Mining Engineering is an umbrella field that involves many of the other engineering disciplines as applied to extracting and processing minerals from a naturally occurring environment.
The need for mineral extraction and production is an essential activity of any technically proficient society. As minerals are produced from within a naturally occurring environment, disturbance of the environment as a result of mineral production is a given. Modern mining engineers must therefore be concerned not only with the production and processing of mineral commodities, but also with the mitigation of damage or changes to an environment as a result of that production and processing.
Engineering disciplines that are closely related to mining engineering are: Civil engineering, Environmental engineering, Geotechnical engineering, Hydraulic engineering, and Electrical engineering.
Specialized areas of mining engineering involve extraction of minerals from underground and open pit mines, underwater mines, seawater, in-situ retorting of rock, and underground gasification.