Peeling the layers of the Earth: Geotechnical engineering for a resilient world

The world needs to unlock critical resources — like rare earths and clean energy minerals — without wrecking the planet. By 2040, global mineral demand for clean energy technologies is set to quadruple. 

The good news is highly skilled geological engineers can help us achieve this. They’re the brains behind safer mines, smarter oil fields, and faster environmental cleanups. This is where you can come in. Although a niche profession, there is still a high demand for geological engineers across the globe, especially in natural resource-rich countries like the US, Canada, and Australia, to a name a few. 

With an advanced degree in geological and mining engineering from one of these four universities, you’re set to contribute to a community safeguarding our shared future, applying science and strategy to one of the world’s most urgent challenges.

Graduate studies at the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering include working in advanced research in geoscience, geological engineering, and Earth systems. Source: Queen’s University

Queen’s University

Located in Canada’s eastern Ontario, about 250 kilometres from Toronto, Queen’s University is solving the world’s greatest challenges. It’s one of Canada’s leading research-intensive universities and is recognised worldwide for academic excellence, innovation, and graduate employability. Here, 3,381 undergraduate and graduate international students live and learn in a welcoming and supportive environment – often in collaboration with scholars pioneering new ways to understand our world.

Graduate studies at the Department of Geological Sciences and Geological Engineering best exemplify this. As part of its postgraduate pathways for advanced research in geoscience, geological engineering, and earth systems, you’ll benefit from working with internationally recognised faculty, conducting extensive fieldwork across the world, and gaining exposure to world-class research facilities with a strong record of industry collaboration.

Projects push boundaries, spanning mineral exploration, environmental remediation, geohazards, water resources, and energy systems. The department’s facilities are just as advanced, featuring world class Physical and Computational Geomechanics Labs, Digital Earth Science and Engineering Lab, Environmental Engineering Lab, X-ray Diffraction and Clay Mineral Lab, and Stable Isotope and ICP/MS Lab, to name a few. It’s this level of access and experience that sets graduates apart — with these in hand as a Queen’s graduate, you will be equipped for high-impact careers in industry, academia, or government.

The department offers the following master’s programmes: Master of Science in Engineering or Geology, Master of Science in Applied Geology, and Professional Master of Earth and Energy Resources Leadership (MEERL). Designed for working professionals seeking to advance their careers in the natural resources sector, MEERL is an interdisciplinary program delivered in a flexible, part-time online format with three weeks of in-person learning.

Curriculum combines science, engineering, business, policy, and social sciences, making for a comprehensive foundation for you to make informed decisions about the benefits, risks, and trade-offs of resource development and tackle sector-wide challenges such as the energy transition, global demand, social licence, and regulatory complexity. Class sizes are small and personalised, allowing you to fully gain a comprehensive overview of the global resource industry and transform into a well-rounded leader ready to drive sustainable change. Apply to Queen’s University now.

The School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resources is one of the founding schools in 1885. Source: University of Arizona School of Mining Engineering and Mineral Resources/Facebook

The University of Arizona

At the University of Arizona, you learn by doing. In this research-focused public institution, you can access hands-on opportunities as early as the first year. This experiential learning approach aims to equip students to become the next generation of leaders who will improve the quality of life for the people of Arizona and the world.  

Established in 1885, the School of Mining Engineering & Mineral Resourceshas long been a place where mining innovation takes place. Here, where academic rigour meets frontier technology, graduate programmes prepare students to anticipate and build the next big thing. Immersions make this possible, whether through work-study placements, research labs, design sprints, and leadership opportunities in professional societies. 

Like the way faculty teach, curricula shift with the times. Artificial intelligence, virtual reality, and space mining are modules, which are often updated to keep students ahead of the curve. 

The School offers three advanced graduate programmes: a PhD, a Master of Science, and a Master of Engineering, with the last two focused on Mining, Geological and Geophysical Engineering. Specialisations range from mining law and policy to economic geology, geophysical sensing, and mineral discovery.  

Interdisciplinary options are available too, embedding business, law, environmental or chemical engineering and even the humanities for those seeking a broader, more balanced education at one of the world’s top mining research institutions. 

The University of Texas at Austin provides first-class education and world-class research. Source: UT Jackson School of Geosciences/Facebook

The University of Texas at Austin 

What starts at the University of Texas at Austin changes the world. Since its founding in 1883, Texas’ leading research university now attracts more than US$650 million annually for discovery and ranks among the 40 best universities in the world.  

At its Jackson School of Geosciences, faculty and researchers are at the forefront of solving society’s critical issues, from the energy transition and climate change to natural disasters and drought. Their research does not just span across the country but the whole planet. From researching super corals in the Philippines to searching for fossils in Patagonia, there is a wide range of projects that can be accessed by non-doctoral students. 

Such experience complement one of the largest and most prestigious Earth science programmes in the world. The MS in Geosciences prepares you for careers in the petroleum industry, environmental and hydrogeological fields, state and federal government agencies, and other related geoscience fields. Curriculum covers theoretical principles, methodologies, and techniques in fields which often focus on practical applications like resource exploration and management, formation evaluation, and log interpretation. 

Meanwhile, the MS in Energy and Earth Resources offers a quantitative foundation ideal for those pursuing research-intensive thesis work. It’s a programme built for those who seek to shape the future of energy through empirical insight. By contrast, the MA in Energy and Earth Resources leans into qualitative depth, ideal for those who want to work at the intersections of energy with policy, law, business, humanities, and select technical disciplines.  

Your learning experience at the Department of Geosciences will take you beyond the traditional classroom. Source: Geosciences at Virginia Tech/Facebook

Virginia Tech

Virginia Tech calls itself a “Hokie.” “Hokies collaborate with diverse team members and cross the traditional lines between fields and disciplines to tackle global-scale problems,” its website states. Here, a reimagining of education and technology is taking place. New approaches transform the way it teaches and learns, performs research, and engages with communities around the world. 

That same pioneering spirit pervades its Department of Geosciences. Whether your curiosity lies in atomic interactions or planetary systems, this is where inquiry begins. The master’s and PhD programmes span solid Earth dynamics, Earth history and environments, hydrology, mineralogy, and the study of natural hazards and resources. At every step of your Hokie journey, you’ll be guided by expert faculty and field-tested researchers.  

Their support stretches from campus to the field sites and laboratories all over the world. That might be a tectonic margin in Alaska, a rift valley in Uganda, or a high-tech lab at Argonne. You’ll collect data, test hypotheses, and contribute to discoveries that matter. Like those before you, you’ll be pushing h the boundaries of knowledge in order to make a difference in the world.  

*Some of the institutions featured in this article are commercial partners of Study International