Engineering Professionals I

How to become a mining engineer or Metallurgist and related professional

Official title: Mining engineer/Metallurgist and related professional

Also called: Assayer, Coal mining engineer, Extractive metallurgist, Foundry metallurgist, Gas engineer (production and distribution), Gas engineer (well drilling), Hydrometallurgical engineer, Metallurgist, Metal-mining engineer, Mine development engineer, Minerals engineer, Mining engineer

Mining engineer/Metallurgist and related professional conducts research on, designs, develops and maintains commercial-scale methods of extracting metals from their ores, or minerals, water, oil or gas from the earth and of developing new alloys, ceramic and other materials, or studies and advises on mining or metallurgical aspects of particular materials, products or processes. He/she determines operating parameters such as temperatures, pressures and other variable factors in extractive processes to ensure products are of required quality in commercial quantities.

Main tasks

Determining the location and planning the extraction of coal, metallic ores, non-metallic minerals, and building materials, such as stone and gravel
Determining the most suitable methods of efficient mining and extraction, types of machinery to be used, planning layout and directing construction of shafts and tunnels
Determining drilling site and devising methods of controlling the flow of water, oil or gas from wells
Planning and directing storage, initial treatment and transportation of water, oil or gas
Conducting research, developing methods of extracting metals from their ores and advising on their application
Investigating properties of metals and alloys, developing new alloys and advising on and supervising technical aspects of metal and alloy manufacture and processing
Maintaining technical liaison and consultancy with other relevant specialists such as geologists and geophysicists
Examining deposits or mines to evaluate profitability

Ways in

University: Science degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore
University: Engineering degrees, Offered by 4 universities in Singapore

Pay · Outlook · AI and this job

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Questions people ask

How do I become a mining engineer or Metallurgist and related professional?

Ways in include: Science degrees; Engineering degrees.

Will AI change the work of a mining engineer or Metallurgist and related professional?

Generative AI can do relatively little of this work, by the ILO's global estimate.

Sources

International Labour Organization, Generative AI and Jobs: A Refined Global Index of Occupational Exposure (ILO Working Paper 140, Gmyrek et al.) (ILO Working Paper 140, May 2025, Annex Table A1), CC BY 4.0, retrieved 4 October 2026

Updated 4 October 2026