<p>So here's my story. I went to UIUC and got a degree in Natural Resources Management, and am currently at LSU getting my master's in wetland hydrodynamics. I enjoy hydrology a lot and lately have been considering going back to school and trying to get my B.S. in engineering. I understand engineering is hard (I have many engineering friends and family members) so I don't need to hear that, but my main question is this: is civil engineering comparable to environmental engineering? I am considering primarily IIT and UIC because I can live @ home and commute, but neither school offers a B.S. in environmental engineering. I'd stay here @ LSU and get a degree since they offer environmental engineering to undergrads, but... I hate Louisiana.</p>
<p>Frankly, I couldn't care less how to build roads and bridges, but I am very very interested in fluid dynamics and hydrology. I read a lot of scientific engineering journals just for fun and some of the stuff is just incredible.</p>
<p>If I chose to pursue Civil Engineering and just take some courses that focus on hydrology (UIC offers things like an environmental engineering class, wastewater treatment design, etc.) would that be close enough to something like an environmental engineering degree, or am I going to find myself loaded up with classes on how to construct a bridge and how to properly design an interstate? I won't mind a few classes like that, but if my whole course load is going to consist of that material then I'd probably pass.</p>
<p>Also, what's the job market like for a Civ. engineer? I know it's considered the easiest of the engineering fields so I suspect the market isn't as favorable as it is to say, an EE or ME. If it makes any difference, I'm female. I'm aware that females have an easier time in the engineering market (not that I agree with it).</p>
<p>Bottom line, I would like to get a job as a hydrologist but from a more technical standpoint. My current degrees don't satisfy the requirements I'm seeing asked of hydrologists in job listings - but an engineering degree does! I'm sure there are other degrees that would also apply, but I can't really come up with any.</p>
<p>ANY input would be appreciated, as this is a huge decision for me and I am really struggling with it. I have been in school the last 20 years of my life and 3 more years of school is a big deal.</p>
<p>Paying for a B.S. when you already have a degree and are getting a master’s degree doesn’t make much sense. If you want to get another degree, think about maybe an MS or a PhD in some sort of environmental science/engineering program. A few schools out there even have ABET accredited master’s programs in env eng (UT Austin comes to mind) so that you could become a PE if you wanted. The job market isn’t that great for anybody, but there are jobs out there.</p>
<p>I agree with Aggie10. Wow, a Longhorn agreeing with an Aggie! ;-)</p>
<p>I would happily get my master’s degree in environmental engineering, but… I have absolutely no engineering background. I feel that I would have to get my B.S. in engineering first. If I started out in grad school for engineering I am positive I would be annihilated. Also, I do not want a Ph.D. That is something I am 100% sure of.</p>
<p>Essentially what I am proposing to do is start over. My B.S. in natural resources management frankly, is crap. It hasn’t gotten me anywhere except in low paying jobs that offer little to no intellectual stimulation. My master’s may help me out, but I am genuinely interested in engineering now and would like to start down a different career path.</p>
<p>I have read through threads of similar topics and most people do encourage the poster to pursue a Master’s. I cannot stress enough that I am ill prepared to go after a Master’s degree in any engineering field. I have taken a couple calculus classes, yes, and physics and chemistry, but I know very little about engineering beyond what I’ve read in my hydrology journals. To give you an idea of where I stand, my last physics class that I took in 2006 was entitled “How Things Work.” Can’t get more basic than that.</p>
<p>Environmental engineering is part of civil engineering, so you could concentrate on environmental classes. You would need to look at each school’s particular curriculum to see what types of classes they require.</p>
<p>It sounds like you have the interest in the field to make additional schooling worthwhile. You don’t want to be stuck doing something the rest of your life that you can’t stand!</p>
<p>Because I’m feeling particularly bored on this fine Saturday, I went ahead and looked up the requirements for non-engineers at the school I mentioned before (UT Austin). [Courses</a> | Additional Requirements | EWRE | UT Austin](<a href=“http://www.ce.utexas.edu/ewre/additional_requirements.cfm]Courses”>http://www.ce.utexas.edu/ewre/additional_requirements.cfm)</p>
<p>If it takes you more than a full year to make up these additional classes, then think long and hard about the full opportunity cost. You’re not just paying for these classes, you’re losing money you could be making from a job. Do you not like the area you’re getting your current MS in? If you want more school, why not just get a PhD in that area? I’m sure it would be intellectually stimulating and you could probably get paid to do it.</p>
<p>I would definitely talk to a graduate advisor about what exactly is needed academically before you decide to take on a whole four years of undergraduate. It’s possible that with the background and degree you already posses, you might just need to satisfy basic courses in a bridge program before you can take on the graduate curriculum. If you want to go after the BS and are willing to take on the financial and temporal burden, then go for it.</p>