Environmental Engineering

What this engineering major studies in college, how to prepare in high school, the licensing exams, and careers open with a bachelor’s degree. Every fact below names its source.

Last checked: November 4, 2026

A student stands near a clean water drop with a check mark, a solar panel and a wind turbine under the sun.

What it is

Environmental engineering prepares students to plan, design, operate and renew the built systems that protect public health and the environment. [1]

Penn State's environmental engineering coursework focuses on drinking-water and wastewater treatment, stormwater and urban hydrology, air quality and emissions controls, solid and hazardous waste, site remediation, and the adaptation of communities to climate change. [1]

Typical college courses

ABET-accredited programs in this major must include mathematics through differential equations, probability and statistics, calculus-based physics, chemistry, earth science, biological science and fluid mechanics, plus material and energy balances and the fate and transport of substances in and between air, water and soil. [2]

The B.S. requires Introduction to Environmental Engineering, Water Quality Chemistry, Water-resource Engineering, Solid and Hazardous Wastes, and Engineering Mechanics of Soils, among other courses. [1]

The rows below show one named program as an example: the Penn State bachelor of science in this major, 2026–2027 bulletin. Course descriptions are in our own words. Course names and numbers differ at every college; confirm each college’s own list.

Course	Status	What it covers (example: Penn State bulletin)	Comes after
Introduction to Environmental Engineering	Required in this example program[1]	Introduction to Environmental Engineering (CE 370) covers the nature and scope of environmental issues, impacts on air, water and land, and the basics and processes of pollution control. [3]	It comes after CHEM 110 and MATH 111 or MATH 141. [3]
Get ready with these topics: Fresh water: supply and use · Water pollution and treatment · Air pollution · Solid waste and the circular economy · Toxicology and environmental health · Chemistry in the environment and engineering
Water Quality Chemistry	Required in this example program[1]	Water Quality Chemistry (CE 475) focuses on both the theory of water chemistry and its use in engineering practice. [3]	It comes after CE 370. [3]
Get ready with these topics: Solutions and concentration · Chemical equilibrium and Le Chatelier's principle · Acids and bases · pH and neutralization · Oxidation and reduction · Water pollution and treatment
Fluid Mechanics	One of the choices in this example programThe B.S. additional courses include either Fluid Mechanics (CE 360) or EME 303. [1]	Fluid Mechanics (CE 360) studies how fluids behave and move through pipes and around objects, how much energy friction takes away, and how to measure flow. [3]	It comes after Dynamics (EMCH 212). [3]
Get ready with these topics: Fluids: pressure, buoyancy and flow · Momentum and its conservation · Conservation of energy: modeling energy in a system · The derivative as a limit · The definite integral
Water-resource Engineering	Required in this example program[1]	Water-resource Engineering (CE 461) covers the hydrologic cycle, flood and drought frequency analysis, the impacts of climate and land use change, risk and uncertainty, and managing water resources at regional, national and global scales. [3]	It comes after Fluid Mechanics (CE 360). [3]
Get ready with these topics: The water cycle and groundwater · Water shapes Earth's surface · Natural hazards: earthquakes, storms and floods · Fresh water: supply and use · Climate change: impacts and responses · Probability rules
Solid and Hazardous Wastes	Required in this example program[1]	Solid and Hazardous Wastes (CE 476) deals with the solid and hazardous wastes that humans have produced with industrialization, which have harmed ecosystems and human health around the world. [3]	It comes after CE 370. [3]
Get ready with these topics: Solid waste and the circular economy · Toxicology and environmental health · Environmental law and policy · Chemistry in the environment and engineering
Engineering Mechanics of Soils	Required in this example program[1]	Engineering Mechanics of Soils (CE 335) covers what soils are made of and how they are classified, subsurface exploration, ground water flow, stress analysis, compaction, soil behavior, bearing capacity, lateral earth pressure and slope stability. [3]	It comes after EMCH 210 or EMCH 213, with GEOSC 1 before or at the same time. [3]
Get ready with these topics: Minerals and rocks · Weathering, erosion and soil · The water cycle and groundwater · Fluids: pressure, buoyancy and flow · Friction and inclined planes

Requirements differ by school and program and can change from year to year: confirm with each school, and for licensing, with the state licensing board.

Typical high school preparation

In addition to university requirements, its applicants need 4 units of high school math, including Algebra I, Algebra II, geometry, and pre-calculus/trigonometry or calculus, and 3 units of high school science that must include physics and chemistry, and they must also meet one of its ACT or GPA standards. [4]
If the minimum admission has not been met, a student may be admitted based on an individual review. [4]

This is one university’s admission list for its engineering college, not a rule for every college. Confirm each college’s own list.

Other engineering majors

Each card opens that major’s page. Compare the courses before you choose, and confirm each college’s own list.

Engineering: the first-year core
First-year courses, ABET accreditation and licensing, with sources.
Civil Engineering
Penn State's civil engineering program places emphasis on the fundamentals of civil engineering principles and design techniques. [5]
Chemical Engineering
Chemical engineers are employed in a broad array of industries, from pharmaceutical and biotechnical companies to semiconductor manufacturing. [6]

Where this degree can lead with a bachelor’s

National figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Pay varies by state, setting and experience. This is not a promise of pay or a job.

Examples from the BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook. Other careers may need more study after the bachelor’s degree.

Environmental engineers

Environmental engineers use engineering disciplines in developing solutions to problems of planetary health. [7]

Median annual pay, May 2025$107,110

The median annual wage for environmental engineers was $107,110 in May 2025. [7]

Projected job growth, 2025–356%

Employment of environmental engineers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations. [7]

Typical entry-level educationBachelor's degree

Environmental engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering or a related field, such as civil, chemical or general engineering. [7]

Architectural and engineering managers

Architectural and engineering managers plan, direct and coordinate activities in the fields of architecture and engineering. [8]

Median annual pay, May 2025$171,270

The median annual wage for architectural and engineering managers was $171,270 in May 2025. [8]

Projected job growth, 2025–356%

Employment of architectural and engineering managers is projected to grow 6 percent from 2025 to 2035, faster than the average for all occupations. [8]

Typical entry-level educationBachelor's degree

Architectural and engineering managers typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience as an architect or engineer. [8]

Getting licensed: the FE and PE exams

Overview only. For dates, registration, rules and scoring, see each test maker's own site.

The FE exam

The Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam is generally the first step in the process of becoming a licensed professional engineer (PE). [9]

The FE exam is designed for recent graduates and students who are close to finishing an undergraduate engineering degree from an EAC/ABET-accredited program. [9]

The PE exam

The Principles and Practice of Engineering (PE) exam tests for a minimum level of competency in a particular engineering discipline and is designed for engineers who have gained a minimum of four years of post-college work experience. [10]

NCEES offers more than 20 different PE exams, including one listed as Environmental. [10]

The path to a PE license

To use the PE seal, engineers must earn a four-year degree in engineering from an accredited engineering program, pass the FE exam, complete four years of progressive engineering experience under a PE, and pass the PE exam. [11]

Exam names are trademarks of their owners. NCEES and NSPE are not affiliated with and do not endorse UpOnly Learning.

Questions people search

Chosen from our search-question research. Every answer is cited.

What can you do with an environmental engineering degree?

Environmental engineers typically need a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering or a related field, such as civil, chemical or general engineering. [7]

Architectural and engineering managers typically need at least a bachelor's degree and considerable work experience as an architect or engineer. [8]