Expand Your Career Potential with a Minor in Sustainable Mineral Resources
Prepare for a thriving career driving global innovation and resource sustainability.
MIN236: Materials, Societies & Choices
Cross-listings: MIN/ GEOS/ HWRS/ MSE 236
Societies use earth materials like minerals, renewable resources, and water in complex ways. Explore decision-making in the context of these natural resources and the challenges that arise from the many needs and perspectives of diverse, global stakeholders.
Presentations & discussions are combined with workshops that introduce and apply decision science to the issues of meeting resource needs in the most environmentally sustainable, equitable, and affordable ways possible.
MIN226: A Balanced Future: Sustainability & Minerals
Cross-listings: MIN/ GEOS/ MNE/ ENVS 226
This entry-level course examines the interconnected environmental, social, technical, & economic challenges of supplying mineral resources to global societies, with the goal of zero harm to the planet and its peoples.
MNE201: Nonrenewable Resources & World Civilizations
Cross-listings: MNE/ANTH 201
The availability and use of metals, petroleum, coal, industrial minerals, and other nonrenewable resources has shaped the history of world societies from the Stone Age to the present, and will continue to be a core part of future human development.
This course covers how nonrenewable resources form and how they are extracted; the diverse ways that global civilizations have extracted and used nonrenewable resources over time, and how resource use shaped their history; and how the distribution of resources and the development of resource technology around the world created our modern global sociopolitical and economic framework.
Other topics covered include nonrenewable resource exhaustion, space mining, resource substitution and associated energy costs, and unintended social and environmental consequences of nonrenewable resource extraction and use.
MNE 422 - Perspective of Sustainability: Supplying Mineral Resources for Society
Students examine modern sustainable development issues in supplying mineral resources for todays society. Through environmental, societal, and economic perspectives, students will consider complex and interrelated sustainable development issues applicable to many disciplines within the context of supplying minerals for society. The students will consider how sustainable development issues in various industrialized and developing nations have shaped the communities and the environment in which they operate. Students will also reflect on how their own background influences their perceptions of lessons learned from other nations and adjust their perspective to align sustainable development with a global community. This will be done through lectures, role playing, discussions, and research into sustainability topics.
Declare the Minor and Qualify for Exclusive Scholarships
Designed to pair with any major, this interdisciplinary minor teaches core mining and minerals concepts. You can choose electives to explore specific themes to match your interests. Examine and get ready to solve the environmental, social, technical, and economic challenges. Exclusive scholarships, internships, and research opportunities are waiting for you!
Sustainable Mineral Resources Minor: Customize Your Track
Our interdisciplinary minor prepares you for a dynamic career with opportunities to participate in mining-focused research and competitions and internships at nearby mines. Study the interconnected environmental, social, technical, and economic issues surrounding the sustainable and responsible production and use of non-renewable mineral resources through any of the tracks below.
- GEOS 251: Physical Geology (4 units)
- GEOS 446: Economic Mineral Deposits
- MNE 205: Introduction to Mining Engineering
- MNE/GEN 210: Minerology and Petrology for Engineers
- MNE/MSE 411: Mineral Processing
- MNE 427: Geomechanics (3-4 units)
- MSE 450: Materials Selection for the Environment
- BNAD 302: Human Side of Organizations
- COMM 117: Culture and Communications
- COMM/PR 201: Introduction to Public Relations
- COMM 312: Applied Organizational Communications
- COMM 404: Communications and Leadership
- ENVS 415: Translating Environmental Science
- PR 423: Crisis Communication and Public Relations
- ACCT 250: Survey of Accounting or BNAD 304: Survey of Finance
- GEOG 305: Economic Geography
- GEOG/EVS 362: Environment and Development
- MNE 205: Introduction to Mining Engineering
- MNE 430: Mine Examination and Valuation
- MGMT 202: Ethical Issues in Business or PHIL 322: Business Ethics
- SIE/ENGR 265: Engineering Management I
- SIE 422: Engineering Decision Making Under Uncertainty
- ESOC 214: Introduction to Data Science
- *GEOG 222: Working with Numeric, Spatial, and Visual Data Fundamental Geographic Techniques (Exploring Perspectives: Social Scientist)
- GEOS 280: Programming and Data Analysis in the Earth Sciences
- RNR/GEOG 403: Application of Geographic Information Systems
- ISTA 131: Dealing with Data (4 units)
- ISTA 321: Data Mining and Discovery
- ISTA 322: Data Engineering
All courses with an asterisk* receive Gen Ed credit with the attribute shown in parenthesis.
- ENVS 305 Pollution Science
- EHS 426 Topics in Environmental Justice or *ENVS 310 Ecosystem Health and Justice (Diversity Emphasis; Tier 2 Individuals and Societies; Building Connections)
- ENVS 340 Environmental Chemistry
- ENVS 482 Reclamation and Redevelopment of Impacted Lands
- *HWRS 201 Water science and the Environment (Tier 2 Natural Sciences)
- HWRS 350 Principles of Hydrology
- PA 484 Environmental Management
- SIE 466 Life Cycle Analysis for Sustainable Design & Engineering
All courses with an asterisk* receive Gen Ed credit with the attribute shown in parenthesis.
- *AIS 220 Contemporary American Indian Issues (Diversity Emphasis; Tier 2 Individuals and Societies) or *GEOG 250 Environment and Society in the Southwest Borderlands (Exploring Perspectives: Social Scientist; Tier 2 Individuals and Societies)
- AIS/ANTH/ARL/ENVS/RAM/RNR/ SWES/WFSC/WSM 441A Natural Resource Management in Native Communities or ANTH/LAS 331 Anthropology and Development
- GEOG/EVS 362/462 Environmental Law, Geography, and Society or RNR 480 Natural Resources Policy and Law
- PA/PPEL 482 Environmental Governance
- *PHIL/PA/PPEL 323 Environmental Ethics (Tier 2 Individuals and Societies; Building Connections)
- RNR/PA 485 The Economics & Social Connections to Natural Resources
- SBE 201 Sustainable Design and Planning
- SOC 307 Environmental Sociology
All courses with * receive Gen Ed credit with the attribute shown in parenthesis
Capstone Experience
Minimum 3 upper division units (one unit completed in final semester). Two pathway options:
- Complete MIN 498: Capstone Course
- Complete a combination of an internship, seminars, and/or research project.
• MIN 396/496: Special Topics in Mining and Mineral Resources Seminar (1 unit each; can be repeated for 3 units total)
• MIN 392/492: Directed Research (1 unit)
• MIN 393/493: Internship (1-2 units)
-Requires alignment with interdisciplinary goal of School
-Must be outside major
-Approval from School advisor, program coordinator, or program manager
Contact Mario Munoz for more information.
