Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering

4 Years On Campus Bachelors Program

Carnegie Mellon University

Program Overview

The Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon University combines environmental engineering with computing, data analytics, laboratory work, and hands-on design projects, preparing students to address challenges involving sustainable water, energy and food systems, climate change, and smart cities. The program suits students who want to apply engineering, science, computation, and interdisciplinary teamwork to develop sustainable solutions for the built, natural, and information environments.

Curriculum Structure:

Year 1: Students establish their mathematical, scientific, and environmental-engineering foundation through 12-100 Exploring CEE: Infrastructure and Environment in a Changing World, 21-120 Differential and Integral Calculus, and 33-141 Physics I for Engineering Students. The spring semester develops this foundation further through 21-122 Integration and Approximation, 33-142 Physics II for Engineering and Physics Students, and 09-101 Introduction to Experimental Chemistry, giving students early exposure to environmental systems, engineering science, and laboratory work.

Year 2: Students begin more specialized environmental engineering study with 12-200 CEE Challenges: Design in a Changing World, 12-351 Environmental Engineering, and 15-110 Principles of Computing, combining engineering design with environmental applications and computational skills. They then move into 12-221 Environmental Chemistry and Thermodynamics, 12-222 Environmental Chemistry Laboratory, 12-271 Computation and Data Science for Civil & Environmental Engineering, and 12-352 Environmental Engineering Lab, strengthening their ability to investigate environmental processes through laboratory and data-driven methods.

Year 3: The third year emphasizes integrated engineering projects and physical environmental systems through 12-301 CEE Projects: Integrating the Built, Natural and Information Environments, 12-355 Fluid Mechanics, and 12-356 Fluid Mechanics Lab, alongside 36-220 Engineering Statistics and Quality Control. Students also study 12-353 Environmental Biology and Ecology, 12-371 Advanced Computing and Problem Solving in Civil and Environmental Engineering, and 12-201 Geology, connecting environmental engineering with biology, geology, computation, and quantitative analysis.

Year 4: Students complete advanced design and professional coursework through 12-401 CEE Design: Imagine, Build, Test and 12-411 Project Management for Engineering and Construction, applying their previous technical knowledge to a major design experience. The final semester adds 12-451 Advanced Environmental Engineering and 12-471 Applied Data Analytics for Civil and Environmental Systems, together with an upper-level environmental engineering elective, allowing students to deepen their technical and analytical expertise.

Focus Areas: Environmental engineering, sustainable water, energy and food systems, climate change adaptation and mitigation, smart and connected cities, environmental chemistry, environmental biology and ecology, fluid mechanics, computing and data science, environmental systems, and sustainable infrastructure.

Learning Outcomes: Complex engineering problem solving, engineering design, effective communication, ethical and professional responsibility, teamwork and leadership, experimentation and data analysis, computational problem solving, and development of sustainable solutions across built, natural, and information environments.

Professional Alignment (Accreditation): ABET-accredited — the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental and Similarly Named Engineering Programs.

Reputation (Employability Rankings): U.S. News & World Report 2027: Carnegie Mellon’s undergraduate Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering is ranked #7 nationally, according to CMU’s College of Engineering rankings page. CMU also reports that its Class of 2025 Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates were 97% employed or in graduate school six months after graduation, with an average salary of $80,955.

Experiential Learning (Research, Projects, Internships etc.)

The B.S. in Environmental Engineering at Carnegie Mellon integrates computing and data analytics, hands-on laboratories, and project-based learning throughout the four-year curriculum. Students work together on a four-year sequence of design-build-test projects, gaining practical experience with environmental systems while applying engineering, scientific, computational, and data-analysis skills to challenges involving sustainable water, energy and food systems, climate adaptation, and resilient cities.

Students can further develop professional and research skills through the following opportunities:

Four-year project sequence: Every year includes a CEE project course, with students collaborating on design-build-test projects that connect classroom concepts with practical environmental engineering problems.
Environmental chemistry laboratory: 12-222 Environmental Chemistry Laboratory provides hands-on lab and field experiments involving air, water, soil, and sediments, including data collection, analysis, and state-of-the-art environmental analytical techniques.
Computing and data analytics: The Environmental Engineering curriculum specifically integrates computing and data analytics, supporting the analysis and development of solutions for environmental and infrastructure challenges.
Infrastructure field experience: 12-233 CEE Infrastructure Systems in Action uses laboratory sessions to investigate infrastructure and phenomena in the built and natural environments on or near campus, giving students direct exposure to CEE systems.
Internships: Students can pursue summer research and industry internships, with opportunities circulated through the department and its alumni and corporate partners; CMU also holds an annual Civil and Environmental Engineering career fair.
Cooperative education: The CEE department offers an 8-month cooperative internship option during the junior year, normally through either a January–August or May–December placement.
Faculty research: Students can join faculty-led and graduate-student research projects, including independent study and collaborative research designed to develop technical skills through real-world applications.
Summer research internships: CEE offers competitive eight-week summer research opportunities in active faculty research projects, concluding with a poster presentation.
Honors research: Eligible juniors with an accumulated 3.5 QPA or higher can participate in the College of Engineering Honors Research Program, completing a substantial research project during senior year and presenting their findings at the Meeting of the Minds Undergraduate Research Symposium.
Research facilities and areas: CEE research covers climate-resilient environmental systems and technologies, sustainable energy and transportation systems, intelligent engineered systems and society, and mechanics, chemistry, and materials, providing relevant research directions for Environmental Engineering students.
Interdisciplinary environment: The program uses interdisciplinary project courses that bring Civil and Environmental Engineering students together, while the College of Engineering encourages teamwork and project-based learning across engineering disciplines.
Study abroad: CEE students can also explore their field through study-abroad opportunities, adding international exposure to their engineering education.

Progression & Future Opportunities

Graduates of Carnegie Mellon’s B.S. in Environmental Engineering are prepared to address environmental challenges through engineering, sustainability, infrastructure, computing, and data-driven approaches. Recent CMU outcomes for the Class of 2025 report that 97% of Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates were employed or in graduate school six months after graduation, with an average salary of $80,955.

Typical career roles: Environmental Engineer, Water Resources Engineer, Environmental Consultant, Sustainability Engineer.

Career development and progression opportunities:

Career support: The Career and Professional Development Center provides career guidance, while the CEE department has a dedicated career consultant who helps students navigate internships and present their qualifications to employers. CEE also organizes an annual career fair specifically for civil and environmental engineering students.
Employment and salary: For the Class of 2025, CMU reports 97% employed or in graduate school and an $80,955 average salary for Civil and Environmental Engineering graduates.
Employer connections: Recent CMU CEE graduates have joined organizations including Google, Kimley-Horn, Clark Construction Group, Colliers Engineering & Design, Deloitte, ExxonMobil, and Stantec, demonstrating the range of sectors employing graduates from the department.
Internship pathways: Students can pursue summer industry or research internships, with opportunities communicated through CEE’s alumni and corporate-partner network, email, and Handshake. An 8-month cooperative internship is also available during the junior year, although it ordinarily adds an additional semester to the degree.
Accreditation value: The B.S. in Environmental Engineering is accredited by ABET’s Engineering Accreditation Commission under its General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental and Similarly Named Engineering Programs, providing an established professional accreditation framework for the degree.
Graduation outcomes: CMU reports that CEE graduates move into industry, government, nonprofits, academia, and further education; its department also reports that more than 20% of CEE undergraduate and master’s graduates in its cited alumni survey continued to another degree.
Research-to-career pathway: Undergraduate students can undertake faculty research, Honors Research, independent study, and competitive summer research internships, providing opportunities to build experience before employment or graduate study.

Further Academic Progression: After completing the B.S. in Environmental Engineering, students can continue into Carnegie Mellon’s Integrated Master’s/Bachelor’s (IMB) pathway to earn a BS and M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, ordinarily over 10 semesters. Other graduate options within CMU CEE include the M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering, M.S. in Civil and Environmental Engineering – Research, M.S. in Artificial Intelligence Engineering – Civil and Environmental Engineering, and Ph.D. in Civil and Environmental Engineering; CMU also offers related pathways such as M.S. in Environmental Management and Science, M.S. in Advanced Infrastructure Systems, and M.S. in Computational Mechanics.