Environmental Engineering Major

Environmental engineers serve people and protect the environment. They analyze contaminants in the atmosphere, land, and water. They aid in the remediation of pollution problems, and they develop designs for pollution and hazardous waste control facilities. Environmental Engineers participate in city planning, the development of water-resource and water treatment systems, and the design and operation of other systems fundamental to the quality of life and the preservation of the environment.

At Cornell, the undergraduate program in Environmental Engineering is offered jointly by faculty in the College of Engineering’s School of Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE) and the College of Agriculture and Life Science’s Department of Biological and Environmental Engineering (BEE). Students in both academic units take a common curriculum consisting of foundation courses and a selection of advanced courses. In addition to the usual sciences such as chemistry and physics, students majoring in Environmental Engineering take introductory and upper-level courses in microbiology. Students select from courses in water quality, air pollution, earth science, environmental and public systems, and they also take an upper-level laboratory course such as Laboratory Research in Environmental Engineering.

Accreditation is pending for the Environmental Engineering Major. Students wishing to major in Environmental Engineering are encouraged to double major in Civil Engineering to ensure they receive an accredited degree. The Civil Engineering Major is offered by the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering. CEE students interested in Environmental Engineering should take the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Environmental Option. With correct course selection extra courses will not be needed to satisfy the requirements for the double major in Environmental Engineering and the Environmental Option in Civil Engineering. Students need to have a CUM GPA of 3.0 to double major.

The School of Civil and Environmental Engineering’s Environmental Engineering option emphasizes the study of environmental engineering, environmental and water resource systems, and hydraulics and hydrology. Students completing the CEE Environmental concentration will receive a designation on their transcript stating that they have “completed all the requirements for the Environmental Concentration in the School of Civil and Environmental Engineering.”