Students will learn to develop sustainable solutions to environmental problems, preparing to work with regional, national and global communities to protect the environment and improve water quality. Jobs in this field are essential in planning, designing and constructing water and wastewater treatment plants, solid waste disposal systems, site remediation approaches and emission control measures.

• Physical Processes of Environmental Systems - Physical processes in various media (open water, porous media) under various hydraulic regimes (laminar and turbulent). Transport by diffusion, convection, and dispersion is considered along with absorption.

• Environmental Microbiology - Microbiology of natural and human impacted environment, fundamental microbiology in water treatment engineering, microbial detection methodologies, waterborne disease outbreaks, microbial risk assessment, biotechnologies for renewable energy, and other emerging topics

• Site Remediation - Regulations, cleanup standards, remedial investigations, feasibility studies, risk assessment, and safety. Established and innovative cleanup technologies such as incineration, containment, bioremediation, vapor extraction and ground water recovery.

• Physical and Chemical Treatment - Physical and chemical operations and processes employed in the treatment of water and wastewater. Gas transfer, coagulation, flocculation, solid-liquid separation, filtration, and disinfection.

• Biological Treatment - Principles of evaluation and control of water pollution that describe aerobic treatment processes such as oxidation ponds, trickling filters, and activated sludge; and anaerobic processes, and sludge handling and disposal as wall as biodegradability study techniques for various wastes.

• Environmental Impact Analysis - Environmental problems, federal and state standards, methodology for developing impact statements, case studies based on recent experience, basis for assessment and decision making.

• Stormwater Management - With an emphasis on design practices, you will learn regulatory framework, an overview of structural and non-structural BMPs, groundwater recharge analysis, estimate of runoff, and design of detention basin and drainage systems.

• Geotechnical Aspects of Solid Waste - municipal landfill, dredged materials, coal and incinerator ashes, identification and classification of waste materials, geological criteria for siting, laboratory and field testing, design for impoundment and isolation of waste, methods of stability analyses of landfill sites, techniques for stabilizing waste sites, leachate and gas collection and venting systems.

• Legal Aspects in Environmental Engineering - Control of air, water, and solid waste pollution by federal, state, and local government statutes and international law. Preparation of environmental impact statements and the right of private citizens to bring suit under federal clean air and water pollution legislation are discussed, as well as limitations on these rights.