Environmental Engineering vs. Civil Engineering

<p>What is the difference between Environmental Engineering and Civil Engineering with a concentration in environmental. I know that EE branched off from CE but I would like to know the differences.</p>

<p>Most schools don’t have a separate environmental engineering major. There isn’t a good general answer to this; you really have to look at the curricula for the school you’re looking at in particular.</p>

<p>One example: Environmental may work on things like air quality control whereas civil works on structural issues (consruction projects)</p>

<p>Both of the above answers are right. Not a lot of schools offer Environmental Engineering as a separate discipline and is combined with Civil to make CEE - Civil and Environmental Engineering.</p>

<p>Environmental Engineering will have subjects like resource management, waste management and drainage, pollution control, etc. So mostly the textbook-ish, theoretical stuff.</p>

<p>Civil will have a lot of mechanics involved - calculation of forces, structural designs, determination of loads on structures (they work a lot with trusses), etc.</p>

<p>A lot of college websites that have a combined civil/environmental engineering department somewhat split it up. I was just wondering if I majored in civil engineering and concentrated on environmental aspect of it, would I be on a similar track as if I were studying environmental engineering or would I be mostly learning about trusses and stresses.</p>

<p>The core civil engineering courses are mostly non-environmental engineering related. There was just one introductory EnvE course that was required at my school.</p>

<p>So would you recommend me choosing the school that has Environmental Engineering over the one with Civil Engineering concentrated in Environmental?</p>

<p>That’s too broad of a generalization for one to make. However, if all other things are equal, I would lean towards the school with EnvE.</p>

<p>I’m deciding between Lehigh University that has EnvE and Northeastern University which does not have EnvE but instead Civil Engineering. I was thinking I could concentrate in environmental at Northeastern but now I’m starting to get the idea that I will be learning more about structures and stresses and trusses than about what I really want to be learning about.</p>

<p>bump please</p>

<p>Look closely at the degree requirements at each school and then read the course descriptions.
Email the head of the departments and ask further questions.</p>

<p>Vuzela: What IS it that you want to be doing? I did all my transfers thinking at EnvE would be something to get me there, but after talking w my physics prof, I realized I need to be going MechE w a minor in environmental science/chemistry. (I want to develop green tech)</p>