Engineering Environmental Engineering

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Description

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers a complete environmental engineering undergraduate program to students on the Lincoln and Omaha campuses of the University of Nebraska. Curriculum requirements are nearly identical on both campuses. The goal is to prepare students for entry into the environmental engineering profession immediately after graduation or to pursue graduate-level studies.

The general educational objectives of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln environmental engineering undergraduate program are to prepare our graduates so that, with a UNL BS ENVE degree, a few years beyond graduation, alumni will:

Be employed in environmental engineering or a closely related field and successfully pursue professional licensure; or, graduates will be pursuing an advanced degree in environmental engineering, a closely related field or professional education in engineering, medicine, business, or law.

Contribute to society and address societal and environmental needs through engagement in professional, community, or service organizations.

Agree that the environmental engineering program prepared them for success in their careers in terms of knowledge and skillsets as embodied in the program and the Complete Engineer ™ Initiative.

The professional discipline of environmental engineering is defined as the application of engineering principles to improve and maintain the environment for the protection of human health, for the protection of nature's beneficial ecosystems, and for environment-related enhancement of the quality of human life.  In all professional endeavors, the environmental engineer must consider ecological effects as well as the social, economic, and political needs of people.

The environmental engineer devises solutions for topics ranging from water and air pollution control and treatment, drinking water supply, wastewater management, solid waste management, public health, water resources management, sustainable design, and industrial ecology.  Environmental engineers focus on minimizing the impacts of air, water, and land pollution, minimizing waste production, maximizing the use of renewable energy in environmental systems, and protecting the environment.

Instructional emphasis is placed on fundamental engineering principles derived from mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology, earth science, and engineering science. These subjects provide a sound background for the subsequent introductory courses in environmental engineering, water resources engineering, fate and transport, process design, and sustainable design. Students are introduced to design concepts in their freshman year. Design is incorporated throughout the curriculum that culminates in two senior-level courses, CIVE 385 Professional Practice and Management in Civil Engineering and CIVE 489 Senior Design Project.

Instructional laboratories that provide experiences with more than one media (water, soil, and air) in environmental engineering provide each student with an opportunity to learn, through individual participation.

Criteria for Professional Admission to the Environmental Engineering Degree Program

Students are expected to meet minimum college entrance requirements. After being admitted to the college as pre-environmental engineering students, students wishing to pursue a degree in environmental engineering must further be admitted to the degree program. Students who have completed 43 credit hours applicable to their environmental engineering degree are considered for formal admission to the environmental engineering degree program.  Transfer students must have at least 12 credit hours of coursework from the University of Nebraska–Lincoln on record before an application will be considered.  Students must receive a grade of C or better in the following classes to be professionally admitted to the environmental engineering program:

CHEM 113A Fundamental Chemistry I and CHEM 113L Fundamental Chemistry I Laboratory or CHEM 109A General Chemistry I and CHEM 109L General Chemistry I Laboratory; and

MATH 106 Calculus I, MATH 107 Calculus II, and MATH 221 Differential Equations;

CSCE 101 Fundamentals of Computer Science,

PHYS 211 General Physics I, and

MECH 223 Engineering Statics and MECH 325 Mechanics of Elastic Bodies or MECH 373 Engineering Dynamics.

Graduate Programs

The Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering offers several graduate degree programs: master of science in environmental engineering and an accelerated master of science in environmental engineering. See the Graduate Studies Catalog for details.
 

College Requirements

College Admission

College Entrance Requirements

Students must meet both the University and College of Engineering entrance requirements.  The following includes both the University and College of Engineering entrance requirements.

Students must have high school credit for (one unit is equal to one high school year):

  1. Mathematics – 4 units: 2 of algebra, 1 of geometry, and 1 of precalculus and trigonometry
  2. English – 4 units
  3. Natural sciences – 3 units that must include 1 unit of physics and 1 unit of chemistry (chemistry requirement waived for students in construction management or computer science)
  4. Foreign language – 2 units of a single foreign language
  5. Social studies – 3 units
  6. Students having a composite ACT score of 28 or greater (or equivalent SAT score) will be admitted to the College of Engineering even if they lack any one of the following: trigonometry, chemistry, or physics. Students without test scores who are missing a full unit of trigonometry/pre-calculus/calculus or chemistry or physics will be evaluated through College Review.
  7. Students having an ACT score of 19 or less in English (or equivalent SAT score) or a grade lower than B in high school English, must take ENGL 150 Writing and Inquiry or ENGL 151 Writing for Change.

A total of 16 units is required for admission.

Engineering requires that student performance meet one of the following standards: composite ACT of 24, SAT of 1180, ACT Math subscore of 24, SAT Math subscore of 580, or a 3.5 cumulative GPA. 

 

Any domestic first-year student who does not gain admission to Engineering but does gain admission to the University of Nebraska-Lincoln (UNL) will be reviewed through College Review. College Review is conducted through the College Review Committee which considers factors beyond standardized testing. Any first-year student who is not admitted through college review is placed in Pre-Engineering (PENG) with the Exploratory and Pre-Professional Advising Center (Explore Center). Students in the Explore Center can transfer to the College of Engineering once college admission requirements are met.  

Students for whom English is not their language of nurture must meet the minimum English proficiency requirements of the University.  

Students who lack entrance units may complete precollege training by Independent Study through the University of Nebraska–Lincoln Office of On-line and Distance Education, in summer courses, or as a part of their first or second semester course loads while in the Explore Center or other colleges at UNL.  

Students should consult their advisor, their department chair, or Engineering Student Services (ESS) if they have questions on current policies.  

Other Admission Requirements

Students who transfer to the University of Nebraska–Lincoln from other accredited colleges or universities and wish to be admitted to the College of Engineering (COE) must meet COE first-year student entrance requirements, have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.5, and be calculus-ready. Students not meeting either of these requirements must enroll in the Explore Center or another University college until they meet COE admission requirements. Students transferring from UNO, UNL, or UNK to the College of Engineering must be in good academic standing with their institution.  

The COE accepts courses for transfer for which a C or better grade was received. Although the University of Nebraska–Lincoln accepts D grades from the University of Nebraska Kearney and the University of Nebraska Omaha, not all majors in the COE accept such low grades. Students must conform to the requirements of their intended major and, in any case, are strongly encouraged to repeat courses with a grade of C- or less. 

Students who were previously admitted to COE and are returning to the College of Engineering must demonstrate a cumulative GPA of 2.5 to be readmitted to COE.

College Degree Requirements

Grade Rules

Grade Appeals

In the event of a dispute involving any college policies or grades, the student should appeal to their instructor, and appropriate department chair or school director (in that order). If a satisfactory solution is not achieved, the student may appeal their case through the College Academic Appeals Subcommittee. 

Catalog Rule

Students must fulfill the requirements stated in the catalog for the academic year in which they are first admitted at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln. In consultation with advisors, a student may choose to follow a subsequent catalog for any academic year in which they are admitted to and enrolled as a degree-seeking student at Nebraska in the College of Engineering. Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year. The catalog which a student follows for degree requirements may not be more than 10 years old at the time of graduation. 

Students who have transferred from a community college may be eligible to fulfill the requirements as stated in the catalog for an academic year in which they were enrolled at the community college prior to attending the University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  This decision should be made in consultation with the student’s College of Engineering academic advising team (e.g., ESS professional advisor and the chief faculty advisor for the student’s declared degree program).  The chief faculty advisor has the final authority for this decision. Eligibility is based on a) enrollment in a community college during the catalog year the student wishes to utilize, b) maintaining continuous enrollment of at least 12 credit hours per semester at the previous institution for at least 2 semesters, and c) continuous enrollment at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln within 1 calendar year from the student’s last term at the previous institution.  Students must complete all degree requirements from a single catalog year and within the timeframe allowable for that catalog year. 

ACE REQUIREMENTS

All students must fulfill the Achievement-Centered Education (ACE) requirements. Information about the ACE program may be viewed at ace.unl.edu.

The minimum requirements of the environmental engineering program include courses involving ACE outcomes 3, 4, and 10. Students should work with their advisor to select courses that satisfy ACE outcomes 1, 2, 5, 6, 7, 8 and 9.

Learning Outcomes

Graduates of the environmental engineering program will have:

  1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
  2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
  3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
  4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
  5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
  6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
  7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

The above student outcomes have been approved by the ABET Engineering Area Delegation for use beginning with the 2019-20 academic year, and have been adopted by the faculty of the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering.