What is Civil and Environmental Engineering?

Civil and Environmental Engineering is concerned with planning, designing, constructing, and operating various physical works; developing and utilizing natural resources in an environmentally sound manner; providing the infrastructure which supports the highest quality of life in the history of the world; and protecting public health and renovating impacted terrestrial and aquatic systems from the mismanagement of toxic and hazardous waste.
The undergraduate Civil Engineering and Environmental Engineering programs are accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org.

Civil Engineering

Engineer working on Construction Site

Civil engineers build the infrastructure of America, developing innovative and sustainable solutions on projects large and small.

Areas

  • Structural
  • Transportation
  • Geotechnical
  • Water
  • Environmental
  • Irrigation

Environmental Engineering

Students in a pond collecting duckweed

Environmental engineers use principles of engineering, chemistry, and biology to develop technical solutions to provide safe water, sanitation, and clean air.

Areas

  • Drinking water treatment and reuse
  • Water quality and control of emerging contaminants
  • Wastewater treatment design
  • Waste to energy and to biofuel production
  • Regulatory affairs
  • Air quality and pollution control

Why Civil or Environmental Engineering?

  • Interesting and exciting projects.
  • Solve problems for society.
  • Work inside or outside.
  • Good pay.
  • Live almost anywhere.

Can work for:

  • Large and small consulting firms
  • Local, state & federal government
  • Large and small companies
  • NGOs (what are those?)
  • Universities
  • Research firms
  • Yourself!

Great basis for many careers

  • Technical
  • Business (More CEOs have engineering degrees than any other major) http://bus.wisc.edu; 2004)
  • Law

ABET Accredited B.S. Degrees

  • Civil Engineering
  • Environmental Engineering