WVU launches undergraduate degree program in environmental engineering

The environmental engineering program utilizes the principles of engineering, soil science, biology and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.

Students interested in creating a sustainable environment will now have new degree options to consider at West Virginia University with the launch of an undergraduate Environmental Engineering program at the Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources.

Story by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing and Communications
Photos by Paige Nesbit, Director of Marketing

Benjamin M. Statler College of Engineering and Mineral Resources

Environmental engineering is a fast-growing discipline covering all major spheres of the natural environment and human society.

This new degree program in the Wadsworth Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering will utilize the principles of engineering, soil science, biology and chemistry to develop solutions to environmental problems.

“The Statler College is in a strategic position to offer this new degree program to prepare workforces to address regional and global environmental and public health problems,” said Lian-Shin Lin, professor in the Wadsworth Department.

According to the 2022 World Economic Forum’s Global Risks Report, five of the top 10 most severe perceived risks on a global scale are environmental-related problems including climate change failure, extreme weather, biodiversity loss, human environmental damage and natural resource crises.

“Offering this new Environmental Engineering degree program will also foster cross-disciplinary educational and research collaborations as well as novel approaches to address regional and global environmental issues,” Lin explained.

The program allows students to choose from different areas of emphasis, including water supply and resources; water quality engineering for human society; air pollution, control, and climate change; and environmental health, risks and public health.

To incorporate real-world training for students, faculty are building a network of industrial partners that include engineering firms, municipalities, nonprofit organizations and government agencies.

The new major will be the 15th Statler College undergraduate degree offered at WVU. Other engineering programs include aerospace, biomedical, biometric systems, chemical, civil, computer, engineering technology, electrical, industrial, mechanical, mining, petroleum and natural gas along with computer science and cybersecurity.

“Wadsworth Department is excited with the approval of a new environmental engineering program within the Statler College," said Vlad Kecojevic, interim chair of the Wadsworth Department. "It provides an exciting opportunity to educate and train the future generations that will take on environmental challenges ahead and contribute building a more sustainable society.”

The inaugural class in the environmental engineering program will begin in the fall of 2023. For more information, visit the environmental engineering website.

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