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Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering
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Environmental Engineering Undergraduate Program

Program Overview

The Environmental Engineering program at Rutgers gives students a broad and multi-disciplinary education in the fundamentals of environmental engineering as well as  proactive learning opportunities to utilize classroom learning in applications and design. The program is administered jointly by the School of Engineering (SoE) and the School of Environmental and Biological Sciences (SEBS).

This curriculum provides a broad and multi-disciplinary education in the fundamentals of environmental engineering as well as proactive learning opportunities to utilize classroom learning in applications and design. A wide range of courses address the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context offers a wide range of courses to help students understand the impact of engineering solutions in a global, economic, environmental, and societal context.

Female professor in a lab talks to a female student. Both are white. The one on the left has her hair in a bun wearing a black top. The student on the right has long brown hair and is wearing a gray sweater.

Beyond Academics

In order to successfully complete the program, students must actively engage in collecting, analyzing and interpreting data and must demonstrate methodological and computer skills. Students also graduate with the ability to effectively communicate complex issues both orally and in writing. 

Students have the opportunity to conduct research alongside faculty members using local waterways and other sites for gathering data for analysis. Internships offer real world experience. Students have interned at New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, among others.

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Putting Your Degree to Work

Environmental engineers solve problems related to a wide variety of environmental issues largely encompassing initiatives to protect human health and the environment by providing clean water and air, designing sustainable infrastructure, enabling recycling and waste disposal, providing services to accomplish remediation of contaminated sites, and solving many other environmental problems plaguing today's natural environment.

Environmental engineers can look forward to excellent career opportunities following graduation. Numerous consulting firms that specialize in solving environmental problems exist in the Northeast, around the nation, and the world.

With an environmental engineering degree, you could choose many career paths:

  • Air/water quality engineer
  • Environmental consultant/engineer
  • Energy conservation engineer
  • Process engineer in industry
  • Bioremediation engineer
  • Green infrastructure engineer
  • Hydraulic and hydrologic modeler
  • Environmental specialist in government or industry
Student wearing safety goggles and blue gloves writes a formula on glass wall.
Female professor in a lab talks to a female student. Both are white. The one on the left has her hair in a bun wearing a black top. The student on the right has long brown hair and is wearing a gray sweater.
Group of four students standing in the bow of a boat in a river. The boat has the Rutgers logo on the side.
Student wearing safety goggles and blue gloves writes a formula on glass wall.

Learn More

Environmental Engineering Curriculum

Students take basic engineering courses and physical, chemical, and biological sciences in the freshman and sophomore years. In the junior and senior years, the fundamentals are applied for multidsciplinary problem solving in various environmental fields.