A five-year master of environmental engineering curriculum

The master's degree is essentially the entry-level degree for those wanting to practice environmental engineering. Although the BS/MSCE (environmental emphasis) path produces graduates in high demand by employers, certain par ts of the environmental engineering discipline demand graduates with a more specialized degree program. In response to the need for a specialized, or "professional," degree program, Texas Tech offers an alternative to the tra ditional path to becoming an environmental engineer: the Master of Environm ental Engineering (MEnvE) degree. The courses in the curriculum (EnvE cours e numbers) are taught by either civil or chemical engineering faculty. The MEnvE degree is a five-year "freshman-to-master's degree" program. The BS/M SCE (environmental emphasis) degree program and the MEnvE program essential ly require the same number of credit hours and many of the same courses. On e principal difference between the two programs is that the BS/MSCE path pr ovides graduates with a broader civil engineering or chemical engineering b ackground while the MEnvE program provides graduates with more concentrated preparation in biology, chemistry, chemical engineering, and environmental engineering. A second principal difference is that MEnvE graduates are foc used on environmental engineering design. Thus, the MEnvE degree program is referred to as a professional degree program since graduates from the prog ram typically. enter professional practice rather than continue for a PhD d egree.