The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers an undergraduate option in Environmental Engineering. Students taking the Environmental Engineering Option will earn an accredited BS in Civil Engineering, and the transcript and graduate certificate will indicate the Environmental Engineering Option.

What is Environmental Engineering?

Environmental Engineering applies engineering and scientific principles to protect human health and to maintain and improve ecosystems. Our graduates are trained to design, build, operate, and manage organizations and facilities that protect people and the environment. The field includes the following eight specialty areas:

• Drinking water supply and water resources engineering
• Wastewater management
• Hazardous wastes management
• Air pollution control
• Solid wastes management
• Public and occupational health engineering
• Public and occupational health engineering
• Environmental systems modeling
• Environmental chemistry

Environmental Engineering is generally treated as an independent engineering discipline by the engineering profession. Engineers can now take the Professional Engineer (PE) license examination in Environmental Engineering. Several large professional societies specialize in Environmental Engineering (American Water Works Association, International Water Quality Association, Water Environment Federation, and Air and Waste Management Association). The American Society of Civil Engineers, American Institute of Chemical Engineers, and American Statistical Society have Environmental Engineering divisions that cooperate and co-sponsor activities with these Environmental Engineering organizations.

The Job Market

The primary job market has been for environmental engineers at the MS degree level, and we expect this will continue to be the case. The large firms that specialize in environmental work prefer to hire MS engineers, and our program will continue to place a high priority on this kind of training. However, some firms currently hire BS degree engineers, particularly those with co-op experience in environmental engineering. The option program will well serve those students who plan to continue in graduate school as well as those who wish to try to get an entry-level position with an undergraduate degree.

The Curriculum

A copy of the curriculum can be found here. The option program differs from the general civil engineering curriculum in applied engineering requirements. Option students are required to take either Environmental Engineering Processes (CEE 322) or Hydraulic Engineering (CEE 410). Some courses for the applied engineering requirement must be selected from at least three of the eight specialty areas listed above.

Enrolling in the Option

You must be registered as a Civil Engineering major at the time you apply to the option. You must also have concurrent or previous enrollment in CEE 320 at the time you apply to the option. Because we have a limited capacity in our laboratory courses, we need to limit enrollment in the option to 20 students per year. If you want to apply:

• Get an Option Declaration Form.

• Complete the form as follows:

  • On the form, fill in the date, your name, campus ID number, and class/year.

  • Also on the form, indicate that you are declaring to join the Environmental Engineering (EV) Option.

  • DO NOT fill in the "change advisor to..." line on this form. This will be done for you if you are admitted to the option. If you are not admitted to the option, you will retain your current advisor.

• Obtain an unofficial copy of your transcript (you can get this from MyUW). Do not use a Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) report in lieu of the transcript.

• Submit the form and the unofficial copy of your transcript to Gregory Harrington, 3232 Engineering Hall. If Greg is not in, please submit your materials to his mailbox in room 2205 Engineering Hall.

For the Fall 2009 semester, applications must be received by Friday, October 16 and decisions regarding admission to the program will be made by Wednesday, October 21.

If you are interested in taking the option and are not yet admitted into the program, you are advised to follow the curriculum for the Environmental Engineering option.

For more information, contact:

Gregory Harrington, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
E-mail: gwharrin@facstaff.wisc.edu

Copyright 2009 The Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System Date last modified: 07-Aug-2009 Date created: 19-Mar-1998 Content by: cee@engr.wisc.edu Accessibility Web services