EL PASO, Texas Oct. 30 2026: The University of Texas at El Paso is one of 16 universities selected nationwide for funding to support its ambitious mining engineering program. The $1 million PROSPECT Planning Prize, announced this week by the U.S. Department of Energy, is part of a federal effort to restore America’s critical minerals workforce. UTEP will relaunch its undergraduate mining program in Fall 2027, and applications are now open for incoming students.

“Every smartphone, power line and fighter jet depends on minerals someone had to mine,” said UTEP President Heather Wilson. “For too long, the United States has relied on other countries for those materials. UTEP will help change that.”

Upon its launch, UTEP’s program will be the only mining engineering program in Texas. Starting salaries for graduates of the program are expected to be $100,000 or more.

“Thanks to the generosity of our mining industry partners, UTEP expects to offer nearly $3 million in mining engineering scholarships annually once the program reaches full capacity,” said Kenith Meissner, Ph.D., dean of the Miguel A. Loya College of Engineering. “Combined with additional financial aid and housing support, these scholarships will help make a mining engineering degree more accessible to students. It's an extraordinary opportunity to pursue a high-demand career in an industry critical to our nation's future.”

Scholarships and other financial assistance are already available for students looking to join the program’s inaugural class. More information on how to apply for this support is available through the UTEP Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships.

The universities selected for the DOE funding demonstrated outstanding planning for innovative programs aimed at substantially increasing the number of graduates and other credentialed professionals prepared for careers in mining and related supply chain fields in the next two years.

Once fully established, UTEP’s program is projected to produce up to 100 mining engineers annually who will enter a field facing a critical national shortage. According to the DOE, the U.S. will require an estimated 6,000 new mining engineers over the next decade. 

“UTEP is building one of the nation’s premier mining engineering programs,” said George Luxbacher, Ph.D., UTEP professor of practice and mining engineering program lead. “Every student who comes through our doors will obtain a good-paying job and be ready to lead America’s mining industry into the future.” 

UTEP was founded in 1913 as the State School of Mines and Metallurgy and last offered a mining engineering degree in 1964, with the last graduate in 1968. The relaunched program will position El Paso and the Paso del Norte region as a national leader in this critical industry.

The B.S. in Mining Engineering has been approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.