Environmental engineering graduates who meet this description can expect to remain in strong demand in the private and public employment sectors, and their range of career opportunities is highly diverse. Examples of career fields and activities include the development of new technologies to genetically engineer microorganisms for waste treatment, design of combustion and control processes that minimize pollutant emissions and maximize energy efficiency, resolution of complex pollutant transport processes in naturally heterogeneous systems, development of new physical-chemical treatment approaches, and characterization of pollutant transformation mechanisms in natural systems.

Curricular and research subjects of interest in Environmental Engineering include environmental air and water chemistry, environmental microbiology, combustion technologies, aerosol science, transport phenomena, reactor theory, unit operations and systems design, mathematical modeling, energy systems, soil physics, fluid mechanics, hydrology, and meteorology. Interdisciplinary research endeavors commonly bridge many of these different subjects and a current focus is maintained on new and emerging technologies. Curriculum objectives have also been set to maintain a balance between the depth and breadth of program scope for each student. Within this degree program students choose from three areas of emphasis: Water Quality, Water Resources, or Air Quality and Combustion.