Course descriptionThe Master of Science in Environmental Engineering (M.S. EnvE) program at the University of Nebraska is a multidisciplinary, interdepartmental program jointly administered by the Departments of Civil Engineering, Biological Systems Engineering, and Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering.
The M.S. EnvE carries the designation of Environmental Engineering on the program name, diploma and transcript. The program resides within the Graduate College and is located on both the Lincoln and Omaha campuses of the University of Nebraska.
Environmental Engineers focus on developing innovative solutions to complex problems involving physical, chemical, biological and ecological components. Environmental engineering training offers opportunities to work in any aspect of environmental protection. The types of jobs held by environmental engineers are very diverse. Potential employers of environmental engineers include private consulting engineering firms, universities, private research firms, testing laboratories, government agencies (federal, state and local), or other major corporations and private businesses.
EnvE is a field for major growth in the future. For example, Fortune Magazine (March 21, 2005) listed Environmental Engineering as one of the fastest growing jobs in the next 10 years. The number of jobs is expected to grow by 54% during that time period. Another example, from CareerBuilder.com ("What America's Top Jobs Pay" by Laura Morsch, Feb., 2006), lists Environmental Engineering as fifth on the list of fast-growing, high-paying jobs (often a graduate degree is specified among the job requirements).
The UNL Environmental Engineering faculty offers a balance of expertise in covering major areas of Environmental Engineering.
The fields in which students may focus their studies include:
Water supply
Wastewater treatment
Hazardous waste management
Solid waste management
Non-point source pollution control
Agricultural waste management
Examples of current and recent EnvE graduate student projects include:
small community treatment systems
wastewater treatment
hazardous waste remediation sites
groundwater management
water quality
pollution prevention
air pollution modeling for animal production facilities,
constructed wetlands for wastewater treatment from single family homes or small communities
controlling odors from animal waste lagoons.
Undergraduate studies in Environmental Engineering at the University of Nebraska are embedded in the broader degree programs of Civil Engineering and Biological Systems Engineering. These degree programs offer undergraduates the opportunity to emphasize surface and groundwater quality, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, environmental risk assessment, solid and hazardous waste management, food and agricultural waste management, and air pollution modeling depending on their interest and major.
Doctoral studies with an emphasis in Environmental Engineering can be pursued through the Unified Engineering Ph.D. Program. Fields of study include Civil Engineering, Agricultural and Biological Systems Engineering, and Chemical Engineering.