Doctor of Philosophy in Explosives Engineering

The explosives engineering program in the department of mining and nuclear engineering offers the Master of Science (M.S.) degree in explosives engineering for students with bachelor’s degrees in engineering, science or technology. It also offers an explosives technology certificate for those with other bachelor's degrees. Due to the age profile of the explosives industry and attrition of personnel, as well as the rapid change in technology within this field, there is an immediate and growing need for highly trained explosives professionals in the civilian explosive, mining and civil excavating fields, government and defense industry. Employers are looking for engineers and scientists with sophisticated skills in the integration of explosives technology into complex systems in a wide range of applications. Employers are also seeking M.S. graduates because they can move quickly into managerial positions. The Ph.D. degree requires a minimum of 3 years of full-time study beyond the bachelor’s degree, including research work for the dissertation. Minimum requirements for Ph.D. candidates include completing 72 credit hours of graduate credit with at least 24 credit hours of dissertation research (Exp Eng 6099) and a minimum of 24 credit hours of coursework, with at least 15 credit hours of course work completed at Missouri S&T. Students are encouraged to enroll in at least 15 credit hours of 6000-level lecture courses and are required to pass the qualifying, comprehensive and final oral examinations for the Ph.D. research.