The Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering degree offers courses in environmental processes, soil and groundwater, environmental management, and environmental modeling.

The Environmental Processes courses address the treatment of industrial and domestic water and wastewater, and hazardous wastes. Process fundamentals are integrated with a design-based approach to meeting treatment objectives. Students will be prepared for careers in both design and operation of facilities for pollution control. Graduates with courses in this area are best qualified for design and operation work in public and private treatment facilities such as for drinking water, wastewater, and industrial wastes.

The Soil and Groundwater courses emphasize the transport and fate of contaminants in the subsurface environment and on engineering processes to mitigate their adverse environmental impact. Some specific areas of study in this direction are the modeling of contaminant transport in local or regional geohydrologic systems, the impact of contamination in the subsurface environment, the management of municipal and industrial waste disposal, and the remediation of groundwater and soil. Many of our graduates with coursework in this area work in remediation of contaminated properties or of groundwater resources.

Courses in Environmental Management and Modeling areas can be used to complement the above to best apply them in specific desired career directions.

Master’s candidates without a previous engineering degree will be allowed to enroll for the Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering if they have a bachelor’s degree in a relevant science discipline. These students may be required to take bridge courses (not for credit towards the degree) designed by their faculty advisor to ensure four semesters of college level calculus, two semesters of college level chemistry, and possibly additional engineering courses, depending on their undergraduate background.

Program Objectives

The program prepares students to:

• be recognized as being among “the best in the business” by their peers.

• use their knowledge of the design process, reaction mechanisms, and material balance methods to create innovative solutions to environmental problems.

• demonstrate exemplary sensitivity to social factors including the historical, legal, political, policy, economic, ethical and public relations aspects of environmental problems.

• solve environmental problems using a systems approach, incorporating interactions with natural, engineered and social components address the wider aspects of environmental problems such as sustainability, design for the environment, pollution prevention, and industrial ecology.

Program Outcomes

By the time of graduation, students will be able to:

• perform entry-level positions in environmental engineering if they only have an engineering background coming into the program.

• serve in positions in the environmental engineering field requiring advanced and specialized knowledge and ability.

• practice environmental engineering at an advanced level, and to perform independent research in the field.