WorldWide Drilling Resource

9 WorldWide Drilling Resource ® APRIL 2014 Hot Off the Press page is proudly sponsored by Fecon, Inc. The Nation’s First Ph.D. in Explosives Engineering is Now Available The Missouri University of Science and Technology (S&T) was recently ap- proved by the Coordinating Board of Higher Education to offer the nation’s first Ph.D. in explosives engineering. Missouri S&T was also the first in the nation to offer undergraduate and post- graduate minors in explosives engineer- ing in 2005, a postgraduate certificate in 2006, and a master’s degree in 2010. Explosives engineers work in the mining, construction, and demolition in- dustries, among others. Some 6 to 7 billion pounds of explosives are used each year in the U.S., 85% in providing raw materials for a variety of uses and 12% for new construction. In the mining industry alone, more than 5000 engineers will retire in the next decade. The new doctorate will help the university fill these critical shortfalls. Over 150 students have graduated from Missouri S&T with ex- plosives credentials, including 18 with mas- ter’s degrees. Sixteen courses in the program are available on campus and via distance learning. The explosives engineering program is directed by Dr. Paul Worsey, professor of mining engineering. The 72-hour Ph.D. program requires a dissertation and ex- plosives engineering core courses and electives. Most of the fieldwork and re- search is conducted at the university’s Experimental Mine Facility in Rolla. Dr. Worsey instructing a class.