David E. Schaad
david.schaad@duke.eduCEE Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor of the Practice
Environmental engineering brings together topics as diverse as chemistry, fluid mechanics, biology and public health.
The challenge: Safeguarding both humanity and the planet from pollution.
The environmental engineering (EnvE) Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree requires the completion of 34 courses, comprising:
This page provides general information. Be sure to consult the CEE Undergraduate Handbook and DukeHub for details.
The plan provided below (applicable to students matriculating in Fall 2025) outlines a typical, semester-by-semester path to graduation. Students who have already matriculated should consult the CEE Undergraduate Handbook as degree requirements can differ by matriculation date. Courses in the table are required unless noted otherwise. Shifting courses to a different semester should be done with caution and preplanning due, in part, to pre-requisites and co-requisites.
Course numbers in bold (e.g., CEE 132L) are typically only offered once a year, during the semester shown.
| Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
|---|---|
| Calculus I MATH 111L (#1) |
Calculus II MATH 112L (#2) |
| Chemistry CHEM 101DL (#3) |
Mechanics PHYSICS 151L (#4) |
| Computing for Engineers EGR 105L |
Academic Writing WRITING 120 (#8) |
| Engineering Design & Communication EGR 101L |
Engineering the Planet CEE 132L (#6) |
| Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|
| Matrices and Vectors MATH 218-2 |
Multivariable Calculus MATH 219 |
| Solid Mechanics EGR 201L |
Dynamics EGR 244L |
| Molecular Biology BIOLOGY 201L |
Uncertainty, Design & Optimization CEE 251L |
| elective | Electricity & Magnetism PHYSICS 152L (#4) |
| elective |
| Fall 2026 | Spring 2027 |
|---|---|
| Differential Equations MATH 353 |
Biological Principles CEE 462L |
| Fluid Mechanics CEE 301L (#9) |
Thermodynamics ME 331L |
| Aquatic Chemistry CEE 461L |
Environmental Transport Phenomena CEE 560 |
| Engineering Economics, Risk, and Decision CEE 351 |
elective |
| elective |
| Fall 2027 | Spring 2028 |
|---|---|
| Water Resources CEE 463L |
Integrated Environmental Design CEE 469 |
| elective | elective |
| elective | elective |
| elective | elective |
All majors in Pratt are required to complete a minimum of 5 full-credit (1.0 unit) courses from a set of categories that includes:
More specifically:
This must be a biology course; this requirement is satisfied by taking one of the following courses:
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIOLOGY 201L | Molecular Biology |
| BIOLOGY 202L | Genetics and Evolution |
| BIOLOGY 212L | General Microbiology |
| BIOLOGY 308A/309A | Oceans in Human and Environmental Health |
This requirement is satisfied by taking one of the following courses:
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| BIOLOGY 308A/309A | Oceans in Human and Environmental Health |
| CEE 666 | Aquatic Geochemistry |
| ECS/EOS 101 | The Dynamic Earth |
| ECS/EOS 103 | Climate Change for Future Leaders |
| ECS/EOS 201L | The Solid Earth: Minerals, Rocks, and Structural Geology |
| ECS/EOS 202 | Ocean and Atmospheric Dynamics |
| ECS/EOS 220 | Water Sciences |
| ECS/EOS 315 | Waves, Beaches, and Coastline Dynamics |
| ECS/EOS 323 | Hydrogeology |
| MARSCI 204/204A | Integrative Oceanography |
This requirement is satisfied by taking two (2) of the following courses:
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CHEM 201DL | Organic Chemistry I |
| CHEM 202L | Organic Chemistry II |
| BME 307 | Transport Phenomena: Biological Systems |
| CEE 302L | Soil Mechanics |
| CEE 315-60 | Engineering Sustainable Design and the Global Community: Environmental |
| CEE 563 | Chemical Fate of Organic Compounds |
| CEE 564 | Physical Chemical Processes in Environmental Engineering |
| CEE 566 | Environmental Microbiology |
| CEE 661L | Environmental Molecular Biotechnology |
| CEE 666 | Aquatic Geochemistry |
| CEE 667 (prereq: CEE 563 or CHEM 201D) | Chemical Transformation of Environmental Contaminants |
| CEE 683 | Groundwater Hydrology |
| CEE 684 | Physical Hydrology, Hydrometeorology |
| CEE 686 | Ecohydrology |
| EGR 424L | Energy and the Environment Capstone |
| ENVIRON 535 | Air Quality Management |
These electives are unrestricted, with the exception that at most 1.0 units of physical education activity and at most 1.0 units of music activity can be used to meet BSE requirements.
House courses cannot be used.
Students may exceed the minimum of 34 units required for the BSE degree. This may be accomplished via AP credits, overloading, and/or summer courses either at Duke or elsewhere.
CEE Director of Undergraduate Studies, Professor of the Practice