University Catalog 2016-2017

University of Colorado Boulder
Menu

Environmental Engineering

    Environmental engineers play a vital role in maintaining the quality of both public health and the natural environment. Environmental engineering encompasses the scientific assessment and development of engineering solutions to environmental problems impacting the biosphere, land, water and air quality. Environmental issues affect almost all commercial and industrial sectors, and are a central concern for the public, for all levels of government and in international relations. These issues include safe drinking water, wastewater processing, solid and hazardous waste disposal, outdoor air pollution, indoor air pollution and transfer of infectious diseases, human health and ecological risk management, prevention of pollution through product or process design and renewable and sustainable energy sources.

    To address these challenges, environmental engineers often encounter challenging problems that must be solved in data-poor situations as members of multidisciplinary teams. Environmental problems require creative solutions blended with contributions from scientists, lawyers, business people and the public. Good communication skills, as well as technical proficiency, are essential for success in this arena. In addition, technology designed to address environmental problems is marketed globally, opening up increasing opportunities for international work in the environmental engineering field.

    The faculty of the Environmental Engineering Program (EVEN) is drawn from the Departments of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; Chemical and Biological Engineering; and Aerospace Engineering. The EVEN faculty, its Professional Advisory Board (representing prospective employers of its graduates), and EVEN alumni and current students have contributed to the creation of the program’s mission and the educational objectives of the EVEN BS degree.

    Mission

    The mission of the EVEN Program is to provide a multidisciplinary undergraduate environmental engineering education that emphasizes mastery of principles and practices, inspires service for the global public good, endows a desire for lifelong learning and prepares students for broad and dynamic career paths in environmental engineering.

    Educational Objectives

    The educational objective of the environmental engineering bachelor of science degree is to produce graduates who reach the following achievements three to five years after graduation:

    • become established in professional careers and/or earn advanced degrees;
    • apply multidisciplinary approaches to manage the unique challenges and balance the competing social, political, economic and technical goals of environmental problems and solutions; and
    • serve the needs of our society and protect the future of our planet in an ethical manner.

    Program Outcomes

    The outcomes that students are expected to have attained upon graduation with a bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering are:

    • the ability to apply knowledge of math, science and engineering
    • the ability to design and conduct experiments
    • the ability to analyze and interpret data
    • the ability to design a system, component or process to meet desired needs within realistic constraints
    • the ability to function on multidisciplinary teams
    • the ability to identify, formulate and solve engineering problems
    • an understanding of professional and ethical responsibility
    • the ability to communicate effectively through writing
    • the ability to communicate effectively through oral presentations
    • an understanding of the impact of engineering on society
    • a recognition of the need for and an ability to engage in life-long learning
    • a knowledge of contemporary issues in environmental engineering
    • the ability to use modern engineering techniques, skills and tools

    Course code for this program is EVEN.

    Bachelor's Degree Program(s)

    Bachelor’s Degree in Environmental Engineering

    Requirements

    The bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering (EVEN) at the University of Colorado provides preparation for professional proficiency or graduate training in environmental engineering in a four-year curriculum. The curriculum includes courses in engineering fundamentals and applications, advanced mathematics, chemistry, physics, microbiology and earth science, along with courses in the arts, humanities and social sciences.

    Courses specific to environmental engineering practice include water chemistry, environmental microbiology and air pollution control. In addition, environmental engineering requires hands-on laboratory experiences, up-to-date skills in the use of computers for modeling and data analysis and experience in the design of environmental engineering systems. Many of the required engineering courses in the bachelor of science curriculum are culled from civil, environmental and architectural engineering; chemical and biological engineering; and mechanical engineering.

    The curriculum also includes three technical electives, three environmental engineering sequence courses and one free elective. Technical elective courses include a broad range of science and engineering courses, and must include an earth sciences course. 

    The environmental engineering sequence courses are selected by the student beginning in the junior year.  The sequence consists of one environmental engineering design course and two environmental engineering technical elective courses.  See the Environmental Engineering Program Office for a list of acceptable courses.

    Students in the program are also encouraged to participate in research through independent study or senior thesis projects, the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP) or as undergraduate research assistants in sponsored research programs. Students are required to take the Fundamentals of Engineering (FE) exam when they are within 32 credit hours of graduation.

    Curriculum for the BS in Environmental Engineering 

    Required Courses and Semester Credit Hours

    Freshman Year
    Fall Semester

    • APPM 1350 Calculus 1 for Engineers—4
    • CHEM 1221 Engineering General Chemistry Laboratory—1
    • CHEN 1211 General Chemistry for Engineers—4
    • EVEN 1000 Introduction to Environmental Engineering (Note 4)—1
    • First-Year Engineering Projects course—3
    • Humanities and social science elective (Note 1)—3

    Spring Semester

    • APPM 1360 Calculus 2 for Engineers—4
    • CHEN 1310 Introduction to Engineering Computing—3
    • PHYS 1110 General Physics 1—4
    • Humanities and social science elective (Note 1)—3
    • Technical elective (Note 2)—3

    Sophomore Year
    Fall Semester

    • APPM 2350 Calculus 3 for Engineers—4
    • PHYS 1120 General Physics 2—4
    • PHYS 1140 Experimental Physics 1—1
    • Solid mechanics: CVEN 2121 Analytic Mechanics, GEEN 2851 Statics for Engineers or MCEN 2023 Statics and Structures—3
    • Humanities and social science elective (Note 1)—3

    Spring Semester

    • APPM 2360 Introduction to Differential Equations with Linear Algebra—4
    • CHEN 2120 Material and Energy Balances—3
    • CVEN 4834 Sustainability Principles for Engineers—3
    • CVEN 3414 Fundamentals of Environmental Engineering—3
    • Humanities and social science elective (Note 1)—3

    Junior Year
    Fall Semester

    • EVEN 4404 Water Chemistry (Note 4)—3
    • EVEN 4414 Water Chemistry Lab (Note 4)—1
    • Engineering Economics (Note 4): CVEN 4147 Civil Engineering Systems or EMEN 4100 Business Methods and Economics for Engineers or BUSM 3002 Business and Financial Analytics (only for students earning a business minor)—3
    • Fluid Mechanics: CHEN 3200 Chemical Engineering Fluid Mechanics, CVEN 3313 Theoretical Fluid Mechanics, GEEN 3853 Fluid Mechanics for Engineers or MCEN 3021 Fluid Mechanics—3
    • Thermodynamics: AREN 2110 Thermodynamics, CHEN 3320 Chemical Engineering Thermodynamics, GEEN 3852 Thermodynamics for Engineers or MCEN 3012 Thermodynamics—3
    • College-approved writing course (Note 1)—3

    Spring Semester

    • EVEN 4484 Introduction to Environmental Microbiology (Note 4)—3
    • EVEN 4424 Environmental Organic Chemistry—3 
    • Heat Transfer: CHEN 3210 Chemical Engineering Heat Transfer or MCEN 3022 Heat Transfer—3
    • Probability and Statistics: APPM 4570 Statistical Methods; CHEN 3010 Applied Data Analysis; or CVEN 3227 Probability, Statistics and Decision—3
    • Environmental engineering design/technical elective I (Note 3)—3

    Senior Year
    Fall Semester

    • EVEN/CVEN 4464 Environmental Engineering Processes (Note 4)—3
    • Humanities and social science elective (Note 1)—3
    • Air or earth science laboratory or field course—3
    • Environmental engineering design/technical elective II (Note 3)—3
    • Technical elective II (Note 2) or Senior Thesis (Note 5) or Environmental engineering design/technical elective III (Note 3)—3
    • Free elective—2

    Spring Semester

    • CVEN 4333 Engineering Hydrology (Note 4)—3
    • MCEN 4131 Air Pollution Control (Note 4)—3
    • CVEN 4434 Environmental Engineering Design (Note 4)—4
    • Environmental engineering design/technical elective III (Note 3) or Technical Elective II (Note 2)—3
    • Technical elective III (Note 2) or Senior Thesis (Note 5)—3
      Minimum total semester hours —128

    Notes:

    1. A total of 15 credit hours of humanities and social sciences electives, along with 3 credit hours of an approved writing course, is required. See www.colorado.edu/engineering/academics/policies/hss for specific requirements.

    2. A total of 9 credit hours of technical electives is required. Three technical elective credits may be lower-division (1000-2000-level). Three technical elective credits must be in the earth sciences, either lower or upper division. Remaining technical elective credits must be upper division in engineering, mathematics or sciences. Independent study (EVEN 4840) or senior thesis (EVEN 4980 and 4990) may be completed as technical electives for up to 6 credits.

    3. A nine-credit-hour (three-course) sequence in environmental engineering – one environmental engineering design course and two environmental engineering technical electives.

    4. Only offered in the semester shown (not including summer offerings).

    5. A senior thesis can be completed on a single research topic, with faculty approval and direction, and can apply toward technical elective requirements.

    Concurrent Bachelor's/Master's Program

    Concurrent BS in Environmental Engineering/MS in Civil Engineering

    A concurrent EVEN BS/CVEN MS degree program is available in cooperation with the Department of Civil, Environmental and Architectural Engineering. Students may apply to the program when they have completed 75–110 credit hours toward the undergraduate EVEN degree. Once accepted into the program, students may be allowed to count 6 credit hours taken at the graduate level for both the environmental engineering BS and the civil engineering MS degrees, thus allowing them to obtain both degrees in a five-year curriculum.

    Graduate Degree Program(s)

    Graduate Study in Environmental Engineering

    Graduate studies in environmental engineering are offered through the Environmental Engineering (EVEN) Program. Information on the requirements for graduate study in environmental engineering is available from the Program website at www.colorado.edu/even. The Graduate Record Examination (GRE), consisting of the aptitude tests and advanced test in engineering, is used to evaluate master of science and doctor of philosophy candidates.

    The EVEN Program offers master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees with study emphasis in several major environmental engineering and science areas:  drinking water, wastewater, and water reuse treatment; engineering for developing communities; natural waters; air quality; and climate and environmental change.

    Master of Science Degree

    Requirements for this master’s degree can be fulfilled in two ways. Under Option I (thesis option), the candidate completes at least 30 semester hours of course work. This includes 24 semester hours of courses, including Environmental Engineering and Science core (6 hours), emphasis area (9 – 18 hours), and elective (0 - 9 hours) courses. A maximum of 6 semester hours of thesis credit, with the successful completion and defense of a M.S. thesis is also required. Under Option II (non-thesis option), 30 credit hours of course work are required and follows the course work requirements of the thesis option except the thesis credit hours are replaced with elective courses or independent study.

    Doctor of Philosophy Degree

    This degree requires a minimum of 30 credit hours of graduate-level work. Up to 21 credit hours of previous graduate-level work from another institution may be transferred with advisor and Graduate School approval. The doctoral dissertation requires 30 credit hours. The applicant for this degree must demonstrate the capability for both rigorous academic accomplishments and independent research. Satisfactory completion of a preliminary examination, and completion and defense of a PhD dissertation are required.