Clemson to offer new environmental engineering undergraduate degree
February 24, 2010
CLEMSON, SC – February 22, 2010 – Clemson University will offer a new bachelor of science degree in environmental engineering, the first of its kind in South Carolina, this fall.
Tanju Karanfil, environmental engineering professor and department chairman, said the new program fills a niche within the state.
“The new degree should help keep the best and brightest students here in South Carolina to pursue their education,” he said. “We are facing serious environmental issues in the future, such as contaminated water supplies, hazardous wastes, increasing populations and limited resources. We need a highly trained workforce ready to tackle environmental issues. This technical and challenging program is led by world-class faculty dedicated to providing the best possible educational experience.”
Environmental engineers protect water quality by designing water and wastewater treatment systems. They help ensure public safety by managing solid, hazardous and radioactive wastes and improve air quality by devising solutions to air pollution. They also reduce human health risks by tracking contaminants as they move through the environment and design a more sustainable future by understanding the use of resources.
Job opportunities in environmental engineering are worldwide — in federal and state governments, water utilities, engineering consulting firms and industry. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts a faster than average growth rate for the field in the next 10 years.
The university’s departments of environmental engineering and earth sciences and biosystems engineering will collaborate on the program. Students will choose from a base curriculum in environmental engineering or a concentration in natural systems. The program also will include an opportunity for a five-year BS/MS degree.
Clemson has master and doctoral level programs in environmental engineering and science. The graduate program has consistently been ranked among the top 20 programs nationwide among public universities, according to U.S. News & World Report.
