Environmental Engineering Master's Degree

As an environmental engineer, you help preserve the Earth and raise awareness of environmental issues. Find out the interdisciplinary training provided by master's degree programs in environmental engineering. Also see the employment outlook and potential salary. Schools offering Energy Management degrees can also be found in these popular choices.

What Graduate Degree Options Are Available in Environmental Engineering?

You can earn a Master of Science (M.S.) or Master of Engineering (M.Eng) at the graduate level. You might also find master's degree programs that combine environmental engineering with civil engineering. Another option would be to enroll in a 5-year professional degree program that awards both a bachelor's and master's degree. Master's degree programs usually take 2-3 years to finish and can be found online.
What Will I Learn?

Curricula in environmental engineering master's degree programs are typically interdisciplinary and may include training in physics, chemistry and biology. Within environmental engineering, you could specialize in areas such as geotechnology, transportation, high-performance structures, air pollution control or water treatment. You could also specialize in solid waste management or hazardous waste management. The following are examples of classes you could take:

•     Chemical treatment processes
•     Atmospheric dispersion
•     Solid waste engineering
•     Public health elements
•     Statistics for environmental engineering
•     Continuum mechanics
•     Composite materials mechanics
•     Energy flow and wave propagation

What Is the Job Like?

Environmental engineers develop solutions for environmental problems by drawing on skills in a variety of engineering disciplines. As an environmental engineer, you could work on problems like air pollution, recycling, waste water management, global warming or public health. You could also work on problems like acid rain, ozone shrinkage or car pollution. Many environmental engineers help organizations comply with environmental and public health standards.

How Is the Job Market?

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) projected an employment growth rate of 31% for environmental engineers between 2008 and 2018 (www.bls.gov). According to the BLS, this growth will likely be driven by an increased emphasis on preventing environmental problems and the subsequent need to meet new environmental standards. The BLS reported environmental engineers earned a median annual salary of $78,740 as of May 2010.

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