About Our College
The College of Mines and Earth Sciences’ location in a mineral- and energy-rich geographical area provides a study and research environment that extends far beyond campus boundaries. Because of Utah’s mineral resources, the college is pivotal in developing a region increasingly vital to the nation’s mining and energy future. In July 2022, the College of Mines and Earth Sciences merged with the College of Science at the University of Utah, though it retains its name and identity as a unit within the larger College of Science.
The college consists of four departments: geology and geophysics, atmospheric sciences, mining engineering, and metallurgical engineering (jointly administered with the College of Engineering). The Global Change and Sustainability Center and the University of Utah Seismograph Stations, a network of seismometers throughout the West, are also housed in the college’s Frederick A. Sutton Building. The college has become one of the most research-intensive colleges on campus, with average annual per faculty research awards exceeding $300K. With six majors and four degrees to choose from, students in the college study everything from the nature of snow and ice to processes governing Earth’s processes to the methods and processes for producing critical materials. All faculty have doctorates, at least one-third have significant industrial experience, and many retain ties to industry. In addition to teaching, faculty engage in a wide variety of research activities. Graduate students and some undergraduates also participate in research.
The College of Mines and Earth Sciences occupies the Frederick A. Sutton Building, the William C. Browning Building, the Crocker Science Center, the L.S. Skaggs Applied Science Building, the Civil & Materials Engineering building, the Mineral Processing Lab (Building 58), the Layton Engineering Building (Building 57), the Mining Systems Research Laboratory (Building 59), and the Intermountain Network Scientific Computation Center (INSCC).
History
The College of Mines and Earth Sciences celebrated its centennial anniversary during the 1991/1992 academic year. The College has its roots in mining and metallurgy instruction dating back to 1891. The State School of Mines, formally established in 1901, was renamed the School of Mines and Engineering in 1913, and began offering degree programs in chemical, civil, electrical, mechanical, and mining engineering. The metallurgical degree program was first offered in 1918. In 1948, the College divided to form two separate colleges: the College of Mines and Mineral Industries and the College of Engineering. First taught in 1871, the geological sciences and geophysics were moved from the College of Arts and Sciences during that same year. (University of Utah presidents Joseph T. Kingsbury and James E. Talmage both taught geology during their teaching careers.) Also in 1948, the departments of Fuels Engineering and Meteorology were added to the newly-created College of Mines and Mineral Industries.
According to Dr. Carl J. Christensen, the first dean of the College of Mines and Mineral Industries, "the purpose of collecting all courses of instruction, faculties, and laboratories dealing with mineral problems and technologies into one school (College) was to create an efficient agency ... [to] assist in the building and maintenance of a mineral industry by the state of Utah." The College of Mines and Earth Sciences boasts a tradition of excellence in both teaching and research, as well as in the area of public service, and is proud of the role it has played in the economic development of the mining industry in Utah.
In 1988, the College was renamed the College of Mines and Earth Sciences to reflect the important educational components of the College in the area of earth sciences.
In 2022, The College of Mines and Earth Sciences merged with the College of Science. The two colleges have a long history of collaboration, but as they came together in 2018 to begin planning for a new Applied Sciences Building, which brings together departments from both colleges, the deans and faculty members discussed interdisciplinary collaborations and joint courses of study, leading to the proposal of merging the colleges. In developing the merger plan, the colleges have met with university administrators and faculty and staff from both colleges. Each department in both colleges conducted an advisory vote from their faculty, with a strong majority of voting faculty being in favor of a merger. “The alignment of COS and CMES to form a stronger and more synergistic organization would elevate the reputation, and likely national rankings, of the respective programs as the joined faculty become more comparable in size and scope to many peer colleges in the Pac-12,” said Butt, CMES dean at the time. “The union will strengthen the STEM fields at the U, and provide a greater student experience through enhanced advising, tutoring, research opportunities and interdisciplinary programs.”
In 2025 the new L.S. Skaggs Applied Sciences Building opened, expanding the Crocker Science Complex. As part of the expansion, Atmospheric Sciences moved their space to the new building.
Today, approximately half of the faculty specialize in earth sciences (geology, geophysics, and meteorology), with the other half specializing in minerals and material-related engineering, most specifically geological, metallurgical, and mining engineering. The College's varied resources have also expanded to include such facilities as the State Seismograph Station and the Central Receiving Center for Remote Earthquake Sensing.