The course provides an understanding of the fundamentals of the mine planning process including design, scheduling and evaluation, and the tools available to assist in the planning process. The course covers: the mine planning process; strategic planning and tactical planning; mine design, economic cut-off grade and optimisation; resource estimation; scheduling; feasibility studies; economic modelling; equipment selection; mine systems selection; performance benchmarks for operations; project risks; environment and mine site rehabilitation planning; government regulations; and an introduction to computer tools to assist in mine planning.

On completion of the course a student should have an understanding of the process to derive an optimum mine plan including an appreciation the various factors and constraints to be considered in the mine planning process; an ability to design a pit shell; construction of a production schedule and creation of an economic model to analyse a mining scenario.
Assumed Knowledge: MINE3710, MINE3400