Environmental Engineering Bachelor's Degree

Turn your passion for the environment into a rewarding career. Play a critical role in making the world a better place. Our environmental engineering program teaches you how to be a steward for our planet.

Develop technical and problem-solving skills. Identify and address environmental issues at the local, national, and global levels.

Environmental engineers are the the earth's engineer. Apply your knowledge of chemistry, biology, math, and physics. Protect the environment as well as human health. Take part in sustainable solutions for an expanding global community.

  
  • 12
    out of 20 universities with the greatest salary impact
  • 2
    out of 38 best colleges in Michigan
  • A
    for value and professors
  • 2x2
    double wage, double growth for STEM occupations

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. According to the National Weather Service, each year air pollution costs the United States as much as $150 billion. Health care and lost economic productivity can be expensive.

Data from National Weather Service accessed June 2024.

As an environmental engineer, you will learn to treat and dispose of wastes. Help communities to access safe drinking water and maintain or improve air quality. Clean up contaminated land and water resources and help industry cut 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. It's a great way to enhance your undergraduate degree. 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 from among 25 Enterprise teams on campus to invent products, provide services, and pioneer solutions. 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.

My story: Kathryn Krieger, MTUengineer

In my first summer, I worked in [MDOT’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.

Kathryn Krieger
Kathryn Krieger ’25
environmental engineering

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

$62,108 mean entry-level salary
Figures from payscale.com, accessed May 2024.

Ready to take the next step?

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

 

Connected, innovative.

Build real skills at Michigan Tech. Become an engineer.

Gain diverse experience.

Engage in design and research.

Leap forward in your program.

Connect with students and industry.

"I chose Michigan Tech mostly because of the incredible reputation of the Environmental Engineering Department."Christine Wood, undergraduate environmental engineering student

Be an MTUengineer

Join the LEAP leaders, wow the elementary students, and attend the AIPG National Conference.

Teach coding and circuitry. Research combustion and nanotechnology. Do a co-op with Kimberly-Clark. Show us how to slurry sand and complete miners training.

Tell us how important wetland mitigation is to you.

This is what we're all about.

Read our student stories.

A Professional Start

Environmental engineering majors have great peers.

  • Engineers Without Borders
  • MTU Society of Women Engineers
  • Green Campus Enterprise
  • Society for Environmental Engineering

Compete in Enterprise. Attend a climate conference.

Begin your networking journey here.

Join clubs and groups.

 

Beyond Engineering

Engineering majors cultivate their interests and talents at Michigan Tech. Join Superior Wind Symphony, follow military service, and be active in local politics.

Dive into Yucatan Culture.

Attend GeekU.P., become a lifeguard, and do a Canal Run. Be a musher. Set a Guinness World Record. Take part in Parade of Nations.

Let yourself shine.

Go beyond.

The CEGE Department

Learn from top faculty who are experts in structural, environmental, highway, construction management, and other engineering areas.

We teach sustainable engineering practices.

Try our pilot-scale environmental simulation lab.

Experiment with asphalt and other civil engineering materials.

Find out about our innovative Rail Transportation Program.

You will receive personal attention and support necessary for academic success.

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 Global and Community Engagement 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