Undergraduate

Environmental Engineering

Develop innovative technologies for water, waste, and pollution treatment while engaging in service projects like Engineers Without Borders.

2026

Degree

Bachelor of Science

Location

Durham, NH

Courses

32*

Credit

130 hrs.*

Full-time

4 yrs.

Part-time

Varies

View course catalog

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Civil and Environmental Engineering

The Environmental Engineering degree at UNH offers comprehensive training in sustainable solutions and ecosystem protection. Here you'll be able to develop innovative technologies for water, waste, and pollution treatment while engaging in service projects like Engineers Without Borders.

Through hands-on research with expert faculty, internships with engineering firms, and real-world capstone projects, you'll gain the expertise needed for careers in environmental protection, sustainable design, or climate adaptation.

*Number of courses and course credit hours may vary, please reach out to your academic advisor for exact requirements.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Department

Key Links

Tuition Costs

Contact Cards

Lisa Damiano

Lecturer

Lisa.Damiano@unh.edu

Kingsbury Hall, Durham, NH 03824

(603) 862-3448

What is a Bachelor of Science in environmental engineering?

This program is tailored to students who want to use engineering practices to support Earth’s ecosystems, which humans rely on for natural resources, sustenance and pleasure. Environmental engineers protect these ecosystems, infrastructures and the environment from human impacts and natural disasters. They also protect environmental and public health from natural and man-made threats such as chemicals and pathogens in drinking water. Students learn to design facilities that treat water so it’s safe to drink and design green infrastructures and responses to environmental disasters and contamination. They also learn how to prepare wastes, stormwater and wastewaters for safe discharge into the environment. Students in this program work on interdisciplinary teams to deliver real-world solutions that increase the sustainability and resilience of human societies.

Why study environmental engineering at UNH?

You’ll develop the skills and knowledge necessary to become a professional engineer with a productive career that contributes to sustainable societies. In this program, faculty know each student’s name, and they provide the tools to help every student succeed. Nearly half of our students secure paid research internships with faculty, and many others find well-paid summer internships with consulting engineering companies. In 2017, 90 percent of our graduates secured employment or were admitted to a graduate program.

Potential careers

Architecture and engineering firms
Cities and towns
Manufacturing industries
Nongovernmental organizations
State and federal agencies

Curriculum & Requirements

Program Description

Environmental engineers graduating with a B.S. EnvE degree will plan, design, and construct public and private facilities to minimize the impact of human activity on the environment through sustainable approaches that protect human health. For example, environmental engineers design and build drinking water treatment systems, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment plants, solid waste management facilities, air pollution control systems, contaminated ground water remediation systems, and hazardous waste remediation facilities. These facilities must meet regulatory requirements, be cost effective to build and maintain, be safe to operate, and have minimal environmental impact.

In CEE 420 Environmental Engineering Gateway, students are introduced to the full spectrum of environmental engineering projects that they will subsequently explore in design teams during their degree program. In CEE 505 Introduction to Sustainable Engineering, students learn tools to analyze life cycles and are exposed to global actions for sustainability. In CEE 520 Environmental Pollution and Protection: A Global Context, students tour field sites, and through junior and senior year classes and student organizations (ASCE, EWRI, EWB), they interact with engineers who talk about engineering consulting, environmental policy, and design practices applied to local and global projects. As part of these projects, students:

analyze treatment alternatives;
recommend a system that meets regulatory operational needs, and is sustainable; and
prepare an implementation schedule and project budget.

Students choose elective courses from areas of Sustainability, Water Resources, Environmental Engineering Design, and other relevant topics. Design projects are completed in a minimum of two design electives. In the capstone design experience courses, students work on a multi-disciplinary environmental engineering project and apply skills learned in other courses while working with real-world problems and clients.

The Environmental Engineering program (B Sci in Environmental Engineering) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, https://www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Degree Plan

Sample Degree Plan

This sample degree plan serves as a general guide; students collaborate with their academic advisor to develop a personalized degree plan to meet their academic goals and program requirements.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Credits
CEE 420	Environmental Engineering Gateway	3
ENGL 401	First-Year Writing ²	4
CHEM 405	Chemical Principles for Engineers	4
MATH 418	Analysis and Applications of Functions ^{1, 4}
Discovery Elective ²		4
	Credits	15
Spring
CEE 402	2D Computer Aided Design	3
MATH 425	Calculus I ^{1, 2}	4
PHYS 407	General Physics I ²	4
Discovery Elective ²		4
	Credits	15
Second Year
Fall
CEE 403	GIS for Civil and Environmental Engineering	3
or other Geospatial Elective
CEE 502	Project Engineering	3
CEE 520	Environmental Pollution and Protection: A Global Context ²	4
MATH 426	Calculus II	4
Discovery Elective ²		4
	Credits	18
Spring
CEE 500	Statics for Civil Engineers	3
CEE 505	Introduction to Sustainable Engineering	3
MATH 527	Differential Equations with Linear Algebra	4
Discovery Elective ²		4
Public Health Elective		4
	Credits	18
Third Year
Fall
CEE 650	Fluid Mechanics	4
CEE 720	Waste Management and Site Remediation	3
Sustainability Elective		3-4
Math Statistics Elective		4
Discovery Elective ²		4
	Credits	18-19
Spring
CEE 620	One Water Engineering	4
CEE 724	Environmental Engineering Microbiology ²	4
ESCI 654	Fate and Transport in the Environment	4
Water Resources Elective		3-4
	Credits	15-16
Fourth Year
Fall
CEE 721	Environmental Sampling and Analysis	4
CEE 723	Environmental Engineering Chemistry	4
CEE 797	Introduction to Project Planning and Design ²	2
CEE Design Elective (1)		3-4
CEE Elective (1)		3-4
	Credits	16-18
Spring
CEE 731	Advanced Water Treatment Processes	4
CEE 798	Project Planning and Design ²	2
CEE Elective (1)		3-4
CEE Design Elective (1)		3-4
Water Resources Elective		3-4
	Credits	15-18
	Total Credits	130-137

The Environmental Engineering B.S. program requires a minimum of 130 total credits for graduation.

¹

Students who passed the ALEKS placement examination as determined by the Mathematics Department may enroll in MATH 425 Calculus I. Subsequent MATH courses (MATH 426 Calculus II, MATH 527 Differential Equations with Linear Algebra Differential Equations with Linear Algebra, MATH 644 Statistics for Engineers and Scientists) will be taken one semester earlier than shown here.

²

Discovery Program requirements are fulfilled with the following courses:

Writing Skills: ENGL 401 First-Year Writing
Quantitative Reasoning (QR): MATH 425 Calculus I
Physical Science (PS): PHYS 407 General Physics I
Environmental, Technology, and Society (ETS): CEE 520 Environmental Pollution and Protection: A Global Context
Biological Science (BS): CEE 724 Environmental Engineering Microbiology
Capstone: CEE 797 Introduction to Project Planning and Design and CEE 798 Project Planning and Design
Fine and Performing Arts (FPA), Historical Perspectives (HP), Humanities (HUMA), Social Science (SS), and World Cultures (WC): Courses in the EnvE curriculum designated Discovery Electives can be selected from the University's approved Discovery Program courses to fulfill these requirements. One of these electives must have an Inquiry (INQ) attribute.

³

Approved lists of sustainability, water resources, design and Environmental/Civil electives are available from the EnvE undergraduate coordinator.

⁴

MATH 418 does not count toward the minimum required credits for the degree program.

Requirements for the Program

Degree Requirements

Minimum Credit Requirement: 130 credits

Minimum Residency Requirement: 32 credits must be taken at UNH

Minimum GPA: 2.0 required for conferral*

Core Curriculum Required: Discovery & Writing Program Requirements

Foreign Language Requirement: No

All Major, Option and Elective Requirements as indicated.
*Major GPA requirements as indicated.

Major Requirements

To qualify for graduation, an EnvE major must: have satisfied all specified course requirements, have satisfied the University's Academic Requirements, have a minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.00, and have a minimum grade-point average of 2.00 in engineering courses.

At the end of the sophomore year, students are required to have a minimum overall grade-point average of 2.00 and a minimum grade-point average of 2.00 in CEE 420, MATH 425, CHEM 405, PHYS 407, MATH 426, CEE 500, CEE 520 to be permitted to enroll in junior-level courses.

Several courses required in the curriculum may fulfill both major and Discovery Program requirements as described in footnotes.

For a full listing of the requirements distributed over four years of study please refer to the sample degree plan.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Required Courses
CEE 402	2D Computer Aided Design	3
CEE 420	Environmental Engineering Gateway	3
CEE 500	Statics for Civil Engineers	3
CEE 502	Project Engineering	3
CEE 505	Introduction to Sustainable Engineering	3
CEE 520	Environmental Pollution and Protection: A Global Context ¹	4
CEE 620	One Water Engineering	4
CEE 650	Fluid Mechanics	4
CEE 720	Waste Management and Site Remediation	3
CEE 721	Environmental Sampling and Analysis	4
CEE 723	Environmental Engineering Chemistry	4
CEE 724	Environmental Engineering Microbiology ¹	4
CEE 731	Advanced Water Treatment Processes	4
CHEM 405	Chemical Principles for Engineers	4
or CHEM 403 & CHEM 404	General Chemistry I and General Chemistry II
ESCI 654	Fate and Transport in the Environment	4
MATH 425	Calculus I ¹	4
MATH 426	Calculus II	4
MATH 527	Differential Equations with Linear Algebra	4
MATH 644	Statistics for Engineers and Scientists	4
or MATH 539	Introduction to Statistical Analysis
PHYS 407	General Physics I ¹	4
Capstone Design Experience
CEE 797	Introduction to Project Planning and Design ¹	2
CEE 798	Project Planning and Design ¹	2

Electives

Design and Environmental/Civil Engineering Electives: four 700-level courses are required, two courses must be Design Electives, with a minimum of 12 total credits.
Additional Electives: One CEE Lab Elective, one Geospatial Elective, one Sustainability Elective, one Public Health Elective and two Water Resources Electives are required.
Each elective course can only be used to fulfill one category.
Course lists are subject to change, check with advisor.

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Design Electives or Environmental/Civil Engineering Electives
CEE 719	Green Building Design	3
CEE 729	Sources, Control, and Stewardship of Air Pollution	4
CEE 730	Public Health Engineering for Rural and Developing Communities	3
CEE 732	Solid Waste Facility and Remediation System Design	4
CEE 755	Design of Pressurized Water Transmission Systems	4
CEE 758	Stormwater Management Designs	3
CEE 759	Stream Restoration	4
OE 720	Design of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Environmental/Civil Engineering Electives
CEE 706	Environmental Life Cycle Assessment	3
CEE 719	Green Building Design	3
CEE 722	Introduction to Marine Pollution and Control	4
CEE 729	Sources, Control, and Stewardship of Air Pollution	4
CEE 730	Public Health Engineering for Rural and Developing Communities	3
CEE 732	Solid Waste Facility and Remediation System Design	4
CEE 733	Public Infrastructure Asset Management	4
CEE 751	Open Channel Flow	3
CEE 753	Snow Hydrology	3
CEE 754	Engineering Hydrology	3
CEE 755	Design of Pressurized Water Transmission Systems	4
CEE 758	Stormwater Management Designs	3
CEE 759	Stream Restoration	4
CEE 768	Geo-Environmental Engineering	3
CEE 768	Geo-Environmental Engineering	3
OE 720	Design of Recirculating Aquaculture Systems	3
OE 757	Coastal Engineering and Processes	3
OE 758	Design of Ocean Structures	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
CEE Lab Electives
Select one course from the following:
CEE 665	Soil Mechanics	0 or 4
CEE 721	Environmental Sampling and Analysis	4

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Geospatial Electives
Select one course from the following:
CEE 403	GIS for Civil and Environmental Engineering	3
CEE 404	Surveying and Mapping	0
NR 658	Introduction to Geographic Information Systems	4
NR 757	Remote Sensing of the Environment	4

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Sustainability Electives
Select one course from the following:
CEE 706	Environmental Life Cycle Assessment	3
CEE 719	Green Building Design	3
CEE 733	Public Infrastructure Asset Management	4
CHBE 705	Fossil Fuels and Renewable Energy Sources	4
ME 706	Renewable Energy: Physical and Engineering Principles	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Water Resources Electives
Select two courses from the following:
CEE 751	Open Channel Flow	3
CEE 753	Snow Hydrology	3
CEE 754	Engineering Hydrology	3
CEE 755	Design of Pressurized Water Transmission Systems	4
CEE 758	Stormwater Management Designs	3
CEE 759	Stream Restoration	4
ESCI 705	Principles of Hydrology	4
ESCI 710	Groundwater Hydrology	4
OE 757	Coastal Engineering and Processes	3

Course List
Code	Title	Credits
Public Health Electives
Select one course from the following:
HMP 403	Introduction to Public Health	4
HMP 501	Epidemiology and Community Medicine	4
HMP 715	Environmental Health	4
CEE 730	Public Health Engineering for Rural and Developing Communities	3

¹

Discovery Program requirements are fulfilled with the following courses:

Quantitative Reasoning (QR): MATH 425 Calculus I
Physical Science (PS): PHYS 407 General Physics I
Environmental, Technology, and Society (ETS): CEE 520 Environmental Pollution and Protection: A Global Context
Biological Science (BS): CEE 724 Environmental Engineering Microbiology
Capstone: CEE 797 Introduction to Project Planning and Design and CEE 798 Project Planning and Design

Student Learning Outcomes

Program Learning Outcomes

By the time of graduation students have attained:

an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
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.
an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
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.
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.
an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Explore Program Details

Accreditation

The Environmental Engineering program (B Sci Environmental Engineering) is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, www.abet.org, under the General Criteria and the Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Mission

Pursue and disseminate knowledge through teaching, scholarship, outreach, and public service.
Provide excellent undergraduate and graduate education.
Advance the state-of-the-art in science and engineering by conducting research.
Enhance the quality of life for people in New Hampshire and beyond.

Objectives & Outcomes

In accordance with its mission, the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering seeks to attain the specific Educational Objectives and Outcomes listed herein.

Objectives & Outcomes

Reduced Tuition Eligibility

Students from Maine, Massachusetts and Rhode Island who matriculate in the UNH BSENE program are eligible for reduced tuition made available through the New England Regional Student Program (NERSP).

ENVE Student Code of Ethics

ENE Program
Student Code of Ethics
University of New Hampshire, Durham, NH

I understand that the work of environmental engineers impacts society in a variety of social, economic, and environmental ways and that professional negligence can result in the loss of property, widespread illness, damage to the environment, and the loss of human life. I understand that environmental engineering practice, therefore, requires high ethical standards that hold paramount the safety health, and welfare of the public. By signing below, I pledge the following:

I commit myself to be honest and to honor and respect the rights of others.

I will not plagiarize, cheat on exams, assist others in doing so, or tolerate such behavior in others.

I have received and read the ASCE Engineering Code of Ethics. I understand what is written therein, and pledge to uphold this Code of Ethics both as a student and as a practicing engineer.

I have received and read Section 9 on Academic Honesty of the document Student Rights, Rules, and Responsibilities, of the University of New Hampshire and will pursue my academic work at UNH in a straightforward and truthful manner, free from deception or fraud. Furthermore, I understand the procedures for dealing with academic misconduct and understand the consequences including the possibility of outright dismissal from UNH.

________________________________
Printed Name

________________________________
Signature

________________________________
Date Signed