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Mining and Mineral Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Blacksburg, VA · Public · Bachelor's Degree
67 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
68
Optimistic
67
Base Case
61
Pessimistic
Earnings $74,793/yr (-11% vs median)
AI Risk High (47% exposed)
Job Market Medium (19,000 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $1,016K $784K $564K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 16.4x 12.7x 9.1x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 6.9x 5.3x 3.8x
Viable Career Paths 3 of 3 3 of 3 3 of 3
DegreeWorth Score 68 67 61

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$61,912
Out-of-state: $146,776
Median Debt at Graduation
$20,907
3.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$96,761
29% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 19,000 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106,120 4,100 +8.1% 50%
Mining and geological engineers, including mining safety engineers $101,020 400 +0.7% 48%

Compare & Explore

Mining and Mineral Engineering at Other Schools

South Dakota School of Mines and Technology ($90,514) University of Arizona ($86,924) West Virginia University ($85,897) Colorado School of Mines ($83,309)

Other Majors at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

Computer and Information Sciences, General ($96,432) Computer Engineering ($86,636) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($83,364) Construction Engineering ($82,627) Industrial Engineering ($82,437) Chemical Engineering ($82,382) Applied Mathematics ($82,275) Engineering Mechanics ($81,735)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Mining and Mineral Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University?
This program scores 67/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 68 (optimistic) to 61 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Mining and Mineral Engineering career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates retain 3 of 3 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $563,902 (pessimistic) to $1,016,436 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Mining and Mineral Engineering graduates?
The career paths mapped to Mining and Mineral Engineering have roughly 19,000 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a medium job market.
Is Mining and Mineral Engineering at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 12.7x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 9.1x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024-2034 (employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.