Major: Bachelor of Science

The Environmental Systems Engineering major prepares students to apply sustainable design, strategies, and practices into natural and built systems including infrastructure, ranging from buildings and energy systems to water resources and coastal regions.

Students in the Environmental Systems Engineering major learn about environmental systems through coursework that is multidisciplinary in nature, combining math, science, and engineering fundamentals with tools and skills that are essential for an engineer. The program equips students to take on the complex challenges of the 21st century using sustainable approaches involving natural and built environments in the private, public, and non-profit sectors. Students choose one of four focus areas for in-depth study of sustainable design and management:

• Sustainable Coastal Systems: Focuses on the impacts of urban areas on coastal waters, and vice versa. Study areas include coastal engineering, biological and chemical processes and contaminants in the marine environment, and issues in coastal planning and policy.

• Sustainable Energy Systems:  Focuses on designing renewable energy systems to address urban area challenges. Courses range from optimization of renewable energy systems to the impacts of energy use on climate and urban air pollutants.

• Sustainable Freshwater Systems: Focuses on incorporating sustainability into the design, management, and protection of water supply systems. Areas include water resources, water treatment processes, aquatic chemistry/biology, and design principles for urban waterways.

• Sustainable Urban Systems:  Focuses on sustainability in the constructed urban environment, ranging from building-scale to urban-scale issues.  Considerations include sustainable design and construction practices, building energy, urban infrastructure, and sustainable cities.

A Comparison: Environmental Systems Engineering vs. Civil Engineering

Students interested in civil and environmental engineering should be aware of the following differences between choosing this Environmental Systems Engineering major versus the Civil Engineering major.

Professional Considerations: The Civil Engineering degree is ABET-accredited, while the Environmental Systems Engineering major is not. A degree accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is a first step toward a professional engineering license. In California, you must accrue 6 years of work experience under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer before being allowed to take the licensing exam. An ABET-accredited B.S. degree counts as 4 years of this required work experience. Earning an MS degree from a department that offers an ABET-accredited B.S. degree will give you credit for a total of 5 years of work experience in California, regardless of whether or not your B.S. degree is ABET-accredited.

If you envision a career providing, supervising or managing professional engineering services (e.g. engineering investigations, design) , you will likely need to become a licensed professional engineer and should aim, via your chosen BS and/or MS (coterm) degrees, to earn ABET credit for 4-5 years of work experience.

Pragmatic Considerations: The Civil Engineering major provides a structured curriculum that ensures breadth across different areas specified by ABET.   The Environmental Systems Engineering major requires fewer units, offers more flexibility in choosing courses, and provides greater ability to focus on a specific topic area.