UB Programs At-A-Glance

Environmental Engineering

Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering

School of Engineering and Applied Sciences
212 Ketter Hall
North Campus
Buffalo, NY 14260-4300

Phone: 716.645.2114
Fax: 716.645.3733
Web: www.csee.buffalo.edu

A. Scott Weber
Chair

James N. Jensen
Director of Undergraduate Studies

About the Program

Environmental engineers work at the interface of society and the environment, striving to protect both human and ecosystem health. Among the top priorities of the profession are the delivery of safe water to drink and clean air to breathe, and the restoration of water quality in the Great Lakes, the Hudson River and water bodies throughout the nation. Today, environmental engineers face issues that include the detection and treatment of new pollutants and pathogens, threats of terrorism to our nation’s water supplies, and the global cycling of pollutants. Because they often work in the public arena, environmental engineers require broad technical training and strong communication skills, and they usually must be licensed as professional engineers.

The undergraduate program in environmental engineering at the University at Buffalo prepares students for professional practice and eventual licensure as professional engineers. The curriculum includes introductory coverage of topics related to environmental health and air pollution, with in-depth treatment given to topics related to water and soil pollution. The BS curriculum includes math, science and basic engineering courses in the freshman and sophomore years; required engineering courses in the junior and senior years; and technical elective courses taken in the senior year. Laboratories in environmental engineering are included in two lab classes in the junior year. Students have considerable flexibility in the selection of technical electives, with approved electives in engineering, biology, chemistry, geology, economics, geography, and the social sciences.

About Our Degrees

The B.S. degree in Environmental Engineering is accredited by the Accreditation Board of Engineering and Technology (ABET) and prepares students for graduate study and/or professional practice. Graduate degrees (M.S., M.E., and Ph.D.) are formally granted in civil engineering, but focus on environmental engineering as well as other areas of specialization.

Acceptance Criteria

Apply to the SEAS Office of Undergraduate Education, 410 Bonner Hall (phone: 716-645-2774).
For admission in the junior year, a minimum GPA of 2.0 overall and a minimum GPA of 2.0 in math, basic science, and engineering courses are required.

Acceptance Information

Deadlines: Rolling
Total number of majors currently enrolled: 35

Degree Requirements

Please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

About Our Courses

The curriculum includes in-depth treatment given to topics related to water and soil pollution, with introductory coverage of topics related to environmental health and air pollution. The B.S. curriculum includes math, science and basic engineering courses in the freshman and sophomore years; required engineering courses in the junior and senior years; and technical elective courses taken in the senior year. Laboratories in environmental engineering are included in two lab classes in the junior year. Students have considerable flexibility in the selection of technical electives, with approved electives in engineering, biology, chemistry, geology, economics, geography, and the social sciences.

The typical class size for:

Freshman/introductory courses is: 100+
Sophomore/intermediate courses is: 50-100
Upper level required courses is: 35-60
Upper level electives is: 10-15

In the Department of Civil, Structural, and Environmental Engineering, what do teaching assistants (TA's) do?

Teaching assistants hold office hours to answer students' questions about homework and exam preparation, grade homework (exams are usually graded by instructors), manage lab assignments, and sometimes hold recitation sessions.

About Our Faculty

We have twenty-two full-time faculty (all with Ph.D. degrees) and approximately ten adjunct faculty. The faculty is actively engaged in teaching, research, and service and has won many honors and awards (see www.csee.buffalo.edu/about_honors.shtml) including:


  • Three SUNY Chancellor's Awards for Excellence in Teaching

  • Two National Science Foundation Presidential Young Investigator Awards

  • One Office of Naval Research Young Investigator Award
  • One SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Scholarship and Creative Activity
  • One SUNY Distinguished Professor



See a list of our undergraduate faculty.


Practical Experience and Special Academic Programs

Internship/Co-op

Internships and co-ops are available as technical electives in the senior year.

Extracurricular Activities

Our undergraduate students are engaged in many campus-wide activities and organizations. Student organizations specific to engineering include the following:


See the UB Student Association.

Career Information and Further Study

Environmental engineers work to understand the processes that transport and transform contaminants in both the natural environment (air, water, and land) and engineered environment (treatment plants and industry). Some specific examples include the migration of PCBs on a global scale, the movement of contaminants such as pesticides through a watershed, the uptake of toxic mercury by fish in the Great Lakes, the movement of strontium in groundwater, and the removal of disease-causing organisms by ultraviolet light in drinking water.

Environmental engineers choose from a broad spectrum of employment opportunities in private consulting firms (in which environmental engineers often participate as owners or partners), industry, governmental agencies, research/development, and education. Some graduates return immediately or within a few years to graduate school for advanced studies. BS (Environmental) graduates have the skills and most prerequisites to pursue further education in law, medicine, management or other professional fields.

Environmental engineering jobs are diverse and include consulting engineering firms, government, and industry. Here is a partial list of companies who recruit students from the University at Buffalo's Environmental Engineering program:
ALCOA, Buffalo Sewer Authority, CH2M Hill, DuPont, Ecology and Environment, Inc., Erie County Water Authority, Malcolm Pirnie, Inc., NYS Department of Environmental Conservation, Parsons Engineering Science, Stearns and Wheler, URS Corp., and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

Career Hints

Degree level required: A significant number of employers require or reward an M.S. or M.E. degree for environmental engineering jobs. Thus, some students continue their studies at the graduate level.

The best way to ensure a good starting salary is to intern with an environmental-related firm before graduation, earn competitive grades, or participate in undergraduate research with a faculty member.

Salary Trends

Beginning salaries: $40,000 - $50,000
Average beginning salary: $44,000

Factors influencing salary: educational level, computer skills, experience, specialization, GPA

Additional Resources

Links to Further Information About This Program

Last Modified: Tuesday, 7-Nov-2006 10:26:08 EST