In 1889, Socorro was a mining boom town, wild, raucous, and, at a population of about 4500，新墨西哥州最大的城镇之一. 领土立法机构，缺乏 to boost New Mexico's economy, decided to found a School of Mines to train young mining 索科罗是一个理想的地点. 银和铅矿是从 nearby Magdalena Mountains were processed at the smelter owned by German immigrant Gustav Billings, and the new School of Mines would allow young mining engineers to 火车在他们最终的工作地点附近.

新墨西哥矿业学院(NMSM)于9月9日自豪地开放了大门. 5, 1893, with 一栋楼，两位教授和七个学生. 开设的课程包括化学 and metallurgy.

The college grew a bit, but remained small through the next couple of decades, with 一门以采矿、冶金、化学及相关领域为重点的课程. For a while, around the turn of the century, the School of Mines also served as Socorro's "prep school" or high school, for anyone who wanted more than the eight grades of 当地学校系统提供的教育.

In 1927, a new division was added to the NMSM, called the New Mexico Bureau of Mines and Mineral Resources. (该机构后来更名为“新墨西哥地质局” and Mineral Resources.)作为国家地质调查局的职责 was to explore and map the resources of the state and make the information available 向矿业企业和公众开放. 该局现在的职能是国家地质局 survey, with their main job expanded to include the investigation of geologic hazards, 如滑坡和地震灾害，以及水资源分析.

During 1930s, NMSM enrollment increased as more people sought a college education during the Depression. 现在毕业班有几十个，而不是 the handfuls. 石油工程被添加到课程中，并很快被学习 比采矿工程的学生还多. 学院院长埃德加·韦尔斯(Edgar Wells)功不可没 in obtaining funds from federal programs such as the WPA to increase the number of buildings on campus. 校园里几座经典的任务式建筑被涂上了红色 瓦片屋顶就起源于这个时期.

In another landmark, the School of Mines had its first woman graduate, Irene Ryan, in 1939. 这所学院从未有过“只限男性”的政策，也从未有过正式的约会 when it "went coed," but in the world of the 1890s, women didn't attend a college 那所学校自称为“我的学校”.到了20世纪30年代，情况发生了变化 end of the decade, mining companies were anxious to hire female (non-draftable) mining engineers.

However, with the coming of World War II, enrollment at the School of Mines dropped 突然间，潜在的学生进入了军队. Richard H. Reece, who was president of the school from 1942 to 1946, arranged with the military for 陆军专业训练计划(ASTP)在矿业学院. This was a program designed to give special college training to young men already in the military. Many 全国的学院和大学都有类似的单位. The ASTP supplied the great majority of students to the School of Mines during the years 1943 to 1945. Under this program, the school’s traditional emphasis on engineering courses gave way to 更加注重物理和数学.

After the war, the school’s enrollment jumped, with the return of veterans; in 1947, enrollment was 213. 1946年，学校获得了一位充满活力的新校长E. J. Workman, 它的性质改变了.

沃克曼是一位物理学家，主要对大气电学感兴趣. During the 战争，像许多物理学家一样，他从事武器开发. 就任总统后 of the School of Mines, he brought with him a research group which worked on weapons testing and analysis (the Terminal Effects Research and Analysis group, or TERA) and also the determination to build a research center for the study of thunderstorms, 他和平时期的主要兴趣. 在沃克曼的梦想和努力下，朗缪尔实验室诞生了 for Atmospheric Research, a mountaintop laboratory for the study of thunderstorms.

沃克曼给NMSM带来了对科学研究的新重视. He added a Research and Development Division, recruited a more diverse faculty with a strong research bent, and, in 1951, altered the college's name to "New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology.TERA吸引了国防研究. 沃克曼建造了教师住房和 开始在沙漠中建造高尔夫球场. 高校招生保持稳定; at about about 200 students per year during the 1950s, and many of those students 对石油工程感兴趣，这在当时是一个蓬勃发展的领域.

Also during Workman's time, a hydrology program was founded, which grew to be one 世界上最重要的. 沃克曼增加了一个研究生项目，产生了Tech的作品 first Ph.D. in 1956.

Workman retired in 1964, and under subsequent presidents the college began to grow 在规模和主题上. 毕业班从每年大约50人开始 to over 200. 大约在1965年建立了计算机科学系，是最早的一个 in the country. 科技计算机中心大约是在这个时候开始的. Astrophysics joined atmospheric physics as a major interest, especially after the National Radio 天文台在城镇以西60英里处建造了超大阵列. By the late 20世纪70年代，天体物理学在索科罗是一门重要的生意. VLA的临近帮助了他们 吸引天体物理学家到365彩票在线过滤任教.

In 1977, Tech added another division, the Petroleum Recovery Research Center, whose 任务是研究改进的采油方法. 中华人民共和国的总部凯利大厦 and Jones Hall, home of the Chemistry and Materials Engineering Departments, were 建于20世纪70年代末.

Macey Center, a theater/conference center, opened in 1982, adding to the cultural life of the campus. 表演艺术系列也大约在这个时候开始.

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, campus enrollment grew to about 1500, partly because high oil prices made a career as a petroleum engineer look attractive to many young people. 但这个领域在80年代中期就枯竭了，为了使产品多样化，又出现了新的产品 在Dr. Laurence H. 拉特曼从1983年到2008年担任美国总统 1993. 新增电气工程、工商管理等专业 growing numbers of students were attracted to environmental engineering, which also grew. 1993- 1994学年的入学人数达到了1700人的新高.

An active building program during the Lattman years added several buildings to campus, most importantly, MSEC (the Mineral Science and Engineering Complex) and the new Library. (这座图书馆是以退休的美国图书馆命名的.S. 2002年的众议员乔·斯金.)

Dr. Daniel H. López于1994年成为该大学的校长，并被证明是有效的 leader for the further growth of the campus, in both academic and physical terms.

In terms of academic growth, some new majors and areas of study were added in the 1990s and early 2000s. 增加了化学、机械和土木工程 as majors. 工程理学硕士增加了两个专业 力学:一个是炸药工程，一个是工程力学. The business department grew into a Management Program, offering master's program in engineering 管理，通过远程教育在校外交付. 科技在人文学科的贡献 have been expanded to include Hispanic studies, theater, poetry, and art history.

Increased offerings plus increased capabilities of Distance Education have boosted New Mexico Tech's enrollment to an all-time high of 1891 in the fall semester of 2005.

Research at Tech expanded enormously during the 1990s and early 2000s, with the acquisition 支持新部门的政府合同. 随着冷战的结束， TERA changed its name to Energetic Materials Research and Testing Center (EMRTC), which is using its expertise to expand into areas such as anti-terrorism testing and 训练，地雷探测，炸药安全测试.

增加了两个地球物理研究中心，pascal和EarthScope. Magdalena Ridge Observatory, in the design and planning stages, will be a state-of-the-art astronomical instrument. 复杂加性系统分析研究所(ICASA)研究行为， 复杂系统的脆弱性和可预测性. 国家溶洞和喀斯特 Research Institute facilitates speleological research, enhances public education, 促进对环境无害的洞穴和喀斯特管理.

新的建筑或附加部分被添加到新的研究机构中. In addition, both academic and support buildings have been added to the central campus: new Workman Center (physics and electrical engineering), Jones Annex (biology, chemistry, environmental engineering), Altamirano Student Apartments (student residence hall), Fidel Student Services Center, and the Fine Arts Building (classes in art, jewelry- 以及制陶、摄影等领域).