Environmental Engineering
Why Choose This Major?
Environmental engineering applies scientific principles and engineering tools to improve the natural environment, address pollution problems, and ensure environmental sustainability. Environmental engineers provide safe drinking water, treat and dispose of hazardous wastes, clean up contaminated soil and groundwater, and maintain the quality of air, water, and land resources.
Our strong core curriculum provides students with rigorous training in the causes, control, and prevention of environmental contamination and the flexibility to secure their future in an environmental profession. Students learn to understand the fate of environmental contaminants, analysis and design of solutions to real-world environmental problems, and the application of modeling and simulation methods to assess risk and estimate cost.
Active research ensures that the content of the curriculum is constantly renewed and maintained at a technically challenging level and that discovery learning is integrated into the program. Opportunities abound for environmental engineering undergraduates to work with faculty and graduate students in our world-class research program. Roughly two-thirds of our students work as research assistants.
Areas of Study
Water and Wastewater Treatment
Soil and Groundwater Remediation
Hydrology and Water Resources
Environmental Compliance
Recycling and Management of Solid Waste
Environmental Sustainability
Air Pollution Control
Coastal Engineering
Career Options
Environmental Engineering Consultant
Water Resources Engineer
Engineering Management
Water/Air Quality Engineer
Environmental Regulator
Environmental Law
Project Engineer
Environmental Nonprofits and Charities
Waste and Wastewater Process Engineer
Experiential Learning
Students have the option to participate in a 26-week co-op program, which provides valuable experience working in the profession. All degree requirements, including the co-op program, are designed to be completed within four years.
Well-qualified Environmental Engineering majors may apply to the 4+1 program to earn a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Engineering and a Master of Civil Engineering, Masters of Business Administration, or Masters of Materials Science and Engineering degree within 5 years. The program is limited to University of Delaware undergraduates in the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering with a minimum GPA of 3.25 at the time of application.
Students can look into study abroad options for during the semester or a winter/summer session.
Curriculum
The Environmental Engineering curriculum provides grounding in chemistry, microbiology, and engineering fundamentals which provide the basis for upper-level courses in air pollution, water and wastewater treatment, solid waste management, and modeling and management of water resources. In consultation with a faculty advisor, students select technical electives to gain depth of knowledge in areas including environmental management, biological and chemical processes, treatment processes, and facility design.
For program & course information click the year matriculation started: Fall 2023 | Fall 2022 | Fall 2021 | Fall 2020