The Department is one of the five departments in the College of Engineering and presently offers a B.S. in Mining Engineering. In addition to the four-year undergraduate program, the Department has established transfer programs with several community colleges in the area. The undergraduate and graduate programs, because of strong departmental research emphasis, have special strengths in rock mechanics and ground control, coal processing, surface coal mining, environmental problems related to mining and processing, and systems analysis with recent increasing emphasis on management (disposal/utilization) of coal combustion by-products. Currently, the Department has over 50 undergraduate and graduate students specializing in various disciplines.