Undergraduates

Index

• Undergraduate Programme
• Entry Requirements
• Purpose and Objectives
• Philosophy and Overall Design
• Curriculum
• Bursary Information
• Enquiries

WITS Mining - Undergraduate Programme
The School endeavors to provide a broad based education for our undergraduate students, which will allow them to examine problems encountered in later life from different perspectives and arrive at optimal solutions.


Entry Requirements
Entry to the School of Mining Engineering is determined by a points system based on performance in the matriculation examination. The minimum rating for acceptance is 30. An additional requirement is that Physical Science and English are all passed with a minimum of NSC Scale of Achievement level 5 and Mathematics passed at NSC Scale of Achievement level 4. Note that these requirements are the minimum requirements, and achieving them does not indicate acceptance into the programme. To obtain more information about the point system, see Enquiries.


Purpose and Objectives of the Course
The purpose of the Mining Engineering degree at the University of the Witwatersrand is to produce academically trained mining graduates who are able to enter any sector of South Africa's diverse mining industry and, after appropriate practical exposure, meet the requirements for professional registration. Thereafter there is an expectation that they will develop careers in the higher echelons of mine management, as consulting engineers, as specialists within the mining industry or as senior executives of mining houses.
The objectives of the course are more concerned with the desired knowledge and the range of competencies that must be achieved before graduation. These were clearly spelled out in the SACPE Statement of Policy Document No 2/3 in 1981 and these ideals are equally valid today. "Engineering graduates must be well grounded in the fundamental and scientific principles appropriate to their discipline, have a basic knowledge of applied engineering and management and above all be able to think independently, critically, logically, scientifically, deductively, inductively and creatively".

While this may appear to be an idealised situation the undergraduate curriculum attempts to address all these aspects. Each year of study may be briefly characterised as follows:

lst Year Science
2nd Year Engineering Sciences
3rd Year Mining Sciences
4th Year Mining Practice

The mining degree has the highest component of service teaching of any engineering discipline since, in addition to the mathematical and physical sciences, electrical and mechanical engineering, surveying and metallurgy is integrated into the curriculum. The role of science teaching is, therefore, vital in the education of Mining Engineers.

The first year of study is devoted to establishing the student's scientific knowledge and competencies through general courses in mathematics, physics, chemistry and mechanics. Drawing, spatial perception and problem solving skills are developed through a course in engineering graphics. Students are introduced to mining engineering in a first year course designed to show the role and responsibility of a mining engineer towards the natural environment and the safety of people in and around a mine. This course also emphasises the economic significance of the South African Mining Industry and prepares students for their first period of vacation work.

The second year of study is mainly devoted to acquiring knowledge and competency in some fields of engineering science, as well as starting a gradual move into the mining sciences. Special survey camps and workshop training courses complement the lecture courses, while the eight weeks of vacation work is designed to give students a broad exposure to mining conditions.

The third year is devoted to mining sciences. The competency obtained from the second year geology course is built upon with a course in mining and economic geology, while ore dressing and extractive metallurgy broaden the student's horizons. Mining courses include environmental engineering, mine surveying, transportation and rock mechanics.

After a period of eight weeks project work on a mine the final year of study is concerned with mining practice. Four mining methods courses (gold, coal, massive and surface mining) are complemented by rock engineering, financial analysis, productivity accounting and management. A tour of selected mines is used to reinforce the teaching and the final year culminates in a major mine design exercise.

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Philosophy and overall design of the Degree
In a professional subject such as Mining Engineering the educational process is a partnership between the student, the staff of the School and the Mining Industry. The acquisition of knowledge and the process of becoming competent is also a balance between teaching and learning. The education provided by the School is, therefore, a combination of the following methods :

• formal lectures
• structured tutorial sessions
• unstructured tutorial sessions
• project work directly associated with lecture courses
• structured laboratory work
• visits to appropriate mines, industrial installations and research laboratories
• formal, supervised vacation work
• advanced design and investigational work with an academic mentor

Content of the Degree Programme
The Mining Engineering degree is a fixed curriculum programme, i.e. there are no elective courses. The curriculum for the programme and the syllabi for the individual courses are given in below:


Curriculum for B.sc.(eng.) Degree in Mining Engineering

The School of Mining Engineering's Syllabus and Curriculum is available to download as a MS Word document.Click here to download!!!


Bursary Information
These are the Mining Houses that gives bursaries to the Mining Engineering students.

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The Faculty Officer (Undergraduate)
Faculty of Engineering
University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg
Private Bag 3
2050 WITS
Tel: 27 11 717-7003(all day)
Fax: 27 11 717-7009

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