Environmental engineering students monitoring stream quality as part of the voluntary Missouri Department of Conservation Stream Team Program.

The Bachelor of Science degree program in environmental engineering at the Missouri University of Science and Technology has been accredited by ABET Inc., formerly known as the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology.  The accreditation  follows the faculty's first attempt for the recognition for this program.  Missouri S&T established the undergraduate major in 2002 and graduated its first environmental engineering student in 2005.

According to Jerry Bayless, interim chair of the civil, architectural and environmental engineering department at Missouri S&T, the undergraduate program was developed "to address our nation's need to have well-trained engineers capable of addressing problems with our infrastructure."  Dr. Joel Burken, coordinator for the undergraduate environmental engineering program at Missouri S&T explains that "as we develop different areas of society and technology, different engineering needs pop up; we need to address air pollution, public health and wastewater treatment.  Where previously environmental engineering needs fell under many different departments, it's becoming a stand-alone process, and students need comprehension of all these areas.  The environmental engineering faculty actually reside in many different departments-civil, architectural and environmental engineering; geology and geophysics; biological sciences; geological engineering and chemical and biological engineering. It's a very interdisciplinary degree, and I think it's probably the most scientifically diverse amongst engineering degrees."

The Missouri S&T environmental engineering B.S. program is the 46th accredited BSEnvE program in a rapidly growing field.  The number of programs has rapidly expanded in the past 15 years, expanding from 1 in the 1960s to 8 prior to 1993.  Since then the number has rapidly grown, including 13 new accredited programs since the Missouri S&T program was initialed in 2002.  A total of 39 students are currently enrolled in this, the state's first environmental engineering undergraduate program, and one of only four programs in the Midwest that includes the Universities of Arkansas and Oklahoma and Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Dr. Burken claims that the rapid growth in environmental engineering programs "has not been enough to satisfy the demand."  He notes that all Missouri S&T graduates have been placed following graduation, with some receiving more than five job offers.  The environmental engineering field will continue to grow according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.  Environmental engineering was one of two engineering disciplines projected for an employment growth much faster than the average (increasing 27% or more) through 2014.   Contributing factors to the projected growth of environmental engineering jobs include but are not limited to: compliance with environmental regulations, cleaning up existing hazards, increasing  health public concerns and a shift in emphasis toward preventing problems.

Potential employers include environmental engineering consulting firms, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and other state or federally regulated bodies.  "The program is unique in that a lot of people have an interest in biology or chemistry and this gives them a career where they can help the environment and our society."  Burken says.  "There are a lot of possibilities to work in this field, whereas in some areas working with "The Environment," has limited available jobs unfortunately.  For many students, environmental engineering may offer an engineering career and at the same time doing something for "The Environment.""

With the new accreditation, Missouri S&T students enrolled in the program will be eligible to take the Fundamental of Engineering Exam, the first step in obtaining a professional engineer's license.  The ABET panel that evaluated Missouri S&T's program was particularly impressed by the fact that the program features well-qualified faculty with strong records in scholarly activity, reasonable teaching loads and exceptional student access, Bayless says. "Their report also noted that the campus provides an excellent physical plant and support personnel, resulting in an outstanding environment for students,"  Bayless adds.

Programs accredited by ABET are required to continuously improve their educational quality by setting specific and measurable goals for students, assessing the achievement of these goals, and improving their programs based on the assessment results. Accreditation helps prospective students choose programs that will prepare them well for their future careers.

"The ABET accreditation is a tribute to the effort of our students, faculty and staff," says Dr. Warren K. Wray, Missouri S&T provost.  "The baccalaureate program in environmental engineering has met the high standards established by ABET, which means students know they will receive a high-quality environmental engineering education.  It is a great recruitment tool."

Contributors: Missouri S&T Public Relations, Dr. Joel Burken, and Virginia Schnabel