Requirements
The environmental engineering (EnvE) Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) degree requires the completion of 34 courses, comprising:
- 19 general requirements, and
- 15 departmental requirements
In the CEE Undergraduate Handbook you will find degree check sheets and typical course sequences that outline the degree requirements in a semester by semester format. Where the requirements below list electives you should consult the electives section below for details.
CEE Undergraduate Handbook
The CEE Undergraduate Handbook (2022-23 v1) is a comprehensive guide and source of relevant information. The handbook is updated yearly.
ENVE Degree Check Sheets
The following degree check sheets are available in the handbook, however, links are provided to these specific pages for convenience:
- Class of 2026 (Matriculation Fall 2022)
- Class of 2025 (Matriculation Fall 2021)
- Class of 2024 (Matriculation Fall 2020)
- Class of 2023 (Matriculation Fall 2019)
- Class of 2022 (Matriculation Fall 2018)
Degree Enhancements
Typical Course Sequence (Class of 2026)
The plan provided below (applicable to students matriculating in Fall 2022) 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.
NOTE: Course numbers in bold (e.g., CEE 132L) are typically only offered once a year, during the semester shown.
First Year
| Fall 2022 | Spring 2023 |
|---|---|
| Calculus I MATH 111L (#1) |
Calculus II MATH 112L (#2) |
| Chemistry CHEM 101DL (#3) |
Mechanics PHYSICS 151L(#4) |
|
Writing or Computational Methods |
Computational Methods or Writing |
| Engineering Design & Communication EGR 101L |
Engineering the Planet CEE 132L (#6) |
Sophomore Year
| Fall 2023 | Spring 2024 |
|---|---|
| Matrices and Vectors MATH 218-2 |
MATH 219 |
| Electricity & Magnetism PHYSICS 152L (#4) |
Dynamics EGR 244L |
| Solid Mechanics EGR 201L |
Uncertainty, Design & Optimization |
| elective | elective |
| elective |
Junior Year
| Fall 2024 | Spring 2025 |
|---|---|
| Differential Equations MATH 353 |
Biological Principles CEE 462L |
| Fluid Mechanics CEE 301L (#9) |
Data Analysis & Decision Science EGR/MATH 238L |
| Aquatic Chemistry CEE 461L |
Thermodynamics ME 331L |
| Systems Optimization & Economics EGR 305 (#10) or elective |
elective |
| Environmental Transport Phenomena CEE 560 |
Senior Year
| Fall 2025 | Spring 2026 |
|---|---|
| Water Resources CEE 463L |
Integrated Environmental Design CEE 469 |
| elective | elective |
| elective | elective |
| elective | elective |
Important Notes
- #1 AP credit for MATH 21 may be used to satisfy the MATH 111L requirement.
- #2 AP credit for MATH 22 may be used to satisfy the MATH 112L requirement. If AP credit for 21 but not 22 then take MATH 122L in first-year Fall.
- #3 CHEM 101DL. AP credit (i.e., CHEM 20 or 21) may be used to satisfy this requirement.
- #4 At least one (1) physics course must be taken post-matriculation to satisfy the Physics requirement in the Engineering curriculum. Students receiving AP credits for PHYSICS 25 and 26 must: a) take a Duke PHYSICS course at or above PHYSICS 153L; b) decline the AP credit for PHYSICS 26 and take PHYSICS 152L; or c) decline both AP credits and take both PHYSICS 151L and 152L.
- #6 CEE 132L may be replaced CEE 205 (0.5 unit) AND an upper-level CEE course (1.0 unit); if not taken in the first or second year then it must be replaced. An upper-level CEE course is a CEE course at the 300-, 400-, 500- or 600-level.
- #8 WRITING 101 must be taken in the fall or spring of the first year.
- #9 Although MATH 353 may be taken concurrently it is recommended that MATH 353 be completed prior to taking Fluid Mechanics, CEE 301L.
- #10 Note that you must take either CEE 201L (spring only) or EGR 305 (fall only)
Electives
Five (5) Social Science and Humanities (SS/H) Electives
These courses, from the areas of Arts, Literature, and Performance (ALP), Civilizations (CZ), Foreign Language (FL), and Social Science (SS), must meet the following minimum requirements.
- One (1) Social Science (SS)
- Two (2) of the three areas: ALP, CZ, and FL
- For depth, two (2) courses must be from the same department with at least one of those two at the 200-level (100-level), or higher.
- Limit of two (2) AP credits
NOTE: EI Code requirement: Of the 34 units required for graduation, at least one of the units must possess the EI (Ethical Inquiry) code. Most likely this EI code will be possessed by one of these 5 SS/H courses.
One (1) Natural Science (NS) Elective
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 275A | Biology for Engineers |
One (1) Earth Science Elective
This requirement is satisfied by taking one of the following courses:
| Course Number | Course Title |
|---|---|
| CEE 666 | Aquatic Geochemistry |
| ECS/EOS 101 | The Dynamic Earth |
| ECS/EOS 102 [NOTE: no longer offered after Fall 2021] | The Dynamic Oceans |
| 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 315 | Waves, Beaches, and Coastline Dynamics |
| ECS/EOS 323 | Hydrogeology |
Two (2) Upper-level Environmental Electives
This requirement is satisfied by taking two 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 |
Two (2) Unrestricted Electives
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.
Optional Electives
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.
Study Abroad
With a little planning, the Duke CEE curriculum affords any student the opportunity to study abroad in the Junior Fall semester.
Students are always able to pursue study abroad during the summer semester. Many popular institutions for study-abroad offer technical courses that are pre-approved for Duke CEE requirements. Alternatively, students can modify the typical course sequence in order to take humanities electives when they are abroad.
For study abroad in the Junior Fall without any engineering courses, which is not necessary depending on the institution selected, you may:
- Move fluid mechanics (CEE 301L) to Sophomore Spring. Note that CEE 301L has co-requisites of MATH 353 and EGR 244L, which are easily met if you have AP credit for MATH 21.
- CEE 301L will need to be offered on Tu-Th mornings in the Spring semesters
- Move systems optimization & economics (EGR 305)—if this option is being taken—to Senior Fall
- Move aquatic chemistry (CEE 461L) to Senior Fall
- Move environmental transport (CEE 560) to Senior Fall
To explore Duke's many opportunities for global studies, visit globaled.duke.edu