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Major · Engineering

An ABET-track bachelor’s in pollution control and safety

Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (CIP 14.1401) is a four-year ABET-track engineering bachelor’s focused on pollution control, waste management, environmental health, and life-support systems design. About 1,844 students complete it across 134 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $81,536 and the named target occupation (Environmental engineers) paying $104K.

Schools offering
134
Annual completions
1,844
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$82k

About this major

Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (CIP 14.1401) is a four-year ABET-track engineering bachelor’s focused on the design, development, and operation of systems for pollution control, waste and hazardous-material disposal, conservation, life support, environmental health and safety, and protection of special materials and work environments. The CIP definition emphasizes both natural-environment monitoring (pollution, conservation) and contained-environment systems (life support, special-materials handling). Coursework combines the standard engineering foundation — calculus through differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics — with environmental-specialty content: environmental chemistry and microbiology, water and wastewater treatment, air-quality engineering, hazardous-waste management, environmental modeling, sustainability design, and EH&S.

The major fits students drawn to applying engineering rigor to environmental and public-health questions. It rewards mathematical fluency, systems thinking, comfort with regulatory complexity (EPA, OSHA, state environmental codes), and willingness to work across the field/lab/office boundary. Day-to-day in the field looks like environmental site assessments, water-treatment-plant design and operation support, air-emissions modeling, hazardous-waste remediation planning, sustainability-design analysis at industrial sites, and environmental-compliance work for manufacturers and energy companies.

One grounded observation about scale and earnings: 1,844 students complete this CIP across 134 institutions, with bachelor’s grads earning $81,536 — strong for an engineering credential. The named target, Environmental engineers, pays $104,170 with 3.9% projected growth. Adjacent tracked roles — Health and safety engineers at $109,660 (4.4% growth) and Architectural and engineering managers at $167,740 (a mid-career leadership role) — round out the wage trajectory. The bachelor’s is the entry credential; ABET accreditation enables FE exam eligibility, leading through 4 years of progressive engineering experience to the PE exam and state professional engineer license. Programs cluster at large public research universities and flagship state engineering schools: Purdue (59), U Florida (52), CU Boulder (51), Michigan Tech (47), UT Austin (47), and Ohio State (45).

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Architectural and engineering managers $168k +3.8% Bachelor's degree
Engineering teachers, postsecondary $106k +8.1% Doctoral or professional degree
Environmental engineers $104k +3.9% Bachelor's degree
Health and safety engineers, except mining safety engineers and inspectors $110k +4.4% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$82k

Who this major is for

Good signs this major fits: you’re drawn to applying engineering rigor to environmental and public-health questions, you have mathematical fluency and systems-thinking instincts, you’re comfortable with regulatory complexity (EPA, OSHA, state environmental codes), and you can commit to the four-year ABET path plus the FE→experience→PE licensure trajectory. The bachelor’s pays $81,536 with the named target career at $104,170 (3.9% growth). Strong programs at Purdue, U Florida, CU Boulder, Michigan Tech, UT Austin, and Colorado School of Mines combine ABET accreditation with active employer-recruiting pipelines into consulting (AECOM, Jacobs, Stantec), municipal utilities, federal agencies, and corporate EH&S departments.

Reasons to pause: this is a four-year math-and-science-intensive engineering degree — calculus through differential equations, calculus-based physics, and core engineering coursework are non-negotiable. If math and physics aren’t strong points, an Environmental Studies or Environmental Science (CIP 03.0103/03.0104) bachelor’s offers similar subject-matter coverage without the engineering rigor and licensure path, but at meaningfully lower wage potential. Verify ABET accreditation before enrolling — non-ABET programs disqualify you from PE licensure, which significantly narrows career options. The broader Civil Engineering CIP (14.0801) is a defensible alternative if you want engineering flexibility with environmental concentration coursework.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Purdue University-Main Campus West Lafayette, IN 0 59 59
University of Florida Gainesville, FL 0 52 52
University of Colorado Boulder Boulder, CO 0 51 51
Michigan Technological University Houghton, MI 0 47 47
The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX 0 47 47
Ohio State University-Main Campus Columbus, OH 0 45 45
Arizona State University Campus Immersion Tempe, AZ 0 43 43
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO 0 42 42
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus Atlanta, GA 0 42 42
Colorado School of Mines Golden, CO 0 37 37
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Mechanical Engineering

33,431 completions/yr

Electrical and Electronics Engineering

14,891 completions/yr

Civil Engineering, General

13,488 completions/yr

Computer Engineering, General

9,312 completions/yr

Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering

8,569 completions/yr

Chemical Engineering

7,914 completions/yr

Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General

6,386 completions/yr

Engineering, General

5,416 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What does this major actually cover?
Coursework includes the core engineering foundation (calculus through differential equations, calculus-based physics, chemistry, statics, dynamics, fluid mechanics, thermodynamics) plus environmental-specialty courses: environmental chemistry and microbiology, water and wastewater treatment, air-quality engineering, hazardous-waste management, environmental modeling, sustainability design, and environmental health and safety. The CIP definition emphasizes pollution control, waste disposal, conservation, life support, and protection of special materials and work environments.
Is this an ABET-accredited engineering program?
At most schools, yes — and you should verify before enrolling. ABET accreditation is the gate to professional engineer (PE) licensure eligibility. The path is: ABET-accredited bachelor’s → pass FE (Fundamentals of Engineering) exam → 4 years of progressive engineering experience → pass PE exam → state PE license. PE licensure is required for engineers signing public-works designs and is the standard career credential. Always confirm ABET accreditation before committing.
What jobs do graduates land — and at what pay?
The packet names four BLS occupations: Environmental engineers ($104,170, 3.9% growth, bachelor’s required) is the named target; Health and safety engineers ($109,660, 4.4% growth, bachelor’s); Architectural and engineering managers ($167,740, mid-career role); and Engineering postsecondary teachers ($106,120, 8.1% growth, doctoral required). Real-world employers include environmental consulting firms (AECOM, Jacobs, Stantec, GHD), municipal water/wastewater utilities, EPA and state environmental agencies, oil/gas environmental compliance, and manufacturing EH&S departments.
How does this compare to Civil Engineering (CIP 14.0801)?
Civil Engineering, General (14.0801, 13,488 completions) is the much larger sibling covering structural, transportation, geotechnical, and water-resources engineering broadly — environmental engineering is one civil-engineering sub-specialty. Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering (14.1401, 1,844 completions) narrows specifically to environmental and health-engineering content. Many environmental engineers come from civil-engineering programs with environmental concentrations; the named environmental CIP is more direct but less generalist. Both lead to PE licensure.
Is the master’s required?
No, but it’s common. Many environmental engineers complete a master’s within 3-5 years of starting work, especially for technical specialty paths (groundwater modeling, advanced air-quality, environmental data science) or for management track promotions. Some employers (especially federal agencies and consulting firms) cover master’s tuition. The bachelor’s plus PE is sufficient for a strong technical career; the master’s adds specialty depth and management-track optionality.
Where are the strongest programs concentrated?
Purdue Main (59 completions), University of Florida (52), CU Boulder (51), Michigan Tech (47), UT Austin (47), Ohio State Main (45), Arizona State Tempe (43), Colorado State Fort Collins (42), Georgia Tech (42), and Colorado School of Mines (37) lead. The mix favors large public research universities with strong engineering schools and access to environmental research centers. Land-grant universities and state engineering schools dominate — the program clusters at flagship state institutions.