New mining program: UNCUYO launches the Mining Operations Technician's Degree

The Faculty of Applied Sciences to Industry (FCAI) , part of the National University of Cuyo , has added a new strategic proposal for the development of mining in Mendoza. The university's Higher Council approved the creation of the University Technician in Mining Operations, an undergraduate program that will begin to be offered in San Rafael in 2026.

The approval represents a key step in strengthening the academic offering linked to one of the strategic sectors for the province's growth: mining and sustainable energy development.

“At the FCAI, we are determined to support and contribute to the development of Mendoza 's energy and production matrix, committed to providing quality education with an environmental perspective and territorial commitment,” emphasized Ángel Augusto Roggiero, Dean of the Faculty. He added: “Mining, understood in a sustainable and technological sense, is a vehicle for development that requires highly trained technicians. That is our responsibility as a public university.”

The new technical program will last three years and offer a curriculum that combines technical training with scientific, social, and environmental tools. The curriculum includes intensive practical training, coordinated with companies, public agencies, and communities linked to the mining industry.

Highlighted subjects include:

• Mining, Society and Territory
• Environment and Sustainable Mining
• Mineral Recovery and Treatment Processes
• Operational Safety and Social Sustainability
• Professionalizing Practices in Mining

The degree qualifies graduates to perform technical tasks in extractive operations, industrial processes, surveys, quality control, equipment management, health and safety, and environmental management, among other functions.

"The program was designed to train technicians with the ability to respond immediately, but also with critical thinking, knowledge of the territory, and sensitivity to the social and environmental challenges posed by contemporary mining," Roggiero emphasized.

San Jorge Mining Project

Courtesy of PSJ

The approval of the technical degree is the result of a sustained process of institutional coordination, both at the academic level and with stakeholders in the productive system and the provincial government.

Furthermore, the program integrates with existing lines of training and research at the Faculty, related to energy, the environment, and technological innovation. It also provides opportunities for collaboration with national and international universities, such as Curtin University in Australia.

"We are convinced that the public university must be a key player in productive development, and especially in the province's energy development. With this degree, we are taking that commitment a step further," stated the dean.

The technical program will be taught at the FCAI headquarters in San Rafael, generating new training, employment, and innovation opportunities for young people throughout southern Mendoza. This program is the first of its kind within the Mendoza university system.

Registration for the University Technician's Degree in Mining Operations will open soon, with a view to the start of the first academic year in 2026.