Colorado School of Mines

Colorado School of Mines International Student Insurance

The Colorado School of Mines, located in Golden, Colorado, was established in 1874. It opened as the Territorial School of Mines in what was then known as Golden City, Colorado, a supply center for miners and settlers in the area. Colorado became a U.S. state two years later, and the school changed its name accordingly to its present name. The first diplomas were awarded in 1883, and the first female student graduated in 1898. Early courses focused on chemistry, metallurgy, mineralogy, and drawing as they applied to collecting gold and silver. Its focus later expanded to the study of harnessing energy and sustaining the environment.

Today, the Colorado School of Mines enrolls more than 6,000 students and counting each year. The school colors are blue and silver, and its athletic nickname is the Orediggers.

Academic Offerings

Colorado School of Mines offers almost 20 undergraduate degrees and more than 30 master’s degree programs. Several different sources have ranked it as the best institution in the world for mineral engineering and mining engineering. It’s also the only school in the world to offer doctoral programs in the five major earth sciences: geology and geological engineering, geophysics, geochemistry, mining engineering, and petroleum engineering. More recently, the school has also delved into celestial prospecting and interstellar exploration; it launched the world’s first graduate program in space resources in fall 2018.

Colorado School of Mines has partnerships with several government agencies and laboratories including the National Renewable Energy Laboratory, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Bureau of Reclamation, and the U.S. Geological Survey. 

On Campus

Longstanding traditions at the university include the “M Climb,” in which incoming freshmen carry a ten-pound rock up a nearby mountain, whitewash it, and retrieve it four years later as graduating seniors; and Engineers’ Days (E-Days), a three-day festival each spring featuring a fireworks show, live music, a cardboard boat race, and the Ore Cart Pull, which involves pulling an ore cart 7.5 miles to the Colorado State Capitol building.

Notable Alumni

Notable Colorado School of Mines alumni include Arden L. Bement, Jr., former director of the National Science Foundation; author Robert H. Waterman, Jr.; golf club designer and golf player Marty Jertson; and journalist George Saunders.

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