Hello all! I am currently an undergraduate student pursuing a major in environmental science. I recently switched my major from biomedical engineering because I discovered Biomedical Engineering just wasn’t for me. I love my current major, but have a question in regards to graduate school. Would it be possible for me to pursue a masters degree in environmental engineering with a bachelors in environmental science? The school I currently attend, does not offer environmental engineering, and transferring is not a viable option for me. In the future, I would like to develop methods and systems to help reduce water contamination, air contamination, and new possible sources of renewable energy. I would greatly appreciate any advice! Thank you all for your time!
If you want to get a Master’s in any engineering field, you will be best served with an engineering undergraduate degree. It is possible to go from a non-engineering Bachelor’s to an engineering Master’s (I myself went from molecular biology to mechanical engineering), but it’s significantly more difficult, and may present other challenges down the line.
Environmental engineering is generally a mixture of civil engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, and electrical engineering. At some schools, EnvE it is part of the civil engineering department. You should major in one of these traditional engineering disciplines–not environmental science–if you want to attend graduate school in engineering. The type of work you want to do suggests you should probably major in electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, or chemical engineering. You can take electives in environmental science to round out your education.
Thank you AuraObscura! I would like to ask you a question: how long did it take you to obtain your masters in mechanical engineering? I actually did the opposite in regards to classes. I chose environmental science as a major, and I am taking calculus, physics, and programming for engineers as electives. Thank you for your opinion!
It took me 2.5 years (5 semesters) to finish the MSME. I could have finished in 2 but I did a thesis, which took extra time, though it was arguably what also helped me learn the most. Taking those extra classes is definitely a good thing. Getting into any engineering program will also require courses in multivariable calculus, differential equations, and linear algebra–do you intend to take those as well? And most programs will also require at least some basic engineering courses such as mechanics (statics/dynamics), thermodynamics, fluids, circuit analysis, and the like. Most likely, if you don’t take some of those now, you’ll have to take them at some point after your BS, or as remedial coursework if admitted to a graduate program. This is also part of the reason I’d suggest choosing an engineering undergraduate major–if you’ll have to take a number of engineering courses anyway, you might as well major in engineering.