The Mining Engineering and Management degree program is a logical extension of the traditional Mining Engineering degree which was previously offered at Tech. The SD Board of Regents approved the new Mining Engineering and Management degree in the Fall of 2003, and students will be admitted to the program starting Fall 2004.

The Mining Engineering and Management degree combines the traditional mining engineering degree coursework requirements with selected important management-related courses. This combination was the result of recommendations from the SDSM&T Mining Engineering Industrial Advisory Board.

SDSM&T has a long tradition of providing high-quality mining engineers to the minerals industry. The Dakota School of Mines was created by the Dakota Territory Legislature on March 7, 1885. When the Dakota Territory was formally split into the States of North Dakota and South Dakota, the school became the South Dakota School of Mines. The first official Mining Engineering degrees were the class of 1901.