alipes07

and I've read some of the posters consider some engineering majors(info, materials) "not real engineering majors".....so do you consider env. engineering a real major?

ken285

1. Why does it matter?

2. Who says materials engineering isn't a "real engineering major?" Not sure what info engineering is though...

3. Why wouldn't environmental engineering be considered a "engineering major?" Environmental engineers design things just like any other engineer. Some design wastewater treatment plants. Some do environmental remediation. Plenty of "engineering" involved.

4. Environmental engineering is typically in the same department as civil engineering. It's considered a concentration within civil usually (there are many distinct fields within civil). There might be some exceptions, but I don't know of any.

alipes07

I could care less about what people think personally, but if it stems from a perceived weak curriculum or something like that, then yeah, it sure as hell matters, maybe even to employers.

Info engineering aka Industrial engineering

aibarr

From what I've seen, perceived weak curricula are only perceived as weak by people who have no idea what the curriculum entails (this includes my own ignorance of industrial engineering, as well... which is also a very real engineering field, as I have since been informed). Environmental engineering is a very real discipline and I know several people happily employed in it, and a lot of stuff out there says that the field is growing pretty quickly. There's more chemistry and biology in it than any other subdiscipline of civil engineering. Do a couple of google searches for intro to environmental engineering courses and skim the curriculum to see what all environmental engineering entails, if you'd like.

ken285

If you're going into engineering, it probably won't matter to employers. Environmental engineering firms will hire environmental engineering majors. They won't hire aerospace engineering majors just because it's not perceived as a weak major.

I guess the only thing is "weak majors" may be the butt of some jokes. Industrial engineering --> imaginary engineering is something i've seen in other posts. Have not seen materials engineering or environmental engineering jokes though.

Jrock

Info eng. sounds more like information systems engineering.

ish718

Aerospace engineers
Agricultural engineers
Biomedical engineers
Chemical engineers
Civil engineers
Computer software/hardware engineers
Electrical engineers
Electronics engineers
Environmental engineers
Health and safety engineers
Industrial engineers
Marine engineers and naval architects
Materials engineers
Mechanical engineers
Mining and geological engineers
Nuclear engineers
Petroleum engineers
and more... but those are the main ones, are all real engineer disciplines.

But first, you can ask yourself, what is engineering?
Engineering is the discipline of acquiring and applying scientific and technical knowledge to the design, analysis, and/or construction of works for practical purposes.

Corbett

What is a "real" engineering degree? Obviously anyone is free to make up any subjective definition that they choose.

If you want a more objective standard, then your state government has established laws or regulations that define acceptable engineering degrees for purposes of professional licensure. For legal purposes, the usual definition of a "real" engineering degree is one granted by a program that is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, Inc. (ABET/EAC); or a foreign degree that is evaluated as ABET-equivalent. Environmental engineering programs typically do hold such accreditation.

Historically, environmental engineering was considered a subdiscipline of civil engineering. However, EnvE has become more popular in recent years, and so some schools have separate EnvE programs. In most (but not all) states, there is now a separate licensing exam for environmental engineers.

alipes07

yeah, i had an earlier post on some colleges offering the B.A. option for engineering - not certified as you might expect, but much more flexible, especially if your not sure if you want to go into engineering after your done undergrad.

UCLA Band Mom

In a nutshell, Civil Engineers are involved in building projects, and Environmental Engineers are involved in cleaning up the messes (i.e. hazardous waste) left behind.

A lot of people who work in environmental engineering do not come from a civil engineering background, typically, the only thing required to be hired by industry is the 40 hour Health & Safety training class.

Training Curriculum Guidelines - (Non-mandatory) - 1910.120 App E

A lot of the environmental work done by environmental engineering consultants involves regulatory compliance, especially with regard to preparing stormwater reports, Phase I and Phase II soil contamination reports, Environmental Impact reports, toxic release inventories, and chemical spill cleanup plans. There are myraid regulatory agencies involved, different government entities are involved in air regulations, water regulations, and so forth, so environmental engineers need to be familiar with regulatory and permitting requirements from city, county, state and federal agencies.