The University of Colorado at Boulder's College of Engineering and Applied Science will begin offering a bachelor聮s degree in environmental engineering this fall in response to the high interest expressed by current and prospective students.
The curriculum for the four-year degree program draws on courses from within and outside the engineering college, said mechanical engineering department Associate Professor Jana Milford, the new program director. Courses will be offered from civil, chemical, mechanical and aerospace engineering departments, as well as departments and programs in the College of Arts and Sciences that focus on air and water quality, soil properties and the biosphere.
Over time, some new courses also will be developed specifically for the new environmental program, said Milford. "Students wanting to work in environmental engineering were missing some key courses in the environmental options offered within existing departments," she said. "With the new degree, graduates will be able to take their environmental engineering skills wherever they are needed."
About 20 other colleges and universities now offer bachelor's degrees in environmental engineering, she said.
Approval for the new degree followed a review by an industrial advisory board for the engineering college. Program administrators eventually hope to include the option of obtaining a five-year combined bachelor聮s/master聮s of science degree between environmental engineering and another engineering department.
The engineering college currently offers five-year, combined bachelor聮s/master聮s degrees in aerospace engineering, chemical engineering, civil engineering, computer science, electrical engineering and mechanical engineering. The college also is investigating the possibility of coordinating with the Arts and Sciences Environmental Studies program for coursework credit, Milford said.