Environmental Engineering is predicted by the U.S. Department of Labor as one of the fastest growing fields in engineering over the next decade.
To help communities become more sustainable, environmental engineers provide assistance to remove pollutants from water and air, recover resources from wastes, and protect public health. The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering prepares undergraduate students to address environmental challenges related to water, air, and soil pollution by understanding regulations, treatment processes, and infrastructure design. The environmental engineering faculty are well connected with employers in the local and national consulting firms, state and national regulatory agencies, municipal governments, industry, and equipment vendors. By taking electives in environmental engineering within the B.S. in Civil Engineering program, a student will be in high demand to work in the following areas:
- Consulting firms that perform design of municipal drinking water, wastewater, and storm water systems
- Consulting firms that develop remediation strategies for contaminated sites
- Municipal utilities and governments that manage drinking water, wastewater, and storm water systems
- Industrial firms to help reduce their waste streams and energy use
- Regulatory agencies that provide oversight for drinking water, wastewater, storm water systems, and for contaminated sites with soil and air pollution
A student in the B.S. Civil Engineering program will be required to complete key 300-level classes to support an interest in Environmental Engineering, including CIVE 326 Introduction to Environmental Engineering, CIVE 327 Environmental Engineering laboratory, CIVE 310 Fluid Mechanics, CIVE 352 Introduction to Water Resources Engineering and CIVE 334 Introduction to Geotechnical Engineering. Students interested in Environmental Engineering can take up to 24 credits of water resources and environmental engineering related courses within the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering. Below are a list of such courses. Environmental Engineering faculty are happy to discuss with students about other science courses available on campus that can prepare students for an environmental engineering emphasis.
Design Electives (9 credit hours):
- CIVE 419 Flow Systems Design (3 cr)
- CIVE 452 Water Resources Development (3 cr)
- CIVE 425 Process Design in Water Supply & Wastewater Treatment (3 cr)
- CIVE 426 Design of Water Treatment Facilities (3 cr)
- CIVE 427 Design of Wastewater Treatment & Disposal Facilities (3 cr)
Technical Electives and Professional Development Elective (up to 15 credit hours):
- ARCH 107 Sustainability Basics and the Build Environment
- CIVE 421 Hazardous Waste Management and Treatment
- CIVE 422 Pollution Prevention: Principles and Practices
- CIVE 424 Solid Waste Management Engineering
- CIVE 430 Fundamentals of Water Quality Modeling
- CIVE 431 Small Treatment Systems
- CIVE 432 Bioremediation of Hazardous Wastes
- CIVE 455 Nonpoint Source Pollution Control Engineering
- CIVE 458 Groundwater Engineering
- CHME 489 Air Pollution, Assessment and Control