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, ENVE 401 Environmental Engineering Design I and ENVE 402 Environmental Design II.

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.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the environmental engineering program will have:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The above student outcomes have been approved by the ABET Engineering Area Delegation for use beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, and have been adopted by the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

Criteria for Professional Admission to the Environmental Engineering Degree Program

Students are expected to meet minimum college entrance requirements. After being admitted to the college as pre-environmental engineering students, students wishing to pursue a degree in environmental engineering must further be admitted to the degree program. Students who have completed 43 credit hours applicable to their environmental engineering degree are considered for formal admission to the environmental engineering degree program.  Transfer students must have at least 12 credit hours of coursework from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln on record before an application will be considered.  Students must receive a grade of C or better in the following classes to be professionally admitted to the environmental engineering program:

CHEM 1180 General Chemistry I and CHEM 1184 General Chemistry I Laboratory ;

MATH 1950 Calculus I , MATH 1960 Calculus II , and MATH 2350 Differential Equations ;

CIST 1600 Introduction to Programming Using Practical Scripting ;

PHYS 2110 General Physics I ;

MECH 223 MECH 223 Engineering Statics, and MECH 325 MECH 325 Mechanics of Elastic Bodies or MECH 373 MECH 373 Engineering Dynamics.

PLEASE NOTE

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.