Our environmental engineering program will provide you with the tools, information, and skills to create sustainable, innovative solutions and make a lasting impact in your community.
During your time at PSU, you’ll:
- Build skills in the foundational areas of environmental engineering as you learn about water resources, air quality, environmental chemistry, and containment transport.
- Connect with local organizations, government agencies, and an extensive alumni network to create new industry relationships.
- Work with professionals on field assignments, like a recent project where students helped the city of Milwaukie model the impacts of a dam breaching.
- Conduct research that applies engineering concepts to real-world problems such as testing water quality and developing sustainable solutions for managing stormwater.
You’ll grow personally and professionally as you prepare to join the next generation of computer engineers, and launch a successful career in the field.
In addition to being admitted to PSU, you must also separately request for approval to the Upper Division Program.
Environmental Engineering Minor
We also offer a minor in environmental engineering which pairs well with majors that require a strong science, math, or engineering background or students interested in water resources, sustainable solutions, and environmental policy. The curriculum focuses on fluid mechanics, hydraulics, environmental engineering, water resources, and unit operations of environmental engineering.
Portland State University is ideally situated to provide the opportunities and connections you need to succeed in the environmental engineering industry.
From our downtown campus, you’ll find yourself in the center of the systems you seek to improve, giving you the chance to take your studies to the streets and gain hands-on experience in the field.
In recent years, PSU’s environmental engineering students have leveraged our location to:
- Gain valuable industry knowledge interning with top companies in Portland, including PBS Engineering and Environmental, the Bonneville Power Administration, and the Portland Water Bureau.
- Collaborate on resume-building projects to make an immediate and lasting impact in nearby communities.
- Work with faculty on real-world research, using the city as their testing ground.
- Develop relationships with professionals in private companies and government agencies, leading to job prospects and future employment.
With so many opportunities available to you, you’ll find your path at PSU and build connections that will prepare you to work as an environmental engineer or continue your studies in graduate school.
The Portland metro region is home to some of the world’s top engineering employers — and with our deep industry ties, PSU’s environmental engineering program can provide you with the connections and opportunities you need to launch a thriving career in a high-demand field.
Program graduates go on to earn their professional engineering licenses and find jobs at top companies and organizations, doing work that makes an immediate and lasting impact in the world.
Once you graduate, you can find employment:
- Designing new stream channels and ecosystems to support improved fish and wildlife habitats.
- Predicting the quantity of water available for human use.
- Improving the quality of surface water, rivers, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries, and groundwater systems.
- Creating new methods to clean up human pollution.
- Developing ways to improve air quality after contamination by industrial and transportation sources.
Many of our alumni work at consulting engineering firms or government agencies — and 90% of our students get a job in the field within six months of graduation. Locally, environmental engineers can expect a starting salary of $65,000.
Whether you want to find a great job or pursue a graduate degree, PSU’s program will bring you the experiences and connections you need to start an exciting career in the field.