Environmental Engineering - BS

College of Engineering

About This Degree

Environmental engineering applies scientific and engineering principles to protect human populations from harmful environmental factors and to protect and improve the quality of the environment.

Environmental engineers are concerned with local and worldwide environmental issues, such as sustainable engineering, global climate change, air and water pollution, hazardous waste management, and more.

What You Will Learn

Environmental engineering majors at USU gain experience in water/wastewater engineering, air quality management, public health/industrial hygiene, solid and hazardous waste management, and water quality management. Students in the program have ample opportunities to work with faculty on real-world research projects that seek to find solutions to environmental problems. Students also have the opportunity to join the USU chapter of Engineers Without Borders and work with professors and professional engineers on volunteer projects in various developing countries. These projects provide students with hands-on experience in environmental engineering and also improve the quality of life for the individuals and communities with whom they partner.

The environmental engineering degree is accredited by the EAC Accreditation Commission of ABET. More than 95% of the graduates from this program are employed in the field or are pursuing advanced degrees.

Concurrent Bachelor’s/Master’s Program:

The department also offers a concurrent bachelor’s/master’s program, which allows USU engineering students to begin taking graduate classes during their senior year as an undergraduate and to complete requirements for both the bachelor's degree and the master’s degree concurrently over two years.

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At a Glance

College: College of Engineering

Department: Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

USU Locations:

  • Logan campus

Program Requirements

Career And Outcomes

Career Opportunities

With a degree in environmental engineering, students may pursue careers in the following areas:

  • Air pollution control
  • Recycling
  • Industrial hygiene
  • Waste disposal
  • Conduct studies/research
  • Design treatment systems
  • Radiation protection
  • Hazardous waste management
  • Toxic materials control
  • Water supply
  • Wastewater management
  • Storm water management
  • Solid waste disposal
  • Public health
  • Land management

Job Outlook

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Advising

We will build on your goals and experiences while working together to design an individualized semester-by-semester plan. Your personalized plan will help you see a path from where you are now on to graduation. Even if you are unsure of the major you would like to pursue, we can help with resources and ideas.

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USU Locations

LOGAN CAMPUS

Admission

Admission Requirements

In addition to Utah State University’s admissions requirements, the environmental engineering program has additional requirements:

  • First-Year students: Students that meet the USU admission requirements and meet these minimum requirements can be admitted as a pre-professional environmental engineering major.
    • Minimum 3.0 High School GPA
    • 23 ACT
    • 24 or higher Math ACT
    • 73 Admission Index
  • Transfer Students: Transfer students from other institutions or other programs at USU must meet these requirements to be admitted as a pre-professional environmental engineering major.
    • MATH 1210: Calculus I completed with a C- or higher
    • 12 credits of science, engineering, and math coursework with a 2.7 GPA or better
    • Pre-Professional GPA of 2.7 or higher
    • No grades less than C-
    • No more than 2 repeats. The 2 repeat requirement includes courses that are audited or receive a Passing grade. Retaking a course multiple times counts as multiple repeats.
  • Recommended high school courses: two or three years of algebra, one year of geometry, one-half year of trigonometry, four years of English, and courses in chemistry, physics, and mechanical drawing are preferred.

International students have additional admissions requirements.

Program Requirements

Students in this program are recommended to purchase and use a graphing scientific calculator (must be able to do integration, vector mathematics, and have a numerical solver).

Students majoring in environmental engineering must complete a capstone design project during their senior year.

Passing the Fundamentals of Engineering examination, which is the first step in becoming a licensed professional engineer, is required for graduation.

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