Department of Mining Engineering Master's Program

Two master's degrees are available from the Department of Mining Engineering:

1. Program Approval

Each student’s program must be approved by the faculty advisor, the advisory committee and the director of graduate studies (DGS). The program embodies the student’s educational goals and should provide a thoughtful and coherent list of courses with an identifiable theme.

2. Deficiencies

A student may not be able to immediately begin a full graduate program leading to the degree; it may be necessary to satisfy prerequisites omitted in undergraduate curricula. Deficiencies are determined by the faculty advisor and the DGS. All master’s candidates will be held responsible for the following undergraduate courses: MNG 463, MNG 201 plus at least two from: MNG 301, MNG 341, MNG 435 and MNG 551.

3. Requirements by Numbering

No 800- or 900-level courses, or the courses offered by the Department of Mining Engineering numbered below the 500 level may be credited toward the master’s degree.

A candidate for the master’s degree may credit toward degree requirements any 500-, 600- or 700-level courses; also, non-mining courses at the 400-level with the G-suffix may be counted toward the master’s degree.

In addition, the following limitations apply:

1. For the 24-hour/thesis option, a maximum of 12 hours of 400G- and 500-level courses and a minimum of 12 hours of 600- and 700-level courses. Courses that do not meet on a regular basis, such as 780 or 790, shall be used sparingly and only with permission from the advisory committee. In no event will their use exceed eight (8) credits (one-third of 24). Students also need to enroll in 6 credits of MNG 768. MNG 768 should not be counted towards the 12 hours of 600- and 700-level courses.
2. For the 30-hour/report option, a maximum of fifteen (15) hours of 400G- and 500-level courses and a minimum of fifteen (15) hours of 600- and 700-level courses. Courses that do not meet on a regular basis, such as 780 and 790, shall be used sparingly and only with the permission from the advisory committee. In no event will their use exceed ten (10) credits (one-third of 30)

4. Requirements by Major Area

Every candidate for a Master of Science degree will present a major of at least two-thirds of the total coursework. Ordinarily, the major is made up of courses with an MNG designation. Substitutions may be made by the graduate council for legitimate requests recommended by the DGS.

5. Grades

The master’s degrees will be awarded only if candidates have attained grade point averages of at least 3.0 on work taken as graduate students and all work carrying graduate credits.

6. Transfer from Other Degree Programs

Students currently enrolled in other degree programs at UK may be transferred to the M.S.Min.E. program with the approval of the DGS. All rules and procedures contained in this handbook shall be applied to such students.

The student is required to take a final oral examination for the M.S.Min.E. and M.Min.E. degrees.

This examination is administered by an examining committee appointed by the dean of The Graduate School upon recommendation of the DGS. The committee must consist of at least three qualified departmental members and at least one additional member from outside the Department of Mining Engineering. The committee chair will be the student’s faculty advisor. The examination is comprehensive and covers the student’s entire program including, but not limited to, the thesis or report. Ordinarily, the examining committee will be the same as the advisory committee.

The final examination is given no later than eight (8) days before the last day of classes of that semester in which the degree is to be awarded. Members of the committee indicate the outcome of the examination on the small yellow card sent by The Graduate School to the chairman of the examining committee. The report is returned to the dean upon completion of the examination, which in no case may be later than two (2) weeks after the start of the examination. The examination must be declared either pass or failure on a majority basis. In the event of failure, the committee may recommend to The Graduate School the conditions under which a second examination may be administered. Insofar as it is practicable, the same examination committee gives this examination. A third examination is not permitted.

For the 24-credit/thesis option, the following procedures apply:

1. Submit thesis to the thesis director and the DGS in a defensible form (see Thesis Preparation Rules)
2. Request that the DGS initiate action to schedule the final examination. This request should be made at least two (2) weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination
3. Submit thesis to the examining committee at the same time as scheduling the final examination
4. Take final examination
5. Modify the thesis as required by the examining committee
6. Submit thesis in final form to The Graduate School (see calendar in The Graduate School Bulletin for exact date)

For the 30-hour/report option, the following procedures apply:

1. Request that the DGS initiate action to schedule the final examination. This request should be made at least two (2) weeks prior to the anticipated date of the examination
2. Submit report(s) to the faculty advisor, the DGS and the examining committee at the same time as scheduling the final examination
3. Take final examination

1. On-Campus Residence

A minimum of 15 semester hours of coursework under Plan A or 21 hours under Plan B must be earned while in residence on the Lexington campus of the University of Kentucky. UK off-campus or televised courses may be accepted for residence credit.

2. Transfer of Credits

With the approval of the faculty advisor, the director of graduate studies and the dean of The Graduate School, a student may transfer up to nine semester hours of credits earned prior to admission to the master’s program, provided that the grades earned were A or B. Such credits may be earned (1) as a student in another graduate program at the University of Kentucky; (2) as a post-baccalaureate graduate student at the University of Kentucky; or (3) as a graduate student at another accredited graduate school. In the event a student offers credits in more than one of these categories, the total to be credited toward the degree still may not exceed nine hours. In no case will independent work, research, thesis or dissertation credit completed as a part of degree requirements for one program be considered to satisfy requirements of a subsequent master’s program.

3. Correspondence Work

No graduate credit is given for courses taken by correspondence.

4. Residency Credit

An M.S. student in mining engineering who has completed the formal coursework and who is receiving a graduate assistantship through the department or university during a fall or spring semester, with his or her time principally devoted to the M.S. thesis, is required to register for MNG 748.

The master’s thesis is a scholarly report of original research and must be developed under the direction of a member or associate member of the graduate faculty. It must be approved by the thesis director, the director of graduate studies, the examining committee and The Graduate School. It also must be in conformity with instructions prepared by The Graduate School entitled "Instructions for the Preparation of Theses and Dissertations."