Online Science Mineral Degree :: Accredited Universities

Kick-start your career in the resources industry with a mineral science degree.

The minerals industry contributes more than AUS $50 billion to the Australian economy each year - and continues to grow.

This is good news for mineral science graduates facing abundant career opportunities in the years to come in roles such as plant and project metallurgists, mill superintendents, operations managers, or consultants and researchers in commercial laboratories, research institutions or universities.

Do you have a passion for being part of a rapidly expanding global dynamic industry?

On this practically-based course you develop your knowledge about the nature and extraction and use of minerals and metals including gold, silver, diamond, platinum, copper, nickel, iron, steel, silicon and aluminium.

You will also discover how other extracted materials have become integral to our everyday existence, particularly for power generation, transportation, building and construction and technology.

Access our state-of-the-art teaching facilities

Our practical training courses cover areas including extractive metallurgy, process control, and instrumentation and operational management using our own equipment in our own teaching labs and pilot plant.

You will also visit mine-sites and metallurgical plants, and be given access to opportunities for interstate or overseas vacation employment and university-industry scholarships.

On graduation, you will become eligible for professional membership of the Australian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy and be able to progress to engineering and higher level research degrees such as MPhil and PhD.

Entry Requirements

Secondary school results
English competency

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Student Services and Amenities Fee (Max. $281/year)

Incidental unit costs

Show Less

School systems across the nation are implementing Higher Teacher Quality Improvement programs to recruit and retrain highly qualified science teachers. As a teacher with a master’s degree in Earth sciences, you can benefit from these incentive programs by earning a higher salary, having more job security, and gaining a competitive edge in the job market.

To help you qualify for these benefits, Penn State World Campus offers a completely online Master of Education in Earth Sciences for secondary science teachers.

Why Earth Sciences Online at Penn State?

The online Master of Education in Earth Sciences program features courses from multiple disciplines in Penn State’s College of Earth and Mineral Sciences and the Eberly College of Science, including geosciences, energy and mineral engineering, meteorology, geography, and astronomy. The program also includes courses in curriculum and instruction through Penn State’s College of Education.

The curriculum can prepare you to help students in grades 7 through 12 master the educational objectives related to Earth and space science. Elective courses enable you to tailor your studies in a specific discipline. The degree program is designed so you can complete it entirely online without having to visit campus.

Who Should Apply?

If you are a secondary science teacher who wants to advance and expand your teaching role, as well as meet professional development requirements, this could be the program for you.

Please note that this program does not lead to initial teacher certification, however, this program may help you to renew your certification. Check with your state's Department of Education for exact requirements for recertification.

Entry Requirements

For admission to the Graduate School, an applicant must hold either (1) a baccalaureate degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution or (2) a tertiary (postsecondary) degree that is deemed comparable to a four-year bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution. This degree must be from an officially recognized degree-granting institution in the country in which it operates.

All applicants are expected to have earned a junior/senior grade point average of 3.0 or higher.

International applicants
---------------------------------

All international applicants must take and submit scores for the TOEFL (Test of English as a Foreign Language) or the IELTS (International English Language Testing System), with the exceptions noted below. The minimum acceptable score for the TOEFL is 550 for the paper-based test, or a total score of 80 with a 19 on the speaking section for the internet-based test (iBT). Applicants with iBT speaking scores between 15 and 18 may be considered for provisional admission, which requires completion of specified remedial English courses ESL 114G (American Oral English for Academic Purposes) and/or ESL 116G (ESL/Composition for Academic Disciplines) and attainment of a grade of B or higher. The minimum acceptable composite score for the IELTS is 6.5. Graduate programs may have more stringent requirements.

Other Fees

Show Less

This course is designed to meet the needs of professional metallurgists with an undergraduate qualification in this field. It will help you develop specialist knowledge and skills in extractive metallurgy and provide you with the knowledge and qualifications required to further your career in the minerals industry.

You will choose from a range of higher level coursework units to complement your educational background and career aspirations. You will also undertake project work which may involve research, field and laboratory work and you will complete a written report and/or dissertation on your findings.

Entry Requirements

A three-year bachelor degree in extractive metallurgy or a closely related discipline with a credit average (65 per cent) or above in the final year, and at least two years of appropriate work experience.

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Student Services and Amenities Fee (Max. $281/year)

Incidental unit costs

Notes

Please note that this course includes three units that require you to attend laboratory sessions, totalling two or three days per semester, at the Kalgoorlie campus.

Show Less

Australia's economy is heavily reliant on the export of minerals and other natural resources and there are excellent job prospects in all areas of geoscience. Australia is currently experiencing a minerals boom and the Minerals Council of Australia has concluded that the mining industry will require an increasing number of trained geologists and geoscientists into the future. Australia is also facing ongoing environmental challenges such as shortage of water, increased salinization of agricultural soils and loss of biodiversity resulting in strong demand for comprehensively trained geoscientists.

This innovative degree provides the opportunity to study a major in Fossil Fuels, Mineral Deposits or Remediaton and includes topics such as resource geology and environmental issues, optical mineralogy and igneous petrology, ore deposit geology, exploration and environmental geochemistry, field mapping and sedimentology, palaeontology and stratigraphy, applied geophysics, among others. The major completed will appear on the academic transcript and testamur.

Entry Requirements

Assumed knowledge is any two units of General Mathematics or Mathematics or Mathematics Extension.

Recommended studies: Chemistry and/or Physics.

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Incidental unit costs

Notes

Intensive mandatory schools may be a requirement of some of the units in this course. See Unit Catalogue for specific requirements.

Show Less

Chemistry is all around us and affects all aspects of our lives, from our own basic bodily responses to the very complex and dynamic compounds of the planet we live on. Chemistry is concerned with all aspects of molecules, their physical and chemical properties, their composition and structure, and their synthesis and use in the 21st century.

Within this course you will find an emphasis on chemical analysis and strong links to mineral, biological forensic and environmental sciences. These links provide cross-discipline tertiary education by combining your Chemistry degree with aspects of other scientific fields.

Chemistry underpins many industries from manufacturing to drug discovery, agriculture to criminal investigation. Chemists play leading roles in the fight against disease, discovery and utilisation of natural resources, development of environmentally friendly industrial processes, and creation of new materials for applications in nanotechnology and the space industry. Chemists are integral members of forensic investigation teams and are also widely involved in the agricultural industry in areas such as soil chemistry and crop protection.

The basic science in a Chemistry degree is relevant to a myriad of other disciplines. Combining your chemical knowledge with skills in biology, business, education, genetics, mathematics, or mineral processing means you could pursue a role in almost any industry you like.

The skills you learn whilst studying chemistry can take you on to a satisfying career in numerous fields both in and out of the lab; in fact anywhere in the world. It is not surprising to find Chemists in roles in law or accounting firms, NGOs, government policy positions at the local and international level, and even the art world.

Entry Requirements

Secondary school results
English competency

Other Fees

Overseas examination fees

Textbooks

Student Services and Amenities Fee (Max. $281/year)

Incidental unit costs

Show Less