Programme content
DESCRIPTION
The greatest part of the materials we engineer, the groundwater we use, the energy we need, and the foundations of our buildings result directly from exploration, characterization, modelling and management of natural Earth resources which are spread out in an uneven way in the Earth's crust. The development of large cities and infrastructures is strongly conditioned by its natural environment and the geology on which urban areas rest. Innovative geo-engineering and process-engineering projects need to answer new needs of our modern society such as radioactive waste disposals, recycling, CO2 sequestration, sustainable energy production through geothermy, transient gas storages, shale gas, automated mining operations. Engineering and understanding our environment and its resources is a trendy and high-tech evolution of how engineers serve our Society in a sustainable manner, linked to earth resources and environmental engineering.
This Master is recognized by the French CTI (Commission des titres d'ingénieur) and has obtained the EUR-ACE accreditation label certifying the highest quality for Engineering studies in Europe.
MASTER'S PROGRAMME
The Master is a FR-EN bilingual Master. Therefore, a student actively speaking French and / or English and having a 'passive' knowledge of the other language is OK. Practically, students can ask questions in both languages, course materials exist both in FR and in EN (pdf, ppt and reference books). Students report the desired used language for exams.
The learning and training activities include:
- 25 credits with compulsory courses on Earth Sciences such as geology, mineralogy, or sedimentology;
- 30 credits with compulsory courses on engineering methods and topics such as rock mechanics, groundwater modelling, mineral processing and recycling, construction materials;
- two main specialisations (professional focus) of 30 credits each: - Earth mineral resources, processing and recycling - Environmental and Geological Engineering
- 20 credits for a Master thesis
- 10 credits for an internship and a group integrated project
- 5 credits for a course on Company Management
TWO SPECIALISATIONS (PROFESSIONAL FOCUS)
Mineral resources & recycling
The constant increase in demand for raw materials and of environmental constraints linked to their exploitation is a major challenge for today's society. It is therefore imperative that tomorrow's professionals have a perfect understanding of two essential sides of this job: on the one hand, mining and on the other, recycling. Indeed, raw materials gathered from recycling compete with primary raw materials. Arbitration between both subjects must lean on aspects that are technical (processes), economic, environmental and social at the same time.
Environmental & geological engineering
The sustainable management of water resources, the transition to renewable energy and the risks associated with the subterranean environment and spatial planning are challenges for both today's and tomorrow's society. It is therefore vital that tomorrow's engineers are trained to take up these challenges by relying on the following skills: geotechnics and rock mechanics, low and high temperature geothermal energy, managing the quantity and quality of groundwater, geophysical and hydrogeological measurements and modelling, risks and clean-up, preliminary geology for civil engineering works.
Students can also choose optional courses in another specialized topic (common with Civil Engineering and Architecture Engineering): 'Urban and Environmental Engineering': water and energy networks, risks (fire earthquake, subsidence, ...) wastes and landfills, urban planning, transportation networks, sociology and co-design...
Added value
- Expert of the underground: Knowledge/understanding of the subsoil heterogeneity and structure
- Experimenter and Modeler: Field and lab tests designer and experimenter, computing/ modeling skills for quantification including uncertainty assessment
- Designer in innovative fields: Design of innovative projects (energy storage, geothermal energy, remediation, recycling ...), and rigorous risk assessment related to underground operations or natural hazards
Learning outcomes
With a Master degree in Mining and Geological Engineering, professional engineer is able to characterize, quantify and provide added value to georesources in the fields of mining, environmental and civil engineering. Through a research-oriented master, he has gained a solid field experience coupled to strong capacities in computing and modeling. He is able to transfer his technical knowledge to other domains and to take advantage of his transverse skills to integrate a team or present a complex project.
In order to characterize the natural environment, a Master in Mining and Geological Engineering, is able to use the most advanced technologies such as geophysical imaging, remote sensing and numerical modeling. He is also capable of identifying, utilizing and developing the required methods to tackle a targeted demand. He is able to interpret all collected data while being aware of the influence of the underlying assumptions he made. He has a practical knowledge of the geological environment and can properly identify the main minerals, rocks and geological structures involved in engineering problems.
He is able to set up and conduct drilling campaigns and their associated tests in order to map hydrogeological and geotechnical characteristics of a region or a site and to analyze the vulnerability and risk issues associated to it in order to mitigate them. He is proficient in dealing with the spatio-temporal nature of the data and has a good practice of Geographical Information Systems and databases. He is able to conceptualize numerical models of the underground and to make predictions or to optimize the use of natural resources. He is also able to quantify the uncertainty related to his modeling and predictions. In environmental engineering, he can design and perform a characterization survey to analyze soil and groundwater pollution in order to remediate the situation.
In civil engineering, he can design geotechnical infrastructures and compute the stability of natural or human-induced slopes based on field surveys that he designed himself. He is capable of selecting the appropriate building material, whether it is recycled, synthetic or natural, according to the regulations and solicitations that apply to the case.
In mining, he is able to evaluate the feasibility of a mining project and to beneficiate any kind of deposit by taking into account the geological, technological and economic aspects. He is also able to manage the environmental impacts of industrial and mining activities according to current regulations and to rehabilitate former industrial and mining sites. He is familiar with mineral processing and is able to define a flow-sheet to treat or separate raw materials or industrial wastes using physical, chemical or biological techniques in order to recover valuable material or energy.
In terms of professional opportunities, a graduate Master in Mining and Geological Engineering can integrate consulting firms in geological exploration as well as in environmental, geotechnical, geophysical or civil engineering. He can be employed by any company in the sector of mining, energy or water resources as well as by corresponding administrations. His strong scientific background will allow him to join research centers and universities. He can also use his different skills to integrate banks, insurance companies or public institutions.