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Studies & Degrees in Mining Maintenance

Mining maintenance covers the work that keeps a mine and its plant running safely: servicing excavators, haul trucks, drills and conveyors, looking after crushing and mineral processing plants, and maintaining the electrical and mechanical installations of the site. A stopped machine stops production, and a faulty one is a safety risk, so maintenance is planned as carefully as extraction itself.

There is rarely a qualification with exactly this name. Students reach the field by two routes. Technicians train in the mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical systems of heavy machinery. Engineers study mining as a whole and take responsibility for the design, operation and upkeep of installations.

Qualifications and levels

  • Vocational training in Spain (FP). Two official grado medio cycles of 2,000 hours are relevant. Técnico en Electromecánica de Maquinaria trains students to locate faults in the mechanical, hydraulic, pneumatic and electrical-electronic systems of machinery, and its official job profiles include mechanic for extractive-industry machines. Técnico en Excavaciones y Sondeos, in the extractive industries family, covers drilling, support of underground excavations and the operation of excavation machinery.
  • Technician programmes in the United States. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), community colleges and vocational schools offer programmes in diesel technology or heavy equipment mechanics that last one to two years and lead to a certificate; associate degrees generally take two years.
  • Bachelor's degrees in mining engineering. In Spain a bachelor's degree (grado) has 240 ECTS credits. The Grado en Ingeniería Minera of the Universidad de León has 240 ECTS credits over four years, is taught in Spanish and offers 50 places. Its contents include designing, operating and maintaining mineral preparation and treatment plants, and the electrification of mining industries. The Grado en Ingeniería de Tecnologías Mineras of the Universidad de Jaén, taught in Linares, also has 240 credits. The university states that the degree qualifies graduates as Ingeniero Técnico de Minas, and its aims include the design and maintenance of mechanical and electrical infrastructure. It holds the EUR-ACE quality label.
  • Master's degrees. Spanish official master's degrees have 60, 90 or 120 ECTS credits. The mining school of the Universidad de Cantabria offers a Máster Universitario en Ingeniería de Minas after its bachelor's degrees.

In the United States, the BLS notes that mining engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in mining or geological engineering, with courses such as geology, thermodynamics, and mine design and safety.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists eight active schools for this subject. Three are in Spain: the Universidad de León, the Universidad de Jaén and the Universidad de Cantabria, whose Escuela Politécnica de Ingeniería de Minas y Energía teaches the Grado en Ingeniería de los Recursos Mineros, with training for work in mineral concentration plants. The other five are Central Queensland University (Rockhampton, Australia), Eastern Arizona College (Thatcher, United States), the Universidad Nacional de San Luis (Argentina), the Universidad Central de Venezuela (Caracas) and Siberian Federal University (Krasnoyarsk, Russia).

Teaching follows the language of the country: Spanish in Spain, Argentina and Venezuela, English in Australia and the United States. Programme names and levels differ widely, from two-year college programmes to engineering degrees, so check with each school which programme applies and what recognition the qualification has in the country where you want to work.

Careers

Maintenance technicians work for mining companies, contractors and equipment dealers. The BLS describes mobile heavy equipment mechanics as the workers who repair and maintain construction and surface mining equipment such as bulldozers, cranes, graders and excavators; most work for governments, equipment rental and leasing shops, and large construction and mining companies. It projects employment of heavy vehicle and mobile equipment service technicians in the United States to grow 7 percent from 2025 to 2035.

Mining engineers plan and supervise operations. Their duties include devising methods for transporting minerals to processing plants and ensuring that mines are operated in safe and environmentally sound ways. The BLS projects employment of mining and geological engineers to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, with about 300 openings each year, so this is a small profession.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a degree called mining maintenance?

Rarely. Maintenance is usually part of a wider programme: heavy equipment or electromechanical training for technicians, or a mining engineering degree for engineers.

How long does it take to qualify?

Spanish vocational cycles in this field have 2,000 hours. A bachelor's degree in mining engineering in Spain has 240 ECTS credits and takes four years. In the United States, technician certificates last one to two years.

Can I study mining engineering in English in Spain?

The Universidad de León lists Spanish as the language of its Grado en Ingeniería Minera. Ask each university about its language requirements for international students.

Do I need a degree to maintain mining equipment?

No. Equipment mechanics normally train through vocational programmes and on the job. A degree is needed for engineering posts.