Environmental Engineering, Bachelor of Science

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a complete environmental engineering undergraduate program to students on the Lincoln and Omaha campuses of the University of Nebraska. Curriculum requirements are nearly identical on both campuses. The goal is to prepare students for entry into the environmental engineering profession immediately after graduation or to pursue graduate-level studies.

The general educational objectives of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln environmental engineering undergraduate program are to prepare our graduates so that, with a UNL BS ENVE degree, a few years beyond graduation, alumni will:

• Be employed in environmental engineering or a closely related field and successfully pursue professional licensure; or, graduates will be pursuing an advanced degree in environmental engineering, a closely related field or professional education in engineering, medicine, business, or law.
• Contribute to society and address societal and environmental needs through engagement in professional, community, or service organizations.
• Agree that the environmental engineering program prepared them for success in their careers in terms of knowledge and skillsets as embodied in the program and the Complete Engineer ™ Initiative.

The professional discipline of environmental engineering is defined as the application of engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment for the protection of human health, for the protection of nature's beneficial ecosystems, and for environment-related enhancement of the quality of human life.  In all professional endeavors, the environmental engineer must consider ecological effects as well as the social, economic, and political needs of people.

The environmental engineer devises solutions for topics ranging from water and air pollution control and treatment, drinking water supply, wastewater management, solid waste management, public health, water resources management, sustainable design, and industrial ecology.  Environmental engineers focus on minimizing the impacts of air, water, and land pollution, minimizing waste production, maximizing the use of renewable energy in environmental systems, and protecting the environment.

Instructional emphasis is placed on fundamental engineering principles derived from mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, and engineering science. These subjects provide a sound background for the subsequent introductory courses in environmental engineering, water resources engineering, fate and transport, process design, and sustainable design. Students are introduced to design concepts in the freshman year. Design is incorporated throughout the curriculum that culminates in two senior-level courses, CIVE 385 Professional Practice and Management in Civil Engineering and CIVE 489 Senior Design Project.

Instructional laboratories in that provide experiences with more than one media (water, soil, and air) in environmental engineering provide each student with an opportunity to learn, through individual participation.

Professional Admission to Environmental Engineering

Criteria for Professional Admission to the Environmental Engineering Degree Program

Pre-professionally admitted College of Engineering students majoring in environmental engineering must have their academic records reviewed for professional admission to the environmental engineering degree program during the fall, spring or summer immediately following the term in which:

• At least 12 credits (one semester) have been completed after admission to the College of Engineering;
• At least 43 credits applicable to the degree have been earned; and
• PHYS 2110 General Physics I, MECH 223 Engineering Statics, and MECH 325 Mechanics of Elastic Bodies or MECH 373 Engineering Dynamics have been completed.

Additionally, the student can have no more than two declined professional admission requests to other engineering majors. It is likely a student may need to complete four full semesters of credits applying to the program before these requirements are able to be completed.

Professional admission approval to the environmental engineering degree program also requires that all of the following departmental-specific criteria must be met:

• Earn a C letter grade or better in PHYS 2110, MECH 223, and MECH 373 or MECH 325
• Earn a cumulative grade point average of 2.4 or greater; and
• Earn a C letter grade or better in ALL math, science and engineering courses required for the bachelor of science in environmental engineering degree if the cumulative grade point average is less than 2.700.

Students approved for professional admission to the program are then allowed to take 400-level civil & environmental engineering courses to complete their degree.

Requirements

(City Campus in Lincoln and Scott Campus in Omaha)

This document represents a SAMPLE 4-year plan for degree completion with this major. Actual course selection and sequence may vary and should be discussed individually with your college or department academic advisor. Advisors also can help you plan other experiences to enrich your undergraduate education such as internships, education abroad, undergraduate research, learning communities, and service learning and community-based learning.

Students must have completed the equivalent of the fourth semester before admission to the environmental engineering program. Transfer students must have all transfer hours accepted before being considered for the degree program.

A list of approved ACE courses offered on the Omaha campus can be found here.

For more information, call 402-554-2462 or visit www.engineering.unl.edu/civil/ 

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A list of approved ACE courses offered on the Omaha campus can be found here.