George S. Ansell Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering

Welcome to the Department of Metallurgical and Materials Engineering! Our historic name reflects Mines’ role in shaping metallurgy over the last nearly 150 years. Since the early days of supporting the Colorado gold and silver mining industries, which we still do, we’ve evolved to an internationally recognized faculty in metals and ceramics who run our world-class undergraduate and graduate degree programs in metals and ceramics. Research and education topics span applications like, aerospace alloys, light weight automotive sheet steel, ceramic fuel cells, electroceramics, and armor. We go all the way from atoms to real materials! Our mission is to offer students the fundamentals that enable them to become materials engineers and scientists in an emerging new world that embraces sustainability, diversity, inclusion and access.

Everything is made of materials, so better materials make better products, from bridges to phones to medical devices and everything in between. Metallurgical and Materials Engineers make the stuff that allows other engineers to make their stuff better, so we are needed by every industry, government lab, or research institution, and our graduates have limitless opportunities for fulfilling and impactful careers. We turn raw materials, such as ores or used products in need of recycling, into valuable and sustainable high-performance products that enable the latest technological advancements in energy generation and storage, safer and more efficient cars and trucks, higher speed wireless communication, stronger and lighter aerospace alloys, devices for quantum computing, and many others. Internationally recognized faculty guide our undergraduate and graduate students focused on metals and ceramics. Undergraduate and Graduate students have hands-on opportunities for research experiences using our world-class facilities and wide range of equipment.