1889年，索科罗是一个矿业繁荣的城镇，荒凉、喧闹，人口约为6200人 4500, one of the largest towns in New Mexico. The Territorial Legislature, wanting 为了促进新墨西哥州的经济，他决定成立一所矿业学校来培训年轻的矿工 engineers, and Socorro was the ideal location. Silver and lead ores taken from the 附近的马格达莱纳山脉在德国移民拥有的冶炼厂进行加工 古斯塔夫·比林斯，新的矿业学院将允许年轻的采矿工程师 train near the eventual site of their work.

The New Mexico School of Mines (NMSM) proudly opened its doors on Sept. 5, 1893, with one building, two professors, and seven students. Courses offered included chemistry and metallurgy.

在接下来的几十年里，学院发展了一点，但仍然很小 a curriculum that focused on mining, metallurgy, chemistry, and related fields. For 有一段时间，在世纪之交，矿业学院也担任索科罗的 “预备学校”或高中，对于那些想要超过八年级的人来说 education which the local school system then offered.

1927年，一个新的部门加入了NMSM，称为新墨西哥矿业局 and Mineral Resources. (The name has since changed to "New Mexico Bureau of GEOLOGY and Mineral Resources.") Functioning as the state geologic survey, the Bureau's job 是为了探索和绘制国家的资源并使信息可用 to mining businesses and the general public. The Bureau now functions as a state geologic 随着他们的主要工作扩展到地质灾害调查， such as landslide and earthquake hazards, and the analysis of water resources.

在20世纪30年代，随着越来越多的人寻求大学教育，NMSM的入学率增加了 during the Depression. Graduating classes now numbered in the dozens, rather than the handfuls. Petroleum engineering was added to the curriculum and quickly acquired more students than mining engineering. The college's president, Edgar Wells, was instrumental 从WPA等联邦项目获得资金，以增加 buildings on campus. Several of the campus' classic mission-style buildings with red tiled roofs date from this period.

另一个里程碑是，矿业学院迎来了第一位女毕业生艾琳·瑞安， in 1939. The college had never had a "men only" policy and never had a formal date 当学校变成男女同校的时候，但在19世纪90年代，女性不上大学 that called itself a "school of mines." By the 1930s, things had changed, and by the 20世纪90年代末，矿业公司急于雇用女性(不受征兵)采矿 engineers.

然而，随着第二次世界大战的到来，矿业学院的入学人数下降了 precipitously, as potential students entered the military instead. Richard H. Reece, 从1942年到1946年，谁是学校的校长 an Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at the School of Mines. This was a program designed to give special college training to young men already in the military. Many colleges and universities across the nation had similar units. The ASTP supplied the 在1943年到1945年期间，绝大多数的学生都来到了矿业学院. Under 这个项目，让学校传统的强调工程的课程让位给 a greater focus on physics and mathematics.

After the war, the school’s enrollment jumped, with the return of veterans; in 1947, enrollment was 213. In 1946, the school acquired a dynamic new president, E. J. Workman, and its character changed.

Workman was a physicist, primarily interested in atmospheric electricity. During the war, like many physicists, he had worked on weapons development. On assuming the presidency 他带来了一个研究武器的研究小组 测试和分析(终端效应研究和分析小组，或TERA)和 还有建立雷暴研究中心的决心， his primary peacetime interest. Out of Workman's dreams and labor rose Langmuir Laboratory 大气研究中心是一个研究雷暴的山顶实验室.

Workman brought a new emphasis on scientific research to NMSM. He added a Research 和发展部门，招募了一个更多元化的教师与强大的研究 1951年，学院更名为“新墨西哥矿业学院” and Technology." TERA attracted defense research. Workman built faculty housing and began construction of a golf course in the desert. College enrollment remained steady, 在20世纪50年代，每年大约有200名学生，其中很多学生 were interested in petroleum engineering, which was then a booming area.

也是在沃克曼的时代，建立了一个水文学项目，并逐渐发展成为一个 of the foremost in the world. Workman added a graduate program, which produced Tech's first Ph.D. in 1956.

沃克曼于1964年退休，在随后几任校长的领导下，学院开始发展壮大 in size and subject matter. Graduating classes went from about 50 people per year to over 200. A computer science department was founded circa 1965, one of the first in the country. The Tech Computer Center was started at about this time. Astrophysics 特别是在加入国家广播电台之后，他对大气物理学产生了浓厚的兴趣 Astronomy Observatory built its Very Large Array 60 miles west of town. By the late 1970s, astrophysics was important business in Socorro. The proximity of the VLA helped attract astrophysicists to New Mexico Tech's faculty.

1977年，Tech又增加了一个部门，石油回收研究中心 mission is to study improved methods of recovering oil. The PRRC's home, Kelly Hall, 以及化学和材料工程系的琼斯大厅 built during the late 1970s.

梅西中心，一个剧院/会议中心，于1982年开业，增加了文化 life of the campus. The Performing Arts Series also began at about this time.

在20世纪70年代末和80年代初，校园入学人数增长到1500人左右，部分原因是 高油价使得石油工程师这一职业对许多年轻人来说显得很有吸引力 people. But the field dried up in the mid-80s, and, to diversify the offerings, new programs were added under Dr. Laurence H. Lattman, who was president from 1983 to 1993. 新增电气工程、工商管理等专业 越来越多的学生被环境工程所吸引，这也是 grew. Enrollment reached a high of 1700 in the 1993- 1994 academic year.

在拉特曼执政期间，一项积极的建筑计划为校园增加了几栋建筑， 最重要的是，MSEC(矿物科学与工程综合体)和新图书馆. (The library was named after retiring U.S. Representative Joe Skeen in 2002.)

Dr. Daniel H. López became president of the university in 1994, and proved an effective 领导校园的进一步发展，在学术和物理方面.

在学术发展方面，新增加了一些专业和研究领域 1990s and early 2000s. Chemical, mechanical, and civil engineering have been added as majors. Two specializations have been added to the Master of Science in Engineering Mechanics: one in explosives engineering and one in engineering mechanics. The business 系发展成为一个管理专业，提供工程硕士课程 management, delivered off-campus via distance-education. Tech's offerings in the humanities 已经扩展到西班牙研究、戏剧、诗歌和艺术史.

增加的产品和增加的远程教育能力得到了提升 2005年秋季学期，威尼斯人app下载的入学人数达到1891人，创历史新高.

在20世纪90年代和21世纪初，随着收购的进行，Tech的研究得到了极大的扩展 of government contracts to support new divisions. With the ending of the Cold War, TERA更名为高能材料研究与测试中心(EMRTC)， 该公司正在利用其专业知识扩展到反恐测试等领域 training, land mine detection, and safety testing of explosives.

Two geophysics research centers, PASSCAL and EarthScope, have been added. Magdalena 岭天文台，在设计和规划阶段，将是一个最先进的天文 instrument. The Institute for Complex Additive Systems Analysis (ICASA) studies behavior, vulnerabilities and predictability of complex systems. The National Cave and Karst 促进洞穴学研究，加强公众教育， and promotes environmentally sound cave and karst management.

New buildings or additions have been added to house new research organizations. In 此外，中心校区还增加了学术和辅助建筑: 新工人中心(物理和电气工程)，琼斯附件(生物，化学， 环境工程)，Altamirano学生公寓(学生宿舍)， 菲德尔学生服务中心，以及美术大楼(美术类、珠宝类) and pottery-making, photography, and other areas).