Civil Engineering Degrees with a Concentration in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
Within the BS, MS, and PhD programs in civil engineering, students may elect to concentrate their studies in the field of environmental and water resources engineering. Within the MS program, students may choose between a master’s degree in Environmental Engineering or a master’s degree in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering.
Elective coursework and research opportunities are plentiful in areas such as drinking water quality and treatment, groundwater hydraulics, hazardous waste, municipal and industrial wastewater treatment, solid waste, water quality and pollution, water resources and supply.
Student researchers have access to cutting-edge facilities, a wide range of advanced instrumentation, and mentorship from award-winning faculty.
B.S. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources
While undergraduate Civil Engineering majors begin their experience by taking foundational courses in mathematics, chemistry, and physics, they have the ability to explore Environmental and Water Resources Engineering by taking elective courses in this area in their junior and senior years, culminating in a senior design project, where students’ knowledge and skills are applied to a real-world problem.
M.S. in Environmental Engineering or M.S. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering
In the master's degree program, students may choose between the MS in Environmental Engineering or the MS in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources Engineering. The MS in Environmental Engineering is more closely aligned with the program's roots in process engineering and therefore requires students to have taken at least one graduate-level course in this area. The MS in Civil Engineering is the degree option that should be taken by students with a broader interest in environmental and water resources engineering.
Ph.D. in Civil Engineering with a concentration in Environmental and Water Resources
Civil engineering offers a doctoral program that provides students with the opportunity to conduct original research tailored to a range of specialized environmental and water resources topics.
The doctoral program places much more emphasis on research activities, preparing students to conduct impactful research and produce significant contributions to the field. A personalized approach to faculty mentorship ensures that students are well-prepared to pursue academic, research, government, or consulting careers.
A PhD in Civil Engineering gives students the opportunity to obtain the environmental and water resources engineering credentials that are necessary to practice engineering at the highest level. Students have access to two research centers hosted by UMass Amherst: the Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and the Water Innovation Network for Sustainable Small Systems.
Graduates of the PhD program hold faculty positions at institutions including Colorado State University, Union College, the University of Pennsylvania, Case Western Reserve University, the University of Florida, the University of New Hampshire, SUNY Buffalo, and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Research focus areas include:
- Water Resources and Climate Change: Dr. Richard Palmer
- Environmental Microbiology and Biotechnology: Dr. Caitlyn Butler
- Hydrosystems Research: Dr. Casey Brown
- Drinking Water and Particle Transport: Dr. John Tobiason
- Water and Analytical Chemistry: Dr. David Reckhow
- Computational Hydrology: Dr. Kostas Andreadis
- Fluvial@UMass: Dr. Colin Gleason
- Water, Sanitation, and Development: Dr. Emily Kumpel
- Environmental Bioprocesses: Dr. Chul Park
- Groundwater and Road Salt ISA: Dr. Erich Hinlein
- Water Resource Recovery Systems: Dr. Nick Tooker, PE
Program Coordinator:
Caitlyn Butler, Associate Professor, Civil and Environmental Engineering
