Environmental Engineering vs Civil

<p>I am rising sophomore at Elon University and I am currently part of their 3-2 program with NC state. Spend 3 yrs at elon getting an Enviro Science degree and then 2 years to finish at state for a enviro eng degree. I have done research and have looked at both enviro eng and have seen that civil and enviro eng are the same major at some schools...but places like state are two different majors.</p>

<p>What I'm wondering is how much better or worse are the job opportunities in Enviro eng vs. civil eng? And also what would the jobs entail for each? Anyone who is employed in these fields I would really appreciate some feedback!</p>

<p>Anyone have any thoughts?</p>

<p>Do a search on this site. This question gets asked allot so you should be able to find more responses. Here is the response of a professor at my school who I emailed with the same question:</p>

<p>You can’t go wrong either way. In the past, the most common route to a job in environmental engineering was via a BS in Civil. Using that approach, students had a broad background that allowed them to work in a variety of areas within a consulting firm. If work was scarce on the environmental side, you could always switch to civil related jobs, and vice versa. This is still a viable approach. </p>

<p>As the environmental field has developed, there is now plenty of work for environmental engineers, without the need to have civil as a background. You lose some breadth this way, but you will gain some depth in the environmental field. </p>

<p>My suggestion is that you pick the curriculum based on what gets you the most excited. Your undergraduate years should be a great time for exploration; you should enjoy the ride! Either option will provide you with the foundation for a good job. Please note that for both degrees, you will be considerably more competitive in the workplace with a Masters degree. However, it’s often a good idea to take a 1 or 2 year break before continuing with a Masters, to get a sense of the workplace.</p>

<p>(This was an environmental engineering professor)</p>

<p>Thanks for your advice! I was just being lazy at hadn’t checked the FAQ. </p>

<p>I have looked at different companies and their job openings and many seem to have flexibility in which major an applicant holds a degree in. I think Civil Engineering has a pretty neat application in the world and society and is a very flexible major. </p>

<p>Things in Environmental Engineering seem very microscopic, like water analysis and air quality, so for me as a visual person, not sure how I would fare with that. Regardless, I have a passion for the environment and get really ticked when people have no respect for the environment. </p>

<p>I wish Environmental eng was still simply a part of civil engineering where you could choose a specialty in civil eng…and not just pick one or the other. </p>

<p>As far as a Masters vs. a bachelor’s not sure if I would go the bachelor’s route, already paying a lot of $$ to get my masters, I suppose how the job market is down the road will be more of a decision maker. </p>

<p>Does being a P.E. really make you more marketable as a job applicant? Or do you think right out of undergrad I could get a steady job for a while?</p>

<p>I think you had the masters bachelor thing backwards. You are doing a bachelors degree now. I am a student so i can’t tell you much about jobs but having your pe is a requirement for allot of jobs. You have to have work experience before you can get your pe though. I forget if its 2 or 4 years of experience. Can you not switch to a civil program?</p>

<p>Did I? My mistake, but I am working on a bachelor’s degree at the moment. </p>

<p>I am doing a 3-2 program with Elon univ and NC state where I go to Elon for 3, get a BS in enviro sci (I believe) and then work on a BS in environmental Engineering. </p>

<p>I curious if getting a civil eng degree from NC state degree be better, which I could then combine with my BS in enviro sci from Elon and have a good background to work from. </p>

<p>I should e-mail a professor at NC state and see what they say.</p>