Colorado School of Mines, also referred to as "Mines" and "CSM", is a public teaching and research university in Golden, Colorado, devoted to engineering and applied science, with special expertise[5] in the development and stewardship of the Earth's natural resources. CSM placed 75th in the 2015 US News & World Report "Best National Universities" ranking.

Golden, Colorado, established in 1859 as Golden City, served as a supply center for miners and settlers in the area. 

The Colorado School of Mines is a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science.

In August 2007, a new student recreation center was completed. In 2008, the school finished expanding its main computer center, the Center for Technology and Learning Media (CTLM). In May 2008 the school completed construction and installation of a new supercomputer. Mines is the host of the annual Colorado State Science Olympiad, which draws teams from both the northern regional (hosted at Poudre High School) and southern regional (hosted at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs) competitions. One or two teams usually advance to the national finals, depending on the number of teams registered to compete.

Colorado School of Mines is a public research university devoted to engineering and applied science. It has the highest admissions standards of any public university in Colorado and among the highest of any public university in the U.S.

Mines has distinguished itself by developing a curriculum and research program geared towards responsible stewardship of the earth and its resources. In addition to strong education and research programs in traditional fields of science and engineering, Mines is one of a very few institutions in the world having broad expertise in resource exploration, extraction, production and utilization. As such, Mines occupies a unique position among the world's institutions of higher education.

Since its founding in 1874, the translation of the school's mission into educational programs has been influenced by the needs of society. Those needs are now focused more clearly than ever before. The world faces a crisis in balancing resource availability with environmental protection and Mines and its programs are central to the solution.