Montana Tech of the University of Montana

What Montana Tech of the University of Montana does

Montana Technological University, operating as Montana Tech, is a public STEM university in Butte, Montana, founded in 1900 as the Montana State School of Mines and reorganized under the Montana University System. The institution comprises five academic units: the Lance College of Mines & Engineering, the College of Letters, Sciences & Professional Studies, the Sherry Lesar School of Nursing, Highlands College (vocational/certificate programs), and the Graduate School (master's and Ph.D. in Materials Science, Earth Science & Engineering, and engineering disciplines). Research infrastructure centers on the 31,000 sq ft Natural Resources Research Center, the High Performance Computing Cluster, the Center for Advanced Materials Processing, the Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment, and the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology. The institution is the only Special Focus Four-Year University in Montana and holds NWCCU accreditation reaffirmed in 2024.

The business model combines tuition (undergraduate in-state/out-of-state, WUE, WRGP, graduate, Highlands College, and distance learning tiers) with state appropriations, federal research grants from the NSF, DEVCOM ARL, and Idaho National Laboratory, and private donations channeled through the Montana Tech Foundation. Revenue streams are diversified across these four channels rather than concentrated in any single source. Go-to-market is sales-led and event-driven, relying on campus visits, virtual tours, college fairs, and the annual Techxpo Design Showcase to recruit students. Customer segments include undergraduate and graduate STEM students, vocational/certificate students, and veteran students using GI Bill and Yellow Ribbon benefits.

The university has accumulated 12 Goldwater Scholars, maintained a 90%+ career outcomes rate for over a decade (94.5% per the FY24 Outcomes Survey), and consistently ranks #1 in Montana for bachelor's, master's, and overall college categories. Recent strategic activity centers on a May 2026 MOU with Battelle Energy Alliance/Idaho National Laboratory and a broader consortium of critical minerals partnerships (Columbia, University of Illinois, SRI International, REAlloys, VerAI Discoveries) positioning the institution within the domestic nuclear energy and rare earth supply chain research ecosystem.

Name

Montana Tech of the University of Montana

Legal name

Montana Technological University

Website

https://mtech.edu

Company type

Public

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Montana Tech is a public STEM university in Butte, Montana, serving undergraduate, graduate, vocational, and veteran students through five colleges spanning engineering, sciences, nursing, and technical fields. It funds operations via tuition, state appropriations, federal research grants, and private donations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Higher Education

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Junior Colleges (61121), Technical and Trade Schools (6115)

akta.pro primary industry

STEM-Focused Technical Universities (EDAHAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Technical Universities with Energy, Materials & Sustainability Focus (EDAHAEAL), Technical Community Colleges (Applied/CTE-Focused) (EDAHADAD)

Keywords

• STEM higher education
• Engineering degree programs
• Nursing education
• Vocational training
• Graduate research

Headquarters

HQ city

Butte

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Tuition and Fees: Montana Tech generates revenue through tuition payments from undergraduate, graduate, and Highlands College students. The university offers various tuition tiers including in-state, out-of-state, WUE (Western Undergraduate Exchange), and distance learning programs.
2. Research Grants and Funding: Montana Tech receives significant research funding from external sources including the National Science Foundation, DEVCOM ARL laboratory, Idaho National Laboratory, and other federal and state agencies for various research projects.
3. Government and State Appropriations: As a public university, Montana Tech receives state funding from Montana and operates under the Montana University System.
4. Private Donations and Grants: The Montana Tech Foundation receives private donations, including recent grants such as the $71,400 welding program grant from the Dennis and Phyllis Washington Foundation.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Montana Tech of the University of Montana (also known as Montana Technological University) is a public STEM-focused university offering undergraduate, graduate, and vocational educational programs across engineering, natural sciences, healthcare, and professional studies. The institution delivers academic degrees through five academic units, operates research centers focused on advanced materials processing and environmental remediation, and provides the Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology as a state geological survey resource.

Product overview

Montana Technological University operates as a comprehensive STEM university offering a portfolio of educational colleges and research centers. The institution consists of five academic units: the Lance College of Mines & Engineering (offering engineering disciplines), the College of Letters, Sciences & Professional Studies (foundational sciences and pre-professional tracks), the Sherry Lesar School of Nursing (ranked best in Montana), Highlands College (career-oriented certificate and associate programs), and the Graduate School (master's and Ph.D. programs). Research infrastructure includes the Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP), Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment (CERA), and Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG). Student development programs include undergraduate research opportunities (URP, RAMP, SURF), Career Forge career management platform, Techxpo Design Showcase, and Outdoor Tech recreational program. The institution is accredited by NWCCU and maintains partnerships with industry and national laboratories for research collaboration.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Lance College of Mines & Engineering Elite, high-demand academic programs across traditional engineering disciplines and evolving STEM fields, including petroleum, civil, mechanical, and electrical engineering, targeted at undergraduate students pursuing engineering degrees.
• College of Letters, Sciences & Professional Studies Academic unit offering foundational science degrees, comprehensive pre-professional health tracks, and unique professional degrees for undergraduate students.
• Sherry Lesar School of Nursing Nursing education program ranked the Best College for Nursing in Montana (Niche, 2026) with a 100% NCLEX-RN pass rate for academic year 24/25.
• Highlands College Career-oriented one- and two-year programs designed to launch students into high-demand industries, including CDL training, welding, and broadband micro-credentials, serving workforce development needs in Montana and beyond.
• Graduate School Advanced graduate programs offering specialized master's and Ph.D. degrees in Materials Science, Earth Science & Engineering, and other STEM fields for graduate-level students.
• Center for Advanced Materials Processing (CAMP) Research center partnering with industry and government agencies on materials science research, focused on advanced materials processing.
• Center for Environmental Remediation and Assessment (CERA) Research center focused on environmental remediation and assessment, addressing environmental challenges through scientific research.
• Montana Bureau of Mines and Geology (MBMG) State bureau housed at Montana Tech serving as the principal source of earth science information for Montana, providing geological surveys, maps, atlases, and historical journals of geological and mining resources dating back to the 1800s.
• Undergraduate Research Program (URP) Traditional academic year undergraduate research program where students from freshmen to seniors collaborate with faculty on specific research projects for scholarship and academic credit, with opportunities to present at regional, national, and international conferences.
• Research Assistant Mentorship Program (RAMP) Faculty-mentored research program for freshman, sophomore, and junior-level researchers, with teams of 3 undergraduates conducting spring semester research projects under faculty mentorship.
• Summer Undergraduate Research Fellowship (SURF) Paid 10-week intensive summer research experience for undergraduate students at Montana Tech.
• Career Forge Montana Tech's online career management system that connects students, alumni, and industry employers for internships and job opportunities.

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Idaho National LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Montana Tech collaborates with Idaho National Laboratory (INL) on critical materials and rare earth research. INL is managed by Battelle Energy Alliance LLC. Montana Tech signed an MOU with Battelle Energy Alliance to expand collaboration in critical materials and nuclear energy research.
• Columbia UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Collaboration on rare earth deposits research and domestic supply chain development for critical minerals.
• University of IllinoisminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Collaboration on critical minerals research and strategic supply chain development.
• REAlloysminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 30 June 2026Collaboration on rare earth processing and alloy development for domestic supply chains.
• Battelle Energy Alliance LLCcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 May 2026Montana Tech signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Battelle Energy Alliance LLC, the managing and operating contractor of Idaho National Laboratory (INL), to expand collaboration in critical materials and nuclear energy research and education.
• National Science FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch conducted in partnership with National Science Foundation for various STEM research projects.
• DEVCOM ARL LaboratorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerResearch partnership with DEVCOM ARL laboratory for defense-related research initiatives.
• Montana Bureau of Mines and GeologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMBMG is housed at Montana Tech and serves as the principal source of earth science information for Montana citizens, conducting mineral resource research.
• Children's National HospitalminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative research with Children's National Hospital on wet floor safety studies.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Colorado School of Mines: Colorado School of Mines is the most direct analogue: a STEM-focused public technical university with deep roots in mining and extractive industries that has successfully repositioned around energy, materials, and earth science. It competes for the same out-of-state STEM talent and federal research dollars as Montana Tech.
• Missouri University of Science and Technology: Missouri S&T is a former School of Mines in the same tier of public STEM-specialist universities, offering engineering, computing, and sciences with similar scale and federal research funding profile. Highly comparable in mission, structure within a state system, and emphasis on mining, materials, and civil engineering.
• South Dakota School of Mines and Technology: A small public polytechnic with a similar mining, materials, and engineering focus and a comparable enrollment scale in the upper Midwest. Faces the same energy transition and demographic challenges as Montana Tech, making it a tight operational comparator.
• New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology: New Mexico Tech is a state-supported STEM university specializing in earth sciences, engineering, and physical sciences with strong national laboratory ties (Sandia, Los Alamos). Directly comparable in research mission, federal lab relationships, and small public technical university positioning.
• Michigan Technological University: Michigan Tech is a public STEM-focused research university in a rural setting with comparable enrollment scale, strong engineering and natural science programs, and a similar federal research funding mix. Direct peer on student outcomes, research expenditure, and energy/extractives repositioning.

Broad incumbents

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute: WPI is a private STEM-focused university that competes for the same undergraduate engineering and science talent but with significantly larger resources and a national brand. Useful as a higher-end private comparator on project-based learning pedagogy and STEM ROI.
• California Polytechnic State University (Cal Poly): Cal Poly is the larger public polytechnic benchmark, with a learn-by-doing STEM model, robust industry partnerships, and a much larger scale. Comparable on applied STEM pedagogy and career outcomes positioning, though materially larger and more nationally recognized.

Regional players

• University of Alaska Fairbanks: UAF is a regional public research university in Alaska with overlapping programs in engineering, mining, and earth sciences and a similar rural, federally-tied research profile. Comparable on geography, federal research mix, and workforce development mission in a resource-extraction state.
• University of Wyoming: University of Wyoming is a regional public university with strong energy, petroleum engineering, and earth science programs that competes for the same regional STEM students and industry research dollars. Comparable on energy industry exposure and Rocky Mountain West talent market.

Emerging players

• Stevens Institute of Technology: Stevens is a private technology university with strong programs in engineering, computing, and applied sciences, often compared to public technical schools on STEM ROI. Comparable in size and career outcomes emphasis, though with a different funding model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/mtechpr
• Facebookfacebook.com/orediggers
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/montana-tech
• Instagraminstagram.com/montana_tech/?hl=en

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Montana Tech of the University of Montana