Drilling Superintendent
- Estimator
- Field Engineer
- Geophysicist
- Geotechnical Engineer for Ground Improvement / Tunneling
- Geotechnical Engineer, Power & Dams
- Hydrologist
- Infrastructure Manager
- Land Use Engineer
- Loop Operations Engineer
- Mine Engineer
- Mining Engineer
- Port Engineer
- Principal Mining Consultant
- Power Generation Project Engineer
- Project Controls Cost Engineer
- Project Engineer
- Quality Control Engineer
- Structural Engineer
- Survey Engineer
- Transmission Line Engineer
- Tunnel Boring Machine Engineer
- Tunnel Construction Manager
- Tunnel Construction Quality Assurance Inspector
- Tunnel Shaft Superintendent
- Tunnel Shift Engineer
- Tunnel / Track Project Engineer
- Tunnel Engineer
- Tunneling Engineer
- Underground Drill and Blast Engineer
- Underground Engineer
- Underground Geotechnical Engineer
- Underground Mine Planning Engineer
- Underground Mining Engineer
- Underground Project Engineer
- Underground Storage / Reservoir Engineer
- Underground Utilities Project Manager
- Underground Utility and Earthwork Estimator
- Underground Works Field Engineer
- Water and Wastewater Engineer
Where to find our alumni
- Traylor Brothers
- Kiewit
- Atkinson
- Barnard
- CBNA
- Dragados
- Flatiron
- Frontier Kemper
- Jay Dee
- Granite/Kenny
- Obayashi
- Kajima Corporation
- McNally
- Michels
- Lane
- Schiavone
- Shea
- Skanska
- Walsh
- Hayward Baker
- Malcolm
- Moretrench
- Nicholson
- Soil Freeze
- Simem Underground
- Mott MacDonald
- Arup
- WSP
- Parsons
- MacMillan Jacobs Associates
- HNTB
- AECOM
- Aldea
- Brierley Associates
- CDM Smith
- Gall Zeidler
- Jacobs
- Stantec
Career resources
The Mines Career Center helps students chart their career paths and prepare for job searches, holds networking events and brings hundreds of employers to campus, among a host of other services.
Scientific Journals
- Tunnelling and Underground Space Technology
- Tunnelling Journal and North American Tunnelling Journal
- Underground Space
Research and Trade Publications
- Tunnel Business Magazine
- Tunnelling & Underground Construction (SME)
- Tunnels and Tunnelling (British Tunnelling Society)
- Tunnels and Tunnelling North American Magazine (Tunnelling Association of Canada)
- TunnelTalk
- Underground Construction Magazine
- Utility Contractor Magazine
Professional Organizations
-
- American Institute of Mining, Metallurgical and Petroleum Engineers
- American Society of Civil Engineers
- Associated Research Centers for Urban Underground Space
- Association of Environmental & Engineering Geologists
- The Beavers: A Heavy Engineering Construction Association
- International Society for Rock Mechanics and Rock Engineering
- International Tunnelling and Underground Space Association
- Society for Mining, Metallurgy & Exploration
- Tunnelling Association of Canada
- Underground Construction Association of SME
Engineer Your Future Today
Mines Online
Mines Research Magazine
