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Title of Programme
The title of the programme is Master’s Programme (Modular) in Mineral Engineering.
13.2 Programme Objectives
Mineral resources contribute significantly to the economy of Ghana; providing employment and foreign exchange among others. This notwithstanding, the mining industry is faced with technical, environmental and social problems. The available ores are low grade and their mineralogical composition very complex, a situation that results in low recovery and generation of large volume of waste material. The latter presents a real environmental challenge, which undermines public trust for the industry. Furthermore, there are other mineral resources that are least exploited like industrial minerals and there is the need to train human resources for the processing of these minerals.
The programme is therefore designed to:
• Train and upgrade the knowledge of Mineral Engineers to cope with the ore complexities and their inherent environmental issues.
• Enhance the diversification and maximization of mineral processing in Ghana and elsewhere.
• Produce competent postgraduates capable of making a career in research and teaching.
13.3 Entry Requirements
a) The entry requirements for the Master’s Degree in Mineral Engineering are:
i) A BSc First Class or Second Class (Upper Division) or its equivalent in Earth Sciences and related engineering programmes.
ii) All other applicants who do not satisfy the requirements of (i) above but have degrees in Engineering & Science may be eligible only after passing an interview.
Holders of UMaT Diploma in the Earth Sciences, who have at least five (5) professional experiences with proven ability in their discipline.
iii) are eligible for admission.
iv) Foreign applicants with proficiency in English language who satisfy the requirements of (i) or (ii) above are eligible for admission after careful consideration of transcripts and relevant references.
v) A student may be admitted to participate in any module on non-scoring basis. In this case, he/she may participate in class discussions, do practical work, take examinations and generally enjoy the privileges of a class member. No credit is given either on completion of a module or at a later time. Such a student shall be given the award of either a Certificate of Proficiency if he/she passes the examination or Certificate of Participation if he/she does not take examination or fails the examination.
13.4 Programme Requirements
The Department offers two Master’s Degree Programmes. These are:
i. MSc Mineral Engineering Degree Programme
ii. MPhil Mineral Engineering Degree Programme
a) Graduation Requirements
The following are the requirements for graduation:
i) MSc Mineral Engineering Degree
• A minimum of forty-five (45) credit hours is required for the award of the MSc. Degree. This is made up of a minimum of four (4) compulsory and four other modules (at least 24 credits hours), Graduate Seminar (3 credit hours); Field Trip & Report (3 credits) and Thesis (15 credits).
• Each module runs for a maximum of two weeks (10 working days) duration; examinations in any module shall be taken within a week after completion of the module.
• There shall be a minimum of forty (40) contact hours in each module (4 hr/day).
• A student may take a module on non-scoring basis. In this case no credit will be given either on completion of a module or at a later time.
ii) MPhil Mineral Engineering Degree
A student is required to audit four (4) compulsory modules outlined in Section 13.5. In addition he/she may also audit modules recommended by the Supervisor to facilitate his/her research work. The student is required also to present at least one seminar.
• The successful defence of a thesis is required for the award of the MPhil degree in Mineral Engineering. The thesis should be an embodiment of independent research conducted by the student under the guidance of a Supervisor(s) on a significant problem in a chosen area of Mineral Engineering.
(b) Programme Duration
• Full-time: A maximum of four (4) semesters for coursework and thesis
• Part-time: A maximum of six (6) semesters.
c) Registration
• Full time students will be required to register a minimum of three (3) modules per semester.
• Students should register modules they intend to participate in by the third week of every semester. Students may, however, pay module participation fee at the time the module is being offered.
• To be of good standing, a Part-time student must enroll in at least three modules per annum.
13.5 Programme Structure
Core and Compulsory Modules
The following courses are compulsory for MSc and MPhil students
• Operations Research (MR 503)
• Statistical Models (MR 509)
• Economic & Financial Evaluation (MR 506)
• Environmental Management (MR 513).
In addition, each MSc student will select four other modules in consultation with his/her Supervisor(s). Introduction to Computer Applications is compulsory but a candidate may apply for exemption. Applicants without adequate mineral engineering background will be required to register for the module in “Introduction to Mineral Engineering”.
Field trips will be organised and all students will be required to participate in at least one of them. An essential requirement of the modules is that students devote the afternoons to tutorials, practicals or field trips.
Preparatory Module
** Preparatory Module for non-Mineral Engineers
First Year: Second Semester Modules
Year Two: Semester One
MR 515 Seminar 3
Year Two: Semester 2
MR 518 Field Trip 3
MR 500 Thesis 15
c) Contents of Modules
Year One: First Semester
Introduction to Computing ( 2)
Introduction to PC, Basic hardware components of the PC, Operating systems software DOS, Operating systems hardware (DOSshell, Windows, File Managers and Utilities) Word Processing, Data processing, Database, Graphics, Software installation and interfacing and summary
Introduction to Mineral Engineering (2)
Comminution & classification, concentration processes, leaching, purification and metal recovery.
MR 501 Mineralogy (3)
Introduction to mineralogy of sulphides, oxides, carbonates and chlorides - with special reference to crystal structure. Mineral identification techniques; X-ray diffractometry, X-ray fluorescence, atomic absorption spectrophotometry, ore microscopy, etc. Isomorphism, texture of ores, gangue minerals and grain size defects. Basic laboratory work in ore microscopy. Application of mineralogy to process metallurgy; leaching, roasting, etc.
MN 503 Operations Research (3)
Nature of operational research in mining. The simplex algorithm, linear, integer and goal programming. Transportation and assignment problems. Decision analysis. Markov analysis. Simulation. Queuing models. Inventory control models. Production scheduling methods. CPM. Dynamic programming.
MR 505 Mineral Particle Systems (3)
Creation of particles; brittle fracture theory and review of theories of comminution, crushing and grinding circuit analysis, general method of producing fine powders. Characterization of particles; size analysis methods, evaluation of sizing, data-probability plots. Separation of mineral particles using physical and chemical properties. Agglomeration of particles; forces between microassemblies, technology of agglomeration.
MR 507 Aqueous Processes in Mineral Extraction (3)
Leaching reactions and methods, liquid/solid separation processes. Purification operations, solvent extraction, ion exchange and reverse osmosis, Metal recovery processes, precipitation, crystallization, electrolysis, etc. and carbon adsorption technology.
MR 509 Statistical Models (3)
Sampling theory and techniques. Basic statistical concepts in data analysis. Special distributions. Estimation theory. Testing hypothesis. Analysis of variance (ANOVA). Regression and correlation analyses. Introduction to multiple regression analysis. Mathematical expectations. Experimental design: the strategy of design, factorial experiments, screening design, Taguchi’s robust method.
MR 511 Biotechnology in Mineral Engineering ( 3)
Some basic concepts of microorganisms: their diversity, habitat, their physiology, metabolism, genetics and their influence on the environment. Nitrogen, carbon, phosphorous and sulphur cycles. The role of microorganisms in processes such as biofilm formation, biocorrosion, mineral leaching, acid rock drainage, biosorption, bioremediation of organic pollutants etc and manipulating environmental conditions to enhance or retard a given process.
MR 513 Environmental Management (3)
Environmental Impacts of Mining (an overview). Air quality/pollution. Air quality modeling; water quality/pollution; water quality modeling. Noise. Environmental aspects of ground vibrations and air blasts. Environmental impact assessment methodologies and practices. Ghana’s Environmental Policy.
Year One: Second Semester
MR 502 Precious Minerals Beneficiation (3)
Types of gold ores; Alluvial, Free milling and Complex ores, Treatment processes, lixiviants for leaching of gold, pretreatment processes for complex ores, pressure leaching, bacteria oxidation etc. heap leaching. CIL, CIP processes and Zinc precipitation, electrolysis and refining of gold. Environmental issues of tailings disposal; geochemistry of tailings and cyanide detoxification techniques. Platinum. Artisanal mining; environmental and social impacts, poverty alleviation and conflicts.
MR 504 Non Ferrous Metal Beneficiation ( 3)
Types of bauxite, The Bayer Process. Production of alumina from non-bauxite sources, Production of aluminum from alumina, Re-fining of aluminum. Types of copper ores and beneficiation methods; leaching with ammonia and sulphuric acid. Electrolysis and metal recovery. Environmental issues of bauxite, alumina and copper beneficiation. Types of manganese ores; Beneficiation on MnO2 and production of manganese compounds from MnCO3. Production of ferromanganese.
MR 506 Economic and Financial Evaluation ( 3)
Nature of requirements for mining projects. Time value of money and economic equivalence. Estimation of revenue and costs; investment allowances; taxation and royalties. Investment decision methods and criteria. Project cash flow and risk. Case study of project feasibility.
MR 508 Industrial Minerals Beneficiation ( 3)
Production of salt (NaCl) from sea water, indigenous and commercial ponds. Uses of salt in the petrochemical and chemical industries. Production of limestone and cement manufacture. Beneficiation of diamond and kaolin. Heavy mineral sand; ilmenite, rutile, zircon, etc. Environmental issues of industrial mineral production.
MR 510 Mine Waste Management (3)
Types of mine waste; waste rock and tailings. Impoundment structures; selection and design. Tailings deposition methods. Water Management, Sampling and analysis of tailings, Effluent treatment for environmental control and monitoring systems, Decommissioning, reclamation and covers. Case studies of cyanide-bearing tailings and acid rock drainage system.
MR 512 Mineral Process Design and Control (3)
Process flowsheet design; metallurgical accounting and process economics. Selection and sizing of equipment from test data; crushers, grinding mills, gravity concentration, hydrocylone and flotation cells. Process control and instrumentation.
Year Two: Semester One
MR 515 Seminar (3)
Each student will be required to make at least one seminar presentation on the progress of his/her thesis work. The presentation will be assessed by a Departmental Panel. All Postgraduate students are required to attend the seminar(s).
Year Two: Semester Two
MR 518 Field Trip and Report
Field trips will be organised and students are required to participate in, at least, one of them and shall submit a written report for assessment.
MR 500 Thesis
An independent research work will be carried out by each student on a suitable topic which will constitute a thesis that will be assessed. An oral examination will be conducted on the thesis by a panel of Examiners.
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Mineral Master's Programme
