Department of Environmental Resources Engineering

The Environmental Resources Engineering department engages in teaching, research and service to advance engineering practices to meet the needs of the world. With an innovative undergraduate curriculum and a wide variety of graduate courses, we provide outstanding opportunities for students to create and explore a host of educational opportunities. The Environmental Resources Engineering faculty have particular strengths in water resource engineering, ecological engineering, and geospatial engineering, though our flexible undergraduate curriculum allows students to also focus on other traditional civil engineering practices. Required coursework in the humanities and social sciences ensures a well-balanced educational experience for graduates entering professional practice in engineering or those moving directly on to graduate school. With more than 1,200 graduates now in engineering practice, this unique program offers a breadth of engineering science and design coursework unparalleled in the United States.

This degree program prepares graduates to operate with professional competence in environmental resources engineering. A broad base of study in engineering fundamentals enables graduates to enter professional practices that focus on the use and protection of soil, water, air, and other renewable and non-renewable resources. The program aims to educate professionals who will ensure sustainable development through environmentally responsible engineering solutions.

ERE participates in graduate education leading to the master of professional studies, master of science, and doctor of philosophy degrees in environmental resources engineering. Graduate studies and research are primarily concerned with environmental and resource-related problems. ERE graduate students apply science and engineering to the conservation, restoration, holistic development, and improved utilization of the natural environment and its related resources.

Applicants to all programs of study are required to have a bachelor’s degree in science or engineering and are expected to have completed at least one 3-credit course in physics, one 3-credit course in statistics, and two 3-credit courses in calculus. Students admitted without necessary background are required to take additional prerequisite courses required by the department.

The Master of Professional Studies (M.P.S.) degree requires the successful completion of a minimum of 30 credits at the graduate level, of which at least 24 must be in coursework. A comprehensive project or practicum completes the M.P.S. degree requirements.

The Master of Science (M.S.) degree requires the successful completion of a minimum of 30 credits at the graduate level, of which at least 18 must be in coursework and a minimum of six credits for the thesis.

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) degree requires the successful completion of a minimum of 60 credits at the graduate level, of which 30-48 are for coursework and 12-30 credits are for dissertation.

All graduate degrees in ERE require completion of at least 15 credit hours of graduate coursework in engineering and applied science courses. A departmental seminar is also required.

Ecological Engineering is the design of ecosystems for the mutual benefit of humans and the environment. Ideal design considers humans to be part of nature rather than apart from nature. At SUNY–ESF we believe that ecological engineering education and research should meet local to global needs. We teach and research sustainable solutions and approach ecological engineering broadly, working in many areas of the world and in most major areas of ecological engineering.

Program prerequisite or co-requisite courses include at least one semester of study in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, or statics; probability and statistics; ecology; and hydrology. These are in addition to general course expectations for the Division of Engineering.

Program mastery courses include at least one course (3+ credit hours per course) in each of the 4 areas of competence listed below (illustrative courses are listed in parenthesis).

1. Ecosystem Restoration (e.g., Ecosystem Restoration Design, Sustainable Engineering, River Form and Process, Ecological Engineering in the Tropics)
2. Pollutant Treatment (e.g., Methods in Ecological Treatment, Ecological Engineering for Waste Management, Stormwater Management)
3. Modeling (e.g., Hydrologic Modeling, Systems Engineering, Engineering Hydrology & Hydraulics)
4. Ecosystem Sciences (e.g., Microbial Ecology, Ecosystems, Systems Ecology, Tropical Ecology, Ecological Biogeochemistry, Plant Ecology and Global Change, Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration, Limnology, Environmental Chemistry)

At least 12 credit hours of graduate coursework must be completed in engineering courses. Research credits complete the degree requirements.

Environmental Management combines environmental engineering with environmental and business management to provide breadth and perspective for the student aspiring to managerial responsibility in public or private employment. Student coursework is designed to enhance technical and problem-solving skills to meet contemporary needs of environmental managers.

Program Requirements

Program prerequisite or co-requisite courses beyond the departmental requirement include at least three 3-credit undergraduate courses from at least three of the following fields: chemistry, geographic measurements, engineering mechanics, ecology, computer science, and economics.

Program mastery courses beyond the departmental requirement include a minimum of three credit hours of coursework in each of the following areas:

• Project Management (e.g., cost engineering. principles of management, engineering economics, resource economics, engineering management, systems engineering)
• Environmental Policy (e.g., environmental law, environmental impact analysis)
• Environmental Resources Management (e.g., solid or hazardous waste management, watershed management, sustainable design, sustainable development)

Study programs are flexible and are tailored to the interests and strengths of individuals.

Environmental Resources Engineering takes an interdisciplinary approach to solve environmental and resource-related problems. Emphasis is placed on applying science and engineering to the conservation, restoration, holistic development, and improved utilization of the natural environment and its related resources. Student's program of study may be tailored to systems and processes at different geospatial scales, from biomolecules to planetary, and employing various tools and techniques such as biomolecular techniques, remote sensing, hydrodynamic modeling, and systems analysis.

Program prerequisite or co-requisite courses beyond the departmental requirement include at least one semester of study in thermodynamics, fluid mechanics, or statics; hydrology, chemistry, or biology; and computing methods.

Program mastery courses beyond the departmental requirement are arranged to meet the objectives of the individual student program. A student’s program of study in this option may combine competence areas in the other ERE options, or introduce new competence areas.

Geospatial Information Science and Engineering is designed for specialized study in spatial information acquisition, analysis, modeling and applications. This includes theoretical and applied projects in sensing systems and the location, measurement, analysis and description of ground features and earth resources. It also includes use of geographic information systems (GIS) to incorporate spatial data into a wide range of environmental and engineering problems.

Program prerequisite or co-requisite courses beyond the departmental requirement include at least one year of physics and one engineering science course in surveying, numerical methods, or computer science.

Program mastery courses beyond the departmental requirement include at least one course (3+ credit hours) in each of the four Geospatial Information Science and Engineering areas (illustrative courses are listed in parenthesis):

• Remote sensing (e.g., Principles of Remote Sensing, Remote Sensing of the Environment)
• Geographic information systems (e.g., Introduction to Spatial Information, GIS for Engineers, GIS-Based Modeling, Introduction to Global Positioning Systems)
• Spatial analysis and programming (e.g., Spatial Analysis, Digital Image Analysis, Numerical and Computing Methods, Systems Engineering, Design and Analysis of Algorithm, Introduction to Artificial Neural Networks, Introduction to Database Management Systems, Data Mining, Artificial Intelligence)
• Statistics (e.g., Statistical Analysis, Multivariate Statistical Methods, Nonparametric Statistics, Analysis of Variance, Regression Analysis, Map Accuracy Assessment, Sampling Methods)

Ph.D. students will take an additional course in at least two of these areas (6+ credit hours total). These areas of competence form the basis for your graduate coursework and are supplemented by studies in systems analysis, environmental sciences and management, and geography. Study programs are flexible and are tailored to the interests and strengths of individuals.

Water Resources Engineering deals with analysis and design of water resource systems through field, laboratory, and computer methods. Emphasis is placed on coordinating engineering to reduce impacts on human and natural systems. Students select among alternative solutions to water resource problems, in recognition of environmental, economic, legal, social and managerial constraints. Laboratory equipment includes soil columns, a river table and two tilting and sediment circulating flumes, all supported by monitoring sensors. Analytical techniques using statistics, numerical analyses, and computer applications are emphasized. Modeling efforts include computational fluid dynamics, GIS, and remote sensing applications, distributed and real-time models, and model calibration and validation.

Program prerequisite or co-requisite courses beyond the departmental requirement include fluid mechanics, computing methods, and engineering hydrology.

Program mastery courses beyond the departmental requirement include at least one course (3+ credit hours) in each of the four areas of competence listed below (illustrative courses are listed in parenthesis). These areas of competence form the basis for your graduate coursework. Departmental and other seminars are also required.

• Environmental Hydraulics (e.g., Engineering Hydrology and Hydraulics, Open Channel Hydraulics, Transport Processes, Environmental Sediment Transport)
• Water Resources Modeling (e.g., Hydrologic Modeling, Systems Engineering, Groundwater Modeling)
• Hydrologic Zones and Fluxes (e.g., River Form and Process, HydroMeteorology, Vadose Zone Physics, Limnology, Hydrogeology)
• Water Quality (e.g., Water Pollution Engineering, Ecological Biogeochemistry, Environmental Chemistry; Environmental Aqueous Geochemistry)