Environmental Engineering

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Environmental Engineering Program Mission

The mission of the Environmental Engineering program at Montana Tech is to provide a quality education that blends theory with practice and enables graduates to successfully pursue professional careers in the field of Environmental Engineering.

The Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Engineering is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET, http://www.abet.org.

Environmental Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

The PEO’s for the Bachelor of Science degree program in Environmental Engineering at Montana Tech is as follows:

1. Have graduates embark upon and successfully pursue professional careers in the field of Environmental Engineering.
2. Have graduates participate in professional activities, obtain professional licensing, continue their education, and participate in public service.

Environmental Engineering Student Outcomes

1. An ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
2. An ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, culture, social, environmental, and economic factors.
3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgements, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

In order to achieve these program objectives and outcomes, the Environmental Engineering degree is founded upon a strong background in mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, engineering fundamentals, as well as economics and the humanities and social sciences - a background that will support changing career requirements, challenges, and the pursuit of life long learning.

Engineering design is integrated throughout the Environmental Engineering curriculum. The engineering design concepts are brought to students’ attention through EGEN 101  and EGEN 194  courses with practical examples. In the sophomore year students are taught problem solving skills through EENV 204 . This course offers the necessary skills to analyze environmental engineering problems using their mathematical and physical sciences background. During the junior year, the students take four environmental engineering courses  that provide design knowledge.  Specifically, courses such as EENV 402 - Surface Water Hydrology  , EENV 443 - Air Pollution Control I  , and EENV 445 - Sustainable Waste Management  provide the students with engineering design experience including economic and safety factors. In the senior year, several environmental engineering courses provide environmental engineering and design experience; specifically  EENV 489W  and EENV 499W  , the capstone design courses that require a formal design report and oral presentation based on a real world design project.  EENV 403, 404, 414, 430, 444, 450, and 470W are also designated design courses where students have to write and present project reports. These senior level courses are focused to strengthen the student’s ability to expand the engineering design capabilities and integrate the necessary communication skills, computer application skills, economic, safety and community acceptance analysis skills. Overall, the Environmental Engineering curriculum integrates an engineering design component from the freshman year to the senior year.

All courses in the Environmental Engineering curriculum are taught by faculty with strong academic backgrounds and industry or government experience. Department facilities for laboratory studies and computer applications are excellent, with state-of-the-art computer equipment and software available to all students beginning with their freshman year. Montana Tech campus is situated in the heart of Montana’s mining activity and the area’s diverse and challenging environmental issues that stimulate field instruction and research.

Past graduates have been highly successful in finding and doing challenging jobs. Opportunities appear excellent for future graduates because of continued national and international emphasis on protecting air, water and land in a sustainable manner.  Soil and stream restoration and land reclamation are heavily integrated in the curriculum. Adequate scholarships are available to majors on a competitive basis. Internships and summer jobs are excellent mechanisms to receive additional practical experience.

Regular input from students, alumni, faculty, and industry practitioners are used to assess the program objectives and outcomes.

Programs

• Environmental Engineering, B.S.

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