Environmental Engineering

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Overview:
Using the principles of biology and chemistry,
environmental engineers develop solutions to
environmental problems. They are involved in
water and air pollution control, recycling,
waste disposal, and public health issues.
Environmental engineers conduct hazardous-
waste management studies in which they
evaluate the significance of the hazard, offer
analysis on treatment and containment, and
develop regulations to prevent mishaps.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Overview (continued):
Environmental engineers design municipal
water supply and industrial wastewater
treatment systems. They conduct research on
proposed environmental projects, analyze
scientific data, and perform quality control
checks. They provide legal and financial
consulting on matters related to the
environment.
Environmental engineers study and attempt to
minimize the effects of acid rain, global
warming, automobile emissions, and ozone
depletion. They also help protect wildlife.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Preparation:
Environmental engineers should be creative,
inquisitive, analytical, and detail oriented.
They must have a strong grasp of
mathematics, including algebra, geometry,
trigonometry, and calculus; sciences, such as
biology, chemistry, and physics; and computer
systems.
The ability to work as part of a team and to
communicate are also important. To hone
these skills, recommended coursework
includes English, writing, social studies, and
humanities.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Preparation (continued):
A bachelor's degree in engineering is required
for almost all entry-level engineering jobs.
Accredited environmental engineering
programs usually provide broad studies in the
physical, chemical, and biological sciences in
addition to course work in civil, mechanical,
and/or chemical engineering.
In some programs, students may participate
in an environmental engineering option within
civil engineering, chemical engineering, or
other degree programs.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Preparation (continued):
Those interested in a career in Environmental
Engineering should consider reviewing
engineering programs that are accredited by
the Accreditation Board for Engineering and
Technology, Inc. Accreditation is based on an
evaluation of an engineering program's
student achievement, program improvement,
faculty, curricular content, facilities, and
institutional commitment. A list of universities
offering accredited degrees in Environmental
Engineering is available at the Sloan Career
Cornerstone Center.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Day in the Life:
Environmental engineers develop ways to
solve problems related to the environment.
They are involved in both local and global
environmental protection efforts such as air
and water pollution control. recycling, and
waste disposal.
Typical job duties include collecting soil or
groundwater samples and testing them for
contamination; designing municipal sewage
and industrial wastewater systems; analyzing
data; researching controversial projects; and
performing quality control checks.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
Teams and Coworkers
Almost all jobs in engineering require some
sort of interaction with coworkers. Whether
they are working in a team situation, or just
asking for advice, most engineers have to
have the ability to communicate and work
with other people. Engineers should be
creative, inquisitive, analytical, and detail-
oriented.
They should be able to work as part of a team
and to communicate well, both orally and in
writing.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
Tasks
Environmental engineers may be involved in
legal or financial consulting regarding
environmental processes or issues. They may
study and attempt to minimize the effects of
large-scale problems such as acid rain, global
warming, and ozone depletion.
Many environmental engineers work as
consultants, helping their clients comply with
regulations and the cleanup of hazardous
waste sites.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Day in the Life (continued):
The Workplace
The type of job environmental engineers have
often determines whether they work inside or
outside. However, most work inside a majority
of the time.
Environmental engineers whose tasks require
site visits spend at least part of their time
away from the office. Site visits are more
likely to take environmental engineers to
unpleasant surroundings than to pristine ones,
but they also give engineers a chance to turn
theory into reality.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Earnings:
Entry-level salaries vary based on your areas
of expertise, experience, education,
supervisory responsibility, accountability for
projects, and the geographic location, size,
and industry of the employer.
According to a 2005 salary survey by the
National Association of Colleges and
Employers, bachelor's degree candidates in
environmental engineering received starting
salary offers averaging $47,384 a year.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Employment:
Environmental engineers held about 49,000
jobs in 2004. This represents 3.4% of the 1.4
million jobs held by engineers in the U.S. in
2004.
Almost half worked in professional, scientific,
and technical services and about 15,000 were
employed in U.S. federal, state, and local
government agencies. They are also
frequently employed at universities and
research firms, government agencies, testing
facilities, and also at major corporations.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Employment (continued):
Environmental Engineers work in a wide
variety of industries, including chemical,
pharmaceutical, water/wastewater treatment,
mining, and manufacturing, and can be
involved in hazardous waste remediation, air
pollution control, facilities planning, and
environmental consulting.
A sample list of employers of Environmental
Engineers is available at the Sloan Career
Cornerstone Center.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Career Path Forecast:
According to the U.S. Department of Labor,
Bureau of Labor Statistics, environmental
engineering graduates should have favorable
job opportunities. Employment of
environmental engineers is expected to
increase much faster than the average for all
occupations through 2014.
More environmental engineers will be needed
to comply with environmental regulations and
to develop methods of cleaning up existing
hazards.

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Career Path Forecast (continued):
A shift in emphasis toward preventing
problems rather than controlling those that
already exist, as well as increasing public
health concerns, also will spur demand for
environmental engineers.
Even though employment of environmental
engineers should be less affected by economic
conditions than that of most other types of
engineers, a significant economic downturn
could reduce the emphasis on environmental
protection, reducing environmental engineers’
job opportunities.
Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.

 Environmental
Engineering
Resources:
More information about Environmental
Engineering is available at the Sloan Career
Cornerstone Center, including employer lists,
accredited Environmental Engineering
programs, suggestions for precollege
students, a free monthly careers newsletter,
and a PDF that summarizes the field.
Associations:
 American Academy of Environmental Engineers
 AIChE Environmental Division
 ASCE Environmental & Water Resources Institute
 ASME Environmental Engineering Division
 Water Environment Federation

Overview – Preparation – Day in the Life – Earnings – Employment – Career Path Forecast – Resources

Developed by the Sloan Career Cornerstone Center.