Environmental engineering combines civic and structural design with natural resource management and sustainable development. Environmental engineering at Michigan Tech addresses emerging challenges in public and environmental health on a local, national, and global scale.
A bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering at Michigan Tech prepares you to develop a prosperous and more sustainable future for all. Environmental engineers are the Earth’s engineers, working to better the health of communities and ecosystems around the globe. Develop sustainable materials and practices for infrastructure advancement. Increase the efficiency of waste management systems. Conduct critical natural resource research to influence environmental laws and regulations.
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Work closely with experienced faculty developing environmental solutions for communities around the world. At Michigan Tech, your classroom is all around you—get ready to learn among the abundant freshwater resources, national and state forests, and geological wonders around campus. Conduct research that directly impacts local communities and develop sustainable solutions in a discovery-based curriculum.
Expand your education by joining professional organizations like the Society for Environmental Engineering or Engineers Without Borders. Collaborate with your classmates in the Department of Civil, Environmental, and Geospatial Engineering's Student Success Center and receive guidance from dedicated department advisors.
What Will I Study?
As an environmental engineering major at Michigan Tech, you'll build on a foundation of engineering and design principles, mathematics, and biological, chemical, and physical sciences. In the lab and in the field, you'll develop hands-on expertise working with state-of-the-art equipment on groundbreaking research and product development.
Before you graduate, put your environmental engineering skills to the test in either an industry-sponsored Senior Design capstone project or collaborative Enterprise team. Specialize your environmental engineering degree with advanced coursework in the following areas:
- River and Floodplain Hydraulics
- Solid and Hazardous Waste Engineering
- Global Biogeochemistry
- Sustainable Engineering
- Air Quality Engineering and Science
- Geosynthetics Engineering
Tomorrow Needs Clean Environments
Around the Earth, more than 1 billion people lack access to safe drinking water. More than 2 billion are without adequate sanitation. According to the National Weather Service, each year air pollution costs the United States as much as $150 billion. Healthcare and lost economic productivity can be expensive.
Data from National Weather Service accessed April 2025.
As an environmental engineer, you will learn to treat and dispose of wastes. Help communities access safe drinking water and maintain or improve air quality. Clean up contaminated land and water resources and help industry reduce pollution.
Environmental engineers at Michigan Tech are ready for what tomorrow needs. Are you?
Engineering Enterprise Concentration
You can pursue an Enterprise concentration by taking part in Michigan Tech's award-winning Enterprise Program. Work on real projects, with real clients, in an environment that’s more like a business than a classroom. Choose from more than 25 Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions.
All Enterprise teams are open to all majors, including environmental engineering-focused teams such as Built World Enterprise, Green Campus, or Alternative Energy Enterprise. Tackle real-world design projects for industry sponsors or take part in a national competition (or both). This concentration can add courses in business and entrepreneurship.
Be Career Ready
Graduate with a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from Michigan Tech. You will be well prepared to transition to an entry-level job in industry. You could also become a high school teacher of science and math or go on to law school. Our degree provides excellent preparation for graduate school. An advanced degree is desirable for a career in academia.
Explore 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
My story: Kathryn Krieger, MTUengineer"In my first summer, I worked in [the Michigan Department of Transportation’s] materials and testing laboratory, doing gradations, concrete strength testing, and aggregate sampling. The next summer, I became a statewide soil erosion and sedimentation control inspector."
