Department of Civil, Construction, and Environmental Engineering

Environmental engineers improve water quality, turn wastes to useful products, protect the environment, and provide engineering solutions to environmental challenges. Water resources engineers are involved in surface and ground water hydrology, water resources planning and management, and applied fluid flow in the environment and oceans. Learn more about what environmental engineers do.

We offer an MS and PhD in civil engineering with an environmental engineering specialization. With environmental engineering, students can take courses and conduct research with a focus on environmental engineering (treatment processes and water quality) or water resources engineering (water quantity and quality). Learn why you should get a graduate degree in CCEE.

Courses

Students typically take CE 520 Environmental Engineering Chemistry and CE 521 Environmental Biotechnology.

Each semester students are expected to register for an environmental engineering seminar (CE 591) where current research topics in environmental engineering are presented.

Additional graduate course topics include the following:

• CE 520. Environmental Engineering Chemistry
• CE 521. Environmental Biotechnology
• CE 522. Water Pollution Control Processes
• CE 523. Physical-Chemical Treatment Process
• CE 524. Air Pollution
• CE 525. Industrial Wastewater and Resource Recovery
• CE 527. Solid Waste Management
• CE 529. Hazardous Waste Management
• CE 570. Applied Hydraulic Design
• CE 571. Surface Water Hydrology
• CE 572. Analysis and Modeling Aquatic Environments
• CE 573. Groundwater Hydrology
• CE 574. Environmental Impact Assessment
• CE 622. Advanced Topics in Environmental Engineering

For full course descriptions, see the ISU catalog.

Degree Requirements

• Master of Science
• Doctor of Philosophy

Research conducted by environmental engineering faculty is geared toward understanding the fundamental physical, chemical and biological principles of engineered and natural systems.

The research has a strong emphasis on practical applications as demonstrated by bench-scale experimentation, pilot- and field-scale demonstration projects, and computer modeling and simulations.

Learn more about environmental engineering and water resources engineering research at ISU:

• current research topics and faculty
• research projects

Environmental Engineering Labs

• Joseph C. and Elizabeth A. Anderlik teaching Laboratory (112 Town)
• Environmental Engineering Research Laboratory (EERL) (several rooms in Town Engineering)
• research facilities
• testing and service laboratory

Research assistantships and teaching assistantships are available to qualified students to help offset the cost of graduate education. In addition, graduate scholarships and fellowships are available to highly qualified students.

For more information, see Financial Aid for CCEE Graduate Students.

The Graduate Admissions Office handles all admissions to Iowa State graduate programs. Graduate information is available from the CCEE Admissions and Graduate College Web pages.

You may also contact the college by mail:

Graduate Admissions Office
100 Alumni Hall
Iowa State University
Ames, IA 50011-3232

Prerequisites

The normal prerequisite to graduate work in environmental engineering is a Bachelor of Science degree in civil engineering or other engineering curricula. However, students from other curricula (such as the pure sciences) may enter the program provided they satisfy certain additional requirements.

These additional prerequisites may be met once the student enrolls at Iowa State University while also taking graduate-level coursework. See specific prerequisites.

For more information about the environmental engineering graduate program, contact Tim Ellis, tgeiastate.edu, 515-294-8922.