About the Program

The Environmental Systems Engineering (ESE) program prepares you to tackle the world's most pressing environmental challenges by blending engineering design, scientific inquiry, and advanced technology. This interdisciplinary major focuses on creating sustainable, resilient human-designed systems, from clean water infrastructure to sustainable urban developments. It is an exciting path for students who want to apply engineering skills to protect the planet, manage natural resources, and improve human health in communities worldwide.

What You'll Study

The curriculum is structured to provide both a broad foundation in engineering sciences and specialized expertise in your area of interest. Key features of the program include:

• Design and manage more sustainable and equitable solutions for societyʼs needs in the face of population growth, climate change, and natural hazards.

• Think critically and innovatively about how to achieve a more sustainable future in the provision and management of water, energy, buildings, and infrastructure for both society and the natural environment to flourish.

• Develop the design, technical, communication, and modeling skills needed to address a range of current and future environmental systems engineering problems.

• Students choose one of four focus areas for in-depth study of sustainable design and management: : 

  • Sustainable Coastal Systems

  • Sustainable Energy Systems

  • Sustainable Freshwater Systems

  • Sustainable Urban Systems