Bachelors in Environmental Engineering in USA

Environmental engineers work at the interface of society and the natural world to protect human health and the integrity of ecosystems. Top priorities include delivering safe drinking water, improving air quality, managing materials and waste, preventing and treating all forms of pollution, mitigating climate change, and restoring the Great Lakes and other natural water systems. Environmental engineers are increasingly concerned with promoting the values, principles, and practices of green and sustainable development. With interdisciplinary training that integrates environmental science, engineering, and policy, environmental engineers are uniquely positioned to address the traditional societal concerns of water and sanitation, as well as the global issues of environmental sustainability and climate change.

The Environmental Engineering BS program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET .

The curriculum is designed to meet program education objectives (PEOs) that describe the expected accomplishments of graduates within a few years after graduation. Graduates from BS Environmental Engineering program will:

• Serve ethically with recognition of the diverse needs of society and the profession,
• Become leaders in their profession,
• Understand and advance the mission of their employer, and
• Continue their professional development, including professional licensure, continuing education and/or graduate study.

Learning Outcomes

The curriculum provides opportunities for students to develop the following knowledge, skills, and behaviors by the time of graduation:

• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics
• an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors
• an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences
• an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts
• an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives
• an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions
• an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Environmental Geochemical Science is an interdisciplinary undergraduate degree program leading to a Bachelor of Science. The program is administered by the Department of Geology and focuses on the environmental aspects of geology, chemistry and biology. Through formal courses, laboratories, and research projects, students develop an awareness of the geological, chemical and biological processes that impact society and the environment. Both a major and a minor in Environmental Geochemical Science are offered.

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering degree provide a one-of-a-kind program that prepares students for work in the Environmental Engineering industry. Students who graduate with this degree will be well equipped with the knowledge and skills needed for work as an Engineer, for engineering licensure, as well as for graduate studies. Environmental Engineers apply their knowledge and studies in the following areas:

• Environmental Restoration & Remediation
• Water/Wastewater Treatment
• Hydrology & Hydraulics
• Natural Resource Management

These areas are used in Environmental Engineering to design the pieces, processes, and systems to meet industry guidelines, which will reduce the negative effects of human activities on the environment. Graduates of this program will also gain the ability to work and communicate effectively in team-oriented, project-management driven environments.

Civil engineers are responsible for planning, designing and supervising construction of the nation's infrastructure. The expertise of a civil engineer can lead to employment in a variety of industries. Many graduates work for transportation departments, environmental protection agencies, private engineering firms and manufacturing companies, just to name a few.

With continuous ABET accreditation since 1959, the Civil Engineering program at Youngstown State has a formula for success. You'll receive a strong foundation in math, science and the fundamentals of engineering, as well as a broad background in all major areas of the civil engineering discipline.

Instruction on the engineering design process is fully integrated throughout the curriculum to foster the depth of understanding and self-confidence you'll need to think creatively and become a productive engineer after graduation.

GradReports ranked our Environmental Engineering program 11th in the nation based on median early-career salaries. At Wilkes, you'll learn and apply fundamental principles of environmental engineering to analyze and solve complex problems, while considering technical, ecological, economic and ethical factors. You'll have the opportunity to conduct research with the most current equipment and present your research at conferences. Our program is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, which assures that a program meets the profession's quality standards.

The mission of our undergraduate program is to provide students with a broadly based yet rigorous education in the fundamental subjects central to the field, in a milieu that fosters development of a spirit of intellectual inquiry and the problem-solving skills required to address the open-ended issues characteristic of the real world.

Our B.S. program provides a strong foundation in the physical, chemical, and biological sciences, as well as in mathematics, engineering science, and engineering design. It is broad and flexible enough to accommodate students with a variety of interests in environmental engineering and management. This training should provide an ideal preparation for future employment in business or industry or for subsequent training at the graduate level, either in environmental engineering/science or in a field such as environmental law, public health, or medicine.

Environmental engineering is concerned with the design of systems, policies and processes to protect human, animal, and plant populations from the effects of adverse environmental factors, including toxic chemicals and wastes, pathogenic bacteria, and global warming, and to design systems that enable a more sustainable society.

Environmental engineers design systems, processes and policies to minimize the effect of human activities on the physical and living environment so that we can all live more healthy and sustainable lives. Environmental engineers work to meet human needs for resources in ways to minimize impact on the ecosystem and adverse effects on health.  This field builds on other branches of engineering, especially civil, chemical, and mechanical engineering. It also builds on information from many of the sciences, such as chemistry, physics, hydrology, geology, atmospheric science, and several specializations of biology (ecology, microbiology, and biochemistry). Students who elect to study environmental engineering will become familiar with many of these areas because maintaining and improving the environment requires that problems be evaluated and solutions found using a multidisciplinary approach.

Students in the environmental engineering bachelor’s degree program will complete a curriculum covering the engineering and science knowledge necessary to design and implement effective, affordable solutions for environmental challenges involving water, air, and land. The environmental engineering curriculum equips students with a broad education that includes technical skills in analysis and design and professional practices such as communication, teamwork, leadership, and ethics. Graduates will have a strong foundation necessary to solve complex current and future infrastructure challenges within the diverse areas of environmental engineering.

Graduates of this program will be prepared to work in environmental engineering positions within the private and public (e.g., federal, military, state and community) sectors that deal with pollution and contamination in all aspects of the built and natural environment. Examples of this work include analyzing and designing systems for water supply and distribution, collecting and processing waste, controlling air quality, recycling residuals, and protecting public health. Students interested in a more general education in civil engineering should consider the B.S. in civil engineering with environmental emphasis.

Environmental engineers uphold the dual goals of minimizing our impact on the local, regional, and global environment and concurrently improving our standard of living. In this role of preserving environmental and public well-being, environmental engineers face unique issues and must have a strong background in the earth sciences to understand complex environmental problems and then pose and design appropriate engineering solutions. As problem solvers for something as diverse as “the environment,” environmental engineers also need to understand the most current technologies used in practice and have a desire to maintain a high level of learning in this rapidly evolving field.

Drinking water and wastewater treatment are cornerstones of the environmental engineering field, and students' education in these areas is thorough. Turning river, lake, or even sea water into drinking water requires a unique expertise because each water source offers distinctive challenges. Air pollution is a growing concern on scales ranging from the global atmosphere to the indoor environment. From a fundamental understanding of the chemistry and dynamics of air pollution, students learn how human activities degrade air quality and also how to evaluate and design control technology to reduce emissions from industry and other sources. The geology of a location greatly impacts its water resources, and comprehension of hydrogeology is important to an environmental engineer. The amount and quality of water a geologic formation can produce can influence and limit development of a region. Subsurface hydrology can be the most critical aspect in remediation of contaminated groundwater. Sustainable infrastructure, in themes of energy and environment, is yet another challenge that environmental engineers will have the opportunity to address in their careers and our faculty are engaged in the S&T sustainability minor and teach the core coursework in sustainability at S&T.

The environmental engineering work place is diverse. Consulting firms represent a large portion of the work force and many specialize in areas of drinking water and wastewater treatment. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, state departments of natural resources, departments of health, and the U.S. Departments of Energy and Defense all have positions that require a wide array of skills and expertise.

The courses and skills learned as an undergraduate student also provide preparation for graduate studies and advanced leadership roles. Many specialized positions require a graduate education. Within the Missouri S&T environmental engineering program, elective courses include topics such as water and wastewater; geo-environmental; air pollution and control; environmental chemistry and processes; and environmental microbiology and processes. Some courses are required in each of these areas to provide breadth, which allows graduates to interact with the wide range of professionals in this particularly interdisciplinary field. Project teams may include health care professionals, city planners, developers, and all types of engineers. Additionally, the ever-developing field of environmental engineering is saturated with legal issues, many of which are yet to have precedents or legal statutes established.

Would you like to make this world a better place to live by focusing on the interactions between humans and the environment? You could make a difference by choosing a career in environmental engineering. In general, environmental engineers integrate and apply biological, chemical, and engineering principles to improve and sustain the environment for the protection of its ecosystems, human health, and environmentally-related enhancement of the quality of life. The discipline focuses on water and wastewater treatment system design and public health protection; traditional and emerging contaminant mitigation in water, soil, and air; ecological principles in the design process; green manufacturing; and, sustainable design. Environmental engineers will play a crucial role in numerous 21st century challenges, including: sustainably supplying food, water, and energy; designing a future without pollution and waste; creating efficient, healthy, and resilient cities; fostering informed decisions and actions; and, curbing climate change and adapting to its impacts

The Environmental Engineering curriculum provides an integrated educational experience in mathematics, basic sciences, humanities, social sciences, engineering sciences, and environmental engineering design. The first two years of the Environmental Engineering curriculum provide a strong foundation in mathematics, basic sciences, and engineering sciences. The next two years of the four-year program, integrate engineering sciences with design applications. 

Design courses emphasize an integrated approach that considers all environmental media in the prevention and control of environmental problems. The curriculum culminates with a major senior-level design project that includes design applications from the major specialty areas of environmental engineering.  

Environmental engineers apply engineering principles to design systems that control pollution and protect public health. They restore air, soil, and water quality at previously contaminated sites and develop systems that convert waste into clean energy. Environmental engineering addresses the complex food, energy, and water issues of the 21st century.

A degree in environmental engineering allows you to work in any aspect of environmental protection, including air pollution control, industrial hygiene, radiation protection, hazardous waste management, toxic materials control, water supply, wastewater management, stormwater management, solid waste disposal, public health, and land management. 

The Concentration offers undergraduate courses in both environmental engineering topics. Students are encouraged to combine the environmental program with associated programs in geo-technical and water resources engineering, civil, and applied mechanics, (for example, flow of pollutants through porous media, stability of dams, canals and culverts, finite element modeling of fluid-structure interactions). Graduates of the environmental program have found opportunities with consulting firms and public agencies as well as in research and academia.