Environmental Engineering
Major in the Cockrell School of Engineering
As the world's population continues to increase and cities keep rapidly growing, human activity exerts greater influence on the environment.
Environmental engineers are charged with decreasing the sphere of human influence so that the earth can sustain future generations.
Environmental engineers are charged with solving the problems of resource consumption, human impact on the physical landscape of the earth, waste production and the introduction of new and emerging contaminants. They are involved in identifying critical environmental issues, developing new technologies or processes to mitigate those issues, and influencing policy to drive resolution of the issues. Thus, environmental engineers are instrumental in addressing grand environmental challenges across the globe: in developed countries and developing countries and in small communities and mega-cities.
Learn more about careers in environmental engineering.
Declaration Requirements
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Prospective University of Texas at Austin students should visit UT Admissions to learn about the application process and how to declare a major.
How to Declare
ShowUndergraduates currently enrolled at The University of Texas at Austin who wish to change to an engineering major need to apply for an internal transfer. Find out more about the internal transfer process.
Required Courses
ShowFor more information on required courses, view the Environmental Engineering undergraduate curriculum overview.
Personality
ShowEngineers are creative problem solvers who are essential to our health, happiness and safety. Engineering students celebrate discovery, design, creativity, imagination, innovation and contribution to the world we live in. No profession unleashes the spirit of innovation like engineering. From research to real-world applications, engineers constantly discover how to improve our lives by creating bold new solutions that connect science to life in unexpected, forward-thinking ways. Few professions turn so many ideas into so many realities. Few have such a direct and positive effect on people's everyday lives. We are counting on engineers and their imaginations to help us meet the needs of the 21st century.
Skills
ShowEngineering students will acquire creative problem solving skills and the ability to design and lead in a variety of situations and environments. Based on "The Engineer of 2020" by the National Academy of Engineering, the Cockrell School of Engineering strives to graduate students who:
- Possess strong analytical skills
- Exhibit practical ingenuity - skill in planning, combing and adapting
- Exhibit creativity - invention, innovation, thinking outside of the box
- Exhibit good communication skills
- Master the principles of business and management
- Understand and practice the principles of leadership
- Possess a framework upon which high ethical standards and a strong sense of professionalism can be developed
- Exhibit dynamism, agility, resilience, and flexibility
- Embrace being a lifelong learner
Department of Civil, Architectural, and Environmental Engineering
Telephone
(512) 471-4921
Office Location
ECJ 4.200