Environmental Engineering

Are you passionate about clean water, fresh air, and solving environmental problems that impact communities and the world? Do you want to combine science, technology, and leadership to protect people and the planet? Then Environmental Engineering at West Point might be the perfect academic opportunity. It also offers an honors track.

It prepares you to tackle the world’s biggest environmental challenges - from pollution control to sustainable energy - while preparing you to lead in the U.S. Army and beyond. This major is for cadets who want to build a cleaner, safer, and more sustainable future — and are ready to lead the way.

Why Consider This Major

If cadets care about clean air, safe water, sustainability, and public health, Environmental Engineering gives them the skills to make a difference - not just in their community, but across the globe. At West Point, cadets in this major combine that passion with purpose: earn a top-tier degree, lead teams, and serve in roles that matter.

What Cadets Learn

Environmental Engineering majors explore:

• Water and Wastewater Treatment – how to provide safe drinking water and handle waste
• Air Pollution Control – how to measure and reduce harmful emissions
• Environmental Chemistry and Microbiology – how pollutants affect ecosystems and human health
• Sustainable Engineering – how to design systems that protect natural resources
• Hazardous Waste and Site Cleanup – how to manage contamination safely

They work with lab equipment, field instruments, and modeling software used by professional engineers in the Army and beyond.

Choice of Electives

Cadets can customize their major with electives like:

• Environmental Microbiology – explore how microbes help clean up pollution
• Renewable Energy Systems – dive into solar, wind, and other sustainable power sources
• Climate Change Engineering – study solutions for a changing planet
• Ecological Engineering – work with nature to solve environmental issues
• Contaminant Transport – track how chemicals move through water, air, and soil

Learn More

• View the full Environmental Engineering major curriculum
• Meet the Environmental Engineering faculty

Cadets who major in environmental engineering have excellent opportunities to gain real-world experience through summer Academic Individual Advanced Development (AIAD) programs, USMA-run academic enrichment experiences. Majors will get to work alongside professional engineers and faculty researchers. They may be afforded the opportunity to pursue individual research with faculty or have opportunity to pursue summer internship programs with organizations outside West Point, all of which can provide valuable experience that will serve cadets in their professional pursuits as engineers and Army Officers.

To learn more about enrichment for this area of study, visit the Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering.

ABET Accreditation

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in environmental engineering at the United States Military Academy is accredited by the Engineering Accreditation Commission of ABET under the commission's General Criteria and Program Criteria for Environmental Engineering and similarly named engineering programs.

ABET Student Outcomes

At the time of graduation, EV Engineering majors will have attained:

• an ability to identify, formulate, and solve complex engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, science, and mathematics.
• an ability to apply engineering design to produce solutions that meet specific needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.
• an ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.
• an ability to recognize ethical and professional responsibilities in engineering situations and make informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, and societal contexts.
• an ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.
• an ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data, and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.
• an ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Environmental Engineering Program Educational Objectives (PEOs)

Within a few years after graduation, it is expected that West Point EV engineering graduates will:

• Be leaders of character able to:
  • develop innovative solutions to solve complex cross-disciplinary problems;
  • minimize environmental impacts;
  • inspire teams to execute projects within constraints;
  • build consensus amongst teammates when presented with diverse viewpoints, including environmental issues.
• Possess professional skills enabling them to:
  • effectively communicate pertinent information, including environmental topics, to a range of audiences;
  • manage resources;
  • evaluate, mitigate, manage, and communicate risk.
• Understand the importance of continued self-development to:
  • achieve professional licensure and certification;
  • pursue continuing education and technical skill development;
  • seek formal and informal enrichment experiences, including community outreach and environmental stewardship;
  • seek mentorship and mentor others.
• Internalize professional values that enable them to have:
  • continued inculcation of Army values and understanding of Army priorities.
  • the ability to analyze an engineering challenge involving conflicting ethical and professional interests and determine an appropriate course of action.

For the current and recent enrollment and graduate statistics, click the link for “View by Major” under the section "Enrollment for Select Majors."