The School of Mines traces its origin to the Mining Department of the Jiaozuo School of Railroad and Mines founded in 1909. The Department of Mining and Metallurgy was formally established in 1933. After a nationwide readjustment of higher-education institutions in 1952, the Mining Engineering Departments of such universities as Tsinghua University, Beiyang University (the predecessor of Tianjin University), and Tangshan Chiao Tung University (the predecessor of Southwest Jiaotong University). The Department underwent several name changes, including the Mining & Metallurgy Engineering Department, Mining Engineering Department, Coal Mining Department, and Mining (Engineering) Department. The Department was upgraded to the School of Energy Science and Engineering in 2000, and renamed as the School of Energy and Safety Engineering in 2004 and, finally and officially, as School of Mines in 2007. Born to comply with the rise of the coal industry, the School has been thrived with the industry’s prosperity, making a remarkable contribution in talent cultivation and scientific advance to the nation’s coal industry.