TL;DR: BS Mining Engineering is governed by CHED Memorandum Order No. 99, series of 2017, which abbreviates the programme BSEM and sets a minimum of 166 credit units (113 technical, 53 non-technical). The programme requires 320 hours of Mine and Plant Practice carrying zero credit units, split 204 hours mine operation, 58 hours mineral exploration and 58 hours mineral processing. Yes, there is a PRC board exam - Mining Engineering is one of the Professional Regulation Commission's 46 Professional Regulatory Boards, regulated under Republic Act No. 4274, the Mining Engineering Law of 1965. The Board's current published exam programme runs three days at 35 / 35 / 30 per cent weighting.
Mining engineering is a small programme with an outsized amount of statutory weight behind it. A registered mining engineer signs off reserve estimates, mine plans and feasibility studies, which means the licence is not decorative. This guide starts from the CHED memorandum that prescribes the degree and the PRC documents that govern the exam, rather than from any school's brochure.
Which CHED order prescribes BS Mining Engineering?
CHED Memorandum Order No. 99, series of 2017 - "Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the Bachelor of Science in Mining Engineering (BSEM) Program Effective Academic Year (AY) 2018-2019." It was promulgated by virtue of Commission en banc Resolution No. 788-2017 dated 24 October 2017, as an addendum to CMO 37, s. 2012, which established outcomes-based education for engineering programmes.
A small but useful detail: CHED's abbreviation for the programme is BSEM, not BSME. BSME is mechanical engineering. If you are searching CHED issuances or a school's programme list, the wrong three letters will send you to the wrong degree.
What mining engineering is, per the memorandum
CMO 99 defines it as "a profession that deals with the application of mathematics, natural and applied sciences, humanities and social sciences in mineral deposit assessment, mine feasibility study; mine design, development and construction; management of mining operations, mining and mineral economics, environmental protection and safety, and associated activities and processes; and, mine progressive rehabilitation, closure, and decommissioning to harness mineral resources safely and economically."
The inclusion of rehabilitation, closure and decommissioning in the definition is not incidental. It shows up again in the curriculum as Mine Environmental Management and Mining and Environmental Laws and Ethics, and again in the licensure exam.
Is there a PRC board exam for mining engineering?
Yes. Mining Engineering is one of the 46 Professional Regulatory Boards listed by the Professional Regulation Commission. The governing statute is Republic Act No. 4274, the Mining Engineering Law, which created the Board on 19 June 1965 to regulate the practice and to license and register personnel of mines and quarries.
CMO 99 defines the scope of practice by reference to RA 4274, and it is broad:
- Management, engineering or supervisory positions in mines, mine installations or construction projects where mining engineering knowledge is necessary
- Calculation, estimation and certification of mineral and ore reserves; mine pre-feasibility and feasibility studies; mine valuation, auditing and consulting; third-party independent opinion and mine audits; appraisal of mining machinery and equipment
- Participation in environmental studies for mining projects and monitoring under the Environmental Impact Assessment system
- Preparation, approval or signing of mine reports, plans and designs, specifications, project estimates and the mining engineer's report
- Design of mines, mining methods and applicable machinery, and commissioning or decommissioning of mines
- Government service requiring professional knowledge of mining engineering
- Management or supervision of small-scale mines
- Formulation of mineral reporting codes and engineering or technical standards
Certifying an ore reserve is the kind of statement financial markets and regulators rely on. That is why the signature has to belong to a registered professional.
What the licensure exam covers
The Board of Mining Engineering's published examination programme divides the exam into three parts, one per day:
| Exam part | Weight | Coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Mining Engineering I | 35% | Mineral prospecting and evaluation; mine planning, design and development; mining methods; mine safety, health and ventilation; rock mechanics in mine engineering; environmental protection and impact mitigation |
| Mining Engineering II | 35% | Mine valuation; mine management; ethics and mining laws; applied mathematics and surveying; feasibility studies; computer applications; general information |
| Mining Engineering III | 30% | General geology; mineralogy and petrology; economic geology; structural geology; principles of metallurgy; mineral processing; assaying; ecology |
Where sources disagree: RA 4274's own text, written in 1965, sets a different split - mining engineering and economics, mining laws and ethics at 40 per cent, geology and surveying at 20 per cent, metallurgy at 20 per cent, and applied mathematics at 20 per cent. The Board's current published examination programme is the three-part 35/35/30 structure above. Treat the Board's programme for the cycle you are sitting as authoritative and check the version PRC publishes for that specific administration, since the Board reorganises subject groupings from time to time.
We do not publish next-cycle exam dates. PRC issues the schedule of licensure examinations for each year by resolution, and it is the only reliable place to check.
Qualifications to sit the exam
RA 4274's qualification section requires an applicant to be at least twenty-one years of age and to hold a bachelor of science degree in mining engineering from a duly recognised school, college or university - or to hold relevant engineering credentials together with at least five years of practical mining experience. Successful examinees are issued a certificate as a registered mining engineer.
That five-year experience route exists in the statute, but it is a 1965 provision administered by the current Board. If you are counting on it, confirm directly with PRC how it is being applied before you plan a career around it. Our overview of PRC board exam requirements covers the general documentary side of first-time applications.
How the 166 units break down
From CMO 99's summary of the BSEM curriculum:
| Classification | Minimum units |
|---|---|
| Mathematics | 12 |
| Natural and physical sciences | 8 |
| Basic engineering sciences | 16 |
| Allied courses | 32 |
| Professional courses | 45 |
| Total technical courses | 113 |
| General education courses | 24 |
| GEC electives and mandated courses | 15 |
| Physical education | 8 |
| National Service Training Program | 6 |
| Total non-technical | 53 |
| Grand total | 166 |
The ceiling CMO 99 sets is unusually generous: schools may enrich the programme "as long as the total units for the whole program shall not exceed 240 units, including P.E., and NSTP." Most 2017 engineering PSGs cap at 190 or 192. Ask your target school what its actual total is, because the spread between 166 and 240 is more than a year of study.
The geology-heavy allied block
At 32 units, the allied courses are the second-largest block in the degree and the reason BSEM feels closer to geology than most engineering programmes do:
| Allied course | Units |
|---|---|
| Principles of Geology | 3 |
| Structural Geology | 3 |
| Petrology | 3 |
| Elementary Mineralogy | 3 |
| Mineral Deposits | 3 |
| Mineral Processing | 3 |
| Principles of Metallurgy | 3 |
| Techniques of Metallurgical Analysis | 2 |
| General Surveying | 3 |
| Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| Basic Electrical Engineering | 3 |
Note General Surveying sitting in there. Mine surveying is a recognised specialisation and one of the careers listed in the geodetic engineering PSG as well - see our BS Geodetic Engineering guide if the surveying side is what draws you.
The professional courses CMO 99 names
Fifteen courses, 3 units each, for 45 units:
| Professional course | Units |
|---|---|
| Principles of Mining | 3 |
| Surface Mining | 3 |
| Underground Mining | 3 |
| Mine Design | 3 |
| Mine Ventilation | 3 |
| Mine Safety | 3 |
| Rock Mechanics | 3 |
| Mine Economics | 3 |
| Mine Management | 3 |
| Mine Environmental Management | 3 |
| Mining and Environmental Laws and Ethics | 3 |
| Mine Research and Study | 3 |
| Track Specialization 1, 2 and 3 | 3 each |
Compare that list against the licensure exam coverage above and the alignment is close to one-to-one. That is deliberate under an outcomes-based PSG, and it means the exam is not testing material outside the prescribed curriculum.
The 320-hour mine and plant practice
This is the requirement that most distinguishes BSEM from its sibling programmes. CMO 99 lists Mine and Plant Practice (Certificate of Practice) at 320 laboratory hours and 0 credit units, with a recommended allotment of:
- 204 hours for mine operation
- 58 hours for mineral exploration
- 58 hours for mineral processing
Two implications. First, 320 hours is a third longer than the 240-hour immersion most 2017 engineering PSGs prescribe. Second, it earns no credit units, so it does not appear in the 166-unit total but you still cannot graduate without it, and the certificate of practice is the evidence.
Mine sites are rarely near campuses. Ask early how the school arranges placements, what the travel and accommodation cost is, what safety training and personal protective equipment are provided, and whether the host company covers any of it.
Track specializations
Three specialization courses, 9 units in total. CMO 99 requires two from the mining list and one from the energy resource extraction list, and specifies that one of the mining tracks must be the 3-unit computer application in mining engineering course.
Mining tracks: coal mining; drilling and blasting; tunneling; mine feasibility studies; mine surveying; mine project development; contract mining; best practices in mining; computer application in mining engineering; mine valuation.
Energy resource extraction tracks: introduction to petroleum engineering; introduction to geothermal engineering; energy-related courses; geotechnical engineering.
The energy block matters more than its 3 units suggest. Geothermal and petroleum operations hire from the same graduate pool as metallic mining, and in years when metal prices are soft that can be the difference between an offer and no offer.
What BS Mining Engineering costs
There is no national tuition figure and we will not invent one. State universities and colleges charge no tuition for qualified students under the Universal Access to Quality Tertiary Education Act; private schools publish their own rates each academic year.
What is programme-specific here is the field cost. Geology field work, survey exercises and the 320-hour mine and plant practice all involve travel, and mining schools are often not in the same region as active mine sites. Ask for the full schedule of fees plus an honest estimate of field-trip and practicum costs before you commit.
BSEM is also offered by comparatively few institutions. If you are shortlisting, start with our roundup of the best engineering schools in the Philippines and then verify programme availability directly with each school.
Questions worth asking before you enrol
- What is the school's actual unit total? The CMO 99 band runs from 166 to 240 units. That is a very wide range.
- How is the 320-hour mine and plant practice arranged, and what does it cost you? This is the single biggest practical variable.
- Which track specializations actually run? Nine units of specialisation is where the degree points at an industry.
- What is the school's recent licensure performance? In a gated profession this is the number that matters.
- What laboratory and field equipment does the department own? Mineralogy, petrology, assaying and mineral processing all need real kit.
If you are still at senior high school stage, our note on the right strand for engineering covers the subject preparation, and our list of courses with board exams shows which fields lead to a licence.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare programmes across hundreds of Philippine schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- CHED Memorandum Order No. 99, s. 2017 - Policies, Standards and Guidelines for the BS Mining Engineering Program (CHED, PDF)
- CHED - 2017 CHED Memorandum Orders index
- Professional Regulation Commission - List of Professional Regulatory Boards
- Professional Regulation Commission - Program of the Mining Engineering Licensure Examination, October 2025 (PDF)
- Professional Regulation Commission - Board of Mining Engineering, Syllabi of the Mining Engineering Licensure Examination (PDF)
- Republic Act No. 4274, Mining Engineering Law - full text (LawPhil)
- Republic Act No. 4274 - copy hosted by the Professional Regulation Commission (PDF)
