ENVSE-BS - Environmental Systems Engineering (BS)

The Environmental Systems Engineering major prepares students to apply sustainable design, strategies, and practices into natural and built systems including infrastructure, ranging from buildings and energy systems to water resources and coastal regions.

Students in the Environmental Systems Engineering major learn about environmental systems through coursework that is multidisciplinary in nature, combining math, science, and engineering fundamentals with tools and skills that are essential for an engineer. Students choose one of four focus areas for in-depth study of sustainable design and management: coastal systems, energy systems, freshwater systems, or urban systems. The program equips students to take on the complex challenges of the 21st century using sustainable approaches involving natural and built environments in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.

A Comparison: Environmental Systems Engineering vs. Civil Engineering

Students interested in the area of civil and environmental engineering should be aware of the following differences between choosing this Environmental Systems Engineering major versus the Civil Engineering major.

Professional Considerations: The Civil Engineering degree is ABET-accredited, while the Environmental Systems Engineering major is not. A degree accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is a first step toward a professional engineering license. In California, you must accrue 6 years of work experience under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer before being allowed to take the licensing exam. An ABET-accredited B.S. degree counts as 4 years of this required work experience. Earning an MS degree from a department that offers an ABET-accredited B.S. degree will give you credit for a total of 5 years of work experience in California, regardless of whether or not your B.S. degree is ABET-accredited.

If you envision a career providing, supervising or managing professional engineering services (e.g. engineering investigations, design) , you will likely need to become a licensed professional engineer and should aim, via your chosen BS and/or MS (coterm) degrees, to earn ABET credit for 4-5 years of work experience.

Pragmatic Considerations: The Civil Engineering major provides a structured curriculum that ensures breadth across different areas specified by ABET.   The Environmental Systems Engineering major requires fewer units, offers more flexibility in choosing courses, and provides greater ability to focus on a specific topic area. 

Instruction For Declaring Major in Environmental Systems Engineering

1. Enter your major declaration as Environmental Systems Engineering in Axess

2. Download your Stanford transcript (unofficial is fine) from Axess.

3. Download and complete the Excel version of the major Program Sheet. Be sure and list all courses already taken and those you plan to take -- you will have the opportunity to revise this later, so please fill in as many courses as you can. Specify which Focus area you are using.

4. Email your transcript and completed program sheet to the CEE Assistant Director of Degree Progress, Jill Filice and request to have an EnvSE advisor assigned to you. You may request a specific advisor if you wish.

5. Meet with your Environmental Systems Engineering undergraduate advisor and have them review and sign your program sheet.

6. Email your signed program sheet to the CEE Assistant Director of Degree Progress, who upon receiving your signed sheet will approve your major declaration in Axess.

7. You are encouraged to meet with your ENVSE undergraduate adviser at least once a quarter to review your academic progress. Changes to your program sheet can be made by printing out a revised sheet, obtaining your undergraduate adviser’s signature on a revised program sheet, and emailing the sheet to the CEE Assistant Director of Degree Progress.  NOTE – It is very important to confirm that your program sheet is up to date at least 1 quarter prior to graduation

8. Other information:

• Procedures for requesting transfer credits and program deviations are described in detail in the SoE Undergraduate Handbook at the beginning of Chapter 4: "Policies and Procedures." The relevant forms, found at the Transfers-AP-Exceptions link, may be filled out and distributed electronically.

• If you are requesting transfer credits or program deviations, email copies of your completed petition forms, along with your transcript and program sheet, to the CEE Assistant Director of Degree Progress, at least one quarter before your graduation quarter. Check with the CEE Assistant Director of Degree Progress to make sure that you are on the CEE UG student email list for important announcements about department events and activities

Exploring Environmental Systems Engineering through Courses

Are you wondering whether an Environmental Systems Engineering major is for you? If so, here are some courses accessible early in your undergraduate career that will help you explore your interest in our major. If you end up joining our program, this early start on fulfilling requirements will pay off by giving you more flexibility in class scheduling for your junior and senior years.

• ENGR 14: Intro to Solid Mechanics

• CEE 70: Environmental Science and Technology

• CEE 107A: Understand Energy

• CEE 162F: Coastal Processes

• CEE 176A: Energy Efficient Buildings

For more information on the Environmental Systems Engineering major, please contact Jill Filice in Room 316 of the Yang and Yamazaki Environment & Energy (Y2E2) building.