Montana Tech of the University of Montana

Montana Tech is a public university affiliated to the University of Montana. It opened in 1889 to educate new generations of engineers. The Montana State School of Mines, as it was then called, had just 21 students and offered two degrees: mining engineering and electrical engineering. Students learned and researched how to make the most of Montana’s rich natural resources.

The university has since grown to almost 3,000 students and over 60 undergraduate academic programmes, 24 graduate degrees and a PhD in materials science. Academics at Montana Tech are organised into the School of Mines and Engineering, the College of Letters, Sciences and Professional Studies, the Highlands College and the Graduate School.

The Highlands College offers certificates, two-year programmes and training in areas such as business and accounting, health and network technology.

Since 1919, the university has run the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. This institution collects and publishes data on the geology of Montana to enable the productive and sustainable use of its resources.

Montana Tech is located in Butte, Montana, a historic copper boomtown. Uptown Butte is home to the largest National Historic Landmark District in the United States, with over 6,000 listed properties.

Around 30,000 people come to Butte each year to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. The city’s Irish heritage comes to the fore with a grand parade followed by festivities in the various Irish bars around town.

A giant letter “M” for Montana Tech was erected on a mountain overlooking Butte in 1910.