Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering

Environmental Engineering Bachelor's Degree

Turn your passion for the environment into a rewarding career, and play a critical role in making the world a better place. The environmental engineering program at Michigan Tech teaches you how to be a steward for our planet.

Develop the technical and problem-solving skills necessary for identifying and addressing environmental issues at the local, national, and global levels.

Environmental engineers are the the earth's engineer. They apply their knowledge of chemistry, biology, math, and physics to protect the environment and human health. These professionals are tasked with developing sustainable solutions for an expanding global community.

Explore a career pathway that suits your interests by reviewing program electives.

  • No. 2
    in Michigan for best environmental engineering programs
  • 23
    CEGE professional advisory board members from consulting firms, corporations, and government
  • 2
    weeks in Panama collecting site data for International Senior Design (iDesign)

Tomorrow Needs Clean Environments

Consider this: more than one billion people lack access to safe drinking water; more than two billion are without adequate sanitation; and air pollution costs the United States as much as $40 billion annually in health care and lost economic productivity. As an environmental engineer, treat and properly dispose of wastes, provide access to safe drinking water, maintain or improve air quality, clean up contaminated land or water resources, or help industry minimize pollution. Environmental engineers at Michigan Tech are ready for what tomorrow needs. Are you?

Be Career-Ready

Students who graduate with a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering are prepared to transition directly to entry-level jobs in industry. You could also become a high school teacher of science and math; go on to law school; or head directly to graduate school. Students interested in a career in academia should explore graduate education options.

Career Opportunities for Environmental Engineers

  • Environmental and safety engineer
  • Water resources engineer
  • Design engineer
  • Field coordinator
  • Project engineer
  • Air quality engineer
  • Groundwater quality engineer
  • Solid and hazardous waste manager
  • Surface water quality engineer
  • Water and wastewater processing engineer

Engineering Enterprise Concentration

Pursue an Enterprise concentration as part of your degree by taking part in Michigan Tech's award-winning Enterprise Program. It's a great way to enhance your undergraduate degree with client-based teamwork. Enterprise is when students work in teams on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that's more like a business than a classroom. Choose any one of 20-plus Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. Apply the skills learned in your major and gain some valuable new skills. Tackle real-world design projects for industry sponsors or take part in a national competition (or both). This concentration adds courses in business and entrepreneurship.

Ready to take the next step?

Learn more about studying environmental engineering at Michigan's flagship technological university.

 

Watch My Michigan Tech: Christine Wood video
Preview image for My Michigan Tech: Christine Wood video
"I chose Michigan Tech mostly because of the incredible reputation of the Environmental Engineering Department."Christine Wood, undergraduate environmental engineering student

Earn an ABET Accredited Engineering Degree

With ABET accreditation, you can be sure that your Michigan Tech degree meets the quality standards that prepares you to enter a global workforce.

And, because it requires comprehensive, periodic evaluations, ABET accreditation demonstrates our continuing commitment to the quality of your program—both now and in the future.

Sought Worldwide

ABET's voluntary peer-review process is highly respected. Its criteria are developed by technical professionals and focuses on what you, as a student, experience and learn. It adds critical value to academic programs in technical disciplines—where quality, precision, and safety are of the utmost importance.

Environmental Engineering Program

Environmental Engineering is a broad field encompassing many specialties. When you graduate with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering from Michigan Tech, you’ll be well prepared to begin your professional career—able to apply your broad base of skills in engineering, science, and communication to a variety of environmental engineering endeavors, with advanced competence in a few specialties.

Read more about environmental engineering accreditation, educational objectives, and student outcomes.

ABET logo

Environmental Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Environmental Engineering and Similarly Named Engineering Programs Program Criteria.

The CEGE Department

In the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering you'll learn from top faculty who are experts in engineering areas including structural, construction management, earthquake, highway, railroad, municipal, water and wastewater, pollution prevention, air quality, measuring and managing land data, and environmental modeling—all incorporating sustainable engineering practices. Upon graduation, you'll be in demand by employers who value your technical knowledge and ability to perform on the job from day one.

  • Our state-of-the-art facilities allow students to experiment with civil engineering materials and advanced technology. The department maintains a pilot-scale environmental simulation lab, as well as labs dedicated to the study of asphalt.
  • Get ready to contribute on the job from day one. Our students benefit from hands-on experiences ranging from Senior Capstone to internships and co-ops. Our department has one of the highest co-op rates on campus, due to the great demand for our students. Ninety percent of our students land a summer internship before they graduate.
  • Our staff and nationally recognized faculty focus on giving students the personal attention and support necessary for not only academic success, but also a positive undergraduate experience overall.
  • The innovative Rail Transportation Program is one of the first in the nation. Its mission: to advance rail education and research across disciplines. Its unique opportunities include professional networking, education, conferences, guest speakers, and plenty of field trips!

CEGE Programs

Or, start with our General Engineering option and give yourself time to decide.

MTU engineering

Real Engineering. Meaningful Work.

We are committed to inspiring students, advancing knowledge, and innovating technological solutions to create a sustainable, just, and prosperous world. With an entering engineering class of about 1,000 students, 17 degrees to choose from, and 160 faculty in the College of Engineering alone, we provide a world-class education with the trusted reputation of Michigan Tech.

As a student at Michigan Tech you’ll work closely with faculty mentors, immerse yourself in experience-powered learning, and gain a thorough understanding of engineering practice. Collaborate and innovate in laboratories, coursework, Enterprise, and Senior Design—you'll work with industry partners on real engineering projects and develop strong skill sets for your future.

You could study abroad, with engineering opportunities ranging from a few weeks to one full year. Or focus on problems facing disadvantaged communities in countries around the world. Michigan Tech’s D80 program offers you a range of options.

More than 400 employers regularly recruit our students for internships, co-ops, and full-time employment. Engineering students average seven interviews, and 98 percent are employed within their field of study, enlist in the military, or enroll in a graduate school within six months of graduation. A degree in engineering from Michigan Tech can take you anywhere.

Tomorrow Needs You

Engineers do a lot of things, but there's one thing we do first and foremost: we help people. We use creative ideas and technologies to solve problems in health care, energy, transportation, hunger, space exploration, climate change, and more—much more. Become an engineer who is ready for what tomorrow needs.

Student Stories

"Going out on the research boat to take water samples was one of the best experiences I've had as a student."Christa Meingast, environmental engineering