Montana Tech impacts not only the community of Butte but the entire state of Montana. The university significantly impacts the overall economy with an estimated $98 million in overall economic spending and earnings and provides an estimated $6.6 million of state taxes.
With over $20 million in recently completed building and renovation projects, another $12.5 million currently under construction, and $25 million of future construction under design, the campus blends its historical buildings with new, state-of the-art laboratory and instructional facilities. Much of the work completed and in process is in partnership with industry, friends, and alumni support with over $15 million raised in the area of philanthropic giving. The newly opened Natural Resources Research Center (NRRC), a three-story, 31,000-square-foot addition to the Engineering Laboratory Classroom Building, houses research and lab space for the Petroleum, Civil, and Mechanical Engineering Departments along with space for the Occupational Safety & Health department. Funding for the NRRC was secured through a $5-million allocation from the 2013 Montana Legislature and a $5-million private match provided by ConocoPhillips, Halliburton, and Anadarko. The building will greatly impact the campus by serving as a strong recruitment tool and will provide much needed research and laboratory space.
Specializing in the areas of science, technology, engineering, math, and healthcare disciplines, the university offers certificates programs, associate, bachelor, and master’s degrees, and a PhD in Materials Science. All degree offerings derive a special emphasis from the unique setting and continued tradition of high quality that has characterized Montana Tech since its founding.
Montana Tech offers programs of distinction. Tech is one of only two U.S. schools that offer a B.S. degree in geophysical engineering, one of ten offering a B.S. in metallurgical engineering, one of nineteen that offer a B.S. degree in mining engineering and one of only twenty that offer a B.S. in petroleum engineering.
Montana Tech has approximately 2,800 students many of whom come from ordinary beginnings in the cities and towns in Montana. The university has a long-standing reputation for producing hard-working graduates. This past fall, Montana Tech graduated its first students in the standalone Mechanical and Civil Engineering degree programs. Success is also being seen in the Materials Science PhD, which was approved by the Montana Board of Regents in 2013 in collaboration with Montana State University and the University of Montana. Currently, 13 out of the 25 doctoral students in the program are pursuing their education in Butte. Montana Tech’s nursing program continues to work towards helping the national shortage of nurses across the nation. Montana Tech is one of two state-supported Bachelor of Science in Nursing programs in Montana. Tech’s nursing students currently have a 100% pass rate on the NCLEX-RN.
Montana Tech currently has 12,737 alumni making Montana and the world a better place for us all to live. They are impacting the state of Montana in a variety of industries. 45% of Montana Tech alumni live in Montana with 25% living in SW Montana. Think about biological sciences alum, Paul Engstrom, who came from ordinary beginnings in Medicine Lake, MT. He is now on the path to medical school and plans to return to rural Montana and practice medicine.
Montana Tech has consistently been named a top university and a top for return on investment. Recently, Niche.com named Tech as Montana’s top public university based on rigorous analysis of academic, admissions, financial, and student life data from the U.S. Department of Education along with millions of reviews from students and alumni. Montana Tech has also been named the #1 university in a report by EDsmart of the 40 American colleges creating the greatest benefit to the country’s economic progress, based on analyses of alumni salaries, tuition fees and more.
Montana Tech’s commitment to research has been rewarded with a dramatic increase in funding over the past ten years. Many Montana
Tech faculty and students are conducting cutting-edge research to better the communities we live and work in. Tech’s Jerry Downey,
Alysia Cox, and H.H. Huang in collaboration with a University of Montana faculty member comprise a research team, which is refining a concept with potential to remove metal contaminants economically from hundreds of former mining sites in Montana. Biologist Robert Pal and colleagues are doing research to restore native plant communities to damaged areas. Jack Skinner, Marisa Pedulla, and Katie Hailer are studying ways to use nanoparticles to enhance the antimicrobial effects of phages. These faculty members along with
others are conducting research and solving problems that will help advance the state of Montana.
On the horizon for the university is the construction of a Student Success Center (SSC), the heart of the campus. The 25,000-square-foot facility will complete the student life experience on campus, providing an inspiring environment for students to live, dine, socialize and cultivate valuable leadership skills. It will increase Montana Tech’s residential capacity from 289 beds to 455 beds, shaping memories and forging lifelong friendships.
With new buildings, new program offerings, and faculty conducting real-world research, Montana Tech is the solution for the state of Montana and beyond.