Student Guide to ENVL

Below are frequently asked questions and answers relating to the ENVL program.

General

What is Environmental Engineering?

Environmental Engineering applies science, mathematics, and engineering design to address environmental challenges and protect the health of people and the ecosystems on which we depend.

Environmental engineers work on a wide range of problems involving air, land, water, energy, resources, infrastructure, and natural and engineered systems. Their work can include controlling air and water pollution, designing technologies and processes that prevent pollution at its source, managing waste and recovering valuable resources, remediating contaminated sites, improving environmental performance, developing sustainable technologies, supporting climate resilience, and protecting ecosystem health.

Environmental challenges are rarely isolated. A solution to one problem may affect communities, ecosystems, infrastructure, industry, or other environmental systems. Environmental engineers therefore combine strong technical knowledge with systems thinking to understand these connections and develop practical, effective solutions.

If you are interested in using engineering to address complex real-world challenges while developing a broad and technically rigorous engineering foundation, Environmental Engineering may be a good fit for you.

What are examples of the typical types of work or tasks that someone in Environmental Engineering does?

design facilities and management systems to prevent contamination and/or mitigate environmental impacts of contaminants in air, water and soil;
design information systems for environmental monitoring and mitigation;
perform impact assessments (including regulatory, sustainability, environmental, social, and risk);
participate in sustainability planning and design, and;
formulate environmental policy.

Program

What makes Environmental Engineering at UBC distinctive?

The UBC Environmental Engineering program is interdisciplinary by design and jointly offered through the Departments of Civil Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering.

This gives students the opportunity to draw on expertise from multiple areas of engineering and science. Environmental problems may involve infrastructure, fluid flow, chemical and biological processes, contaminants, air quality, energy, waste, natural systems, and environmental data. The program brings these perspectives together and focuses on how they can be applied to complex environmental challenges.

The curriculum combines technical foundations with engineering design, laboratory work, modelling, systems thinking, and consideration of the broader environmental, social, economic, and cultural implications of engineering decisions. In fact, students have a core design course in every year of the program – not just in their final year. This allows students to develop design skills right from the beginning, and level up as they progress through the program.

Environmental Engineering at UBC is also a relatively small and close-knit program. Students typically get to know their classmates, work together throughout the degree, and have opportunities to interact with faculty, alumni, and professionals working in the field.

What will I learn?

The program provides a foundation in mathematics, natural sciences, engineering science, and engineering design, followed by specialized learning in environmental engineering.

Students develop knowledge and skills in areas such as:

Air pollution prevention and control
Environmental processes and pollution prevention
Water treatment plant design
Waste management and resource recovery
Contaminated sites, groundwater, and environmental remediation
Clean energy technologies
Sustainability and life cycle assessments
Water resources and environmental infrastructure
Chemical and biological process design
Environmental data analysis, modelling, and computational methods
Environmental assessment and systems thinking
Engineering design and professional practice

Each year of the program includes opportunities to apply what you are learning through design or project-based courses, culminating in a substantial fourth-year capstone design project.

Students also have flexibility through technical electives to explore areas that align with their interests and career goals. Depending on their interests and prerequisites, students can pursue electives in areas such as climate and energy, carbon capture, environmental chemistry, GIS and geospatial analysis, ecological restoration, sustainable engineering, environmental justice, mining and the environment, entrepreneurship, and many others.

What kinds of projects and hands-on experiences are there?

Environmental Engineering is a highly applied field, and students have opportunities throughout the program to work on real and realistic engineering problems.

Depending on the course and year, this can include:

Engineering design projects
Laboratory and experimental work
Fieldwork and site visits
Community-engaged projects
Collection and analysis of environmental data
Industry and community case studies
Computational modelling and simulation
Open-ended problems involving emerging environmental challenges

UBC's campus can also serve as a living laboratory, providing opportunities to connect coursework with real environmental systems and challenges.

The program's design sequence allows students to build their ability to tackle increasingly complex and open-ended problems throughout the degree. By fourth year, students bring together technical knowledge developed across the program to work on a substantial engineering design project.

What kind of industry exposure will I have?

One of the strengths of the Environmental Engineering program is its strong connection to industry and professional practice.

Students have opportunities to interact with practicing engineers, employers, and alumni throughout their degree through activities such as:

Industry guest speakers and professional events
Industry nights where students can meet potential employers
Field trips and site visits
Alumni panels and career discussions
Professional mentorship and networking opportunities
Industry-engaged projects

These activities give students opportunities to learn about the wide range of careers available in Environmental Engineering, hear directly from professionals working in the field, and begin building professional connections before graduation.

What is the capstone project like?

The Environmental Engineering program concludes with a substantial fourth-year capstone design project.

Student teams work on open-ended, real-world engineering challenges, often brought forward by an industry, government, or community partner. Projects can involve areas such as air quality, renewable energy, climate adaptation, contaminated-site remediation, sustainable infrastructure, resource recovery, waste management, and other environmental challenges.

Students work through the engineering design process while developing solutions for a real client or stakeholder. Depending on the project, students may also work with practicing engineers who provide professional insight and mentorship.

The capstone is an opportunity to bring together the knowledge and skills developed throughout the degree and apply them to a complex problem similar to those encountered in professional practice.

How is Environmental Engineering different from Civil or Chemical Engineering?

Environmental Engineering shares foundations with both Civil Engineering and Chemical and Biological Engineering, but applies these perspectives specifically to environmental systems and challenges.

Civil Engineering generally focuses on the design and management of infrastructure and the built environment, including structures, transportation systems, geotechnical engineering, and infrastructure systems. Environmental Engineering shares some of these foundations while placing greater emphasis on environmental processes, pollution, sustainability, ecosystem health, and the interaction between engineered and natural systems.

Chemical and Biological Engineering focuses on applying chemical, physical, and biological principles to the design and operation of processes and systems. Environmental Engineering draws on these foundations to understand and improve environmental processes, design water and air treatment systems, prevent and control pollution, recover resources, and develop technologies for environmental applications.

In practice, there is meaningful overlap between all three disciplines, and engineers from each field may work together on environmental challenges. Environmental Engineering is a good choice for students who are particularly interested in working at the intersection of engineering, natural systems, technology, and environmental problem-solving.

Career

What kinds of careers do Environmental Engineers pursue?

Environmental Engineering graduates work across a wide range of sectors and organizations.

Recent graduates have gone on to work in:

Engineering and environmental consulting
Municipal, provincial, and federal government
Resource and industrial sectors
Environmental technology and professional services
Research and academia
Construction, infrastructure, and transportation-related industries

Examples of organizations that have employed Environmental Engineering graduates include AECOM, Arcadis, GHD, Jacobs, Metro Vancouver, the City of Vancouver, Stantec, and WSP.

Graduates may work on projects involving air quality, water quality and resource management, environmental assessment, climate resilience, contaminated sites, resource recovery, sustainable infrastructure, waste management, environmental monitoring, energy systems, pollution prevention, and many other areas.

According to the Government of Canada's Job Bank, the median wage reported for environmental engineers is approximately $47 per hour in British Columbia (~$98,000 CAD/year), with wages varying depending on experience, location, employer, and area of specialization.

Based on available graduate employment data, ENVL graduates work most commonly in consulting and government, while others pursue careers across resource industries, technology and services, research, and infrastructure-related sectors.

Many graduates begin their careers in British Columbia, particularly in the Lower Mainland, while others pursue opportunities elsewhere in Canada and internationally.

What about Co-op and employment opportunities?

Environmental Engineering students can participate in UBC Engineering Co-op and gain paid professional experience while completing their degree.

Co-op placements provide opportunities to apply classroom learning in professional settings and explore different areas of environmental engineering. Students have worked with consulting firms, government agencies, industry, utilities, and other organizations addressing environmental challenges.

Approximately 90% of ENVL Co-op students secured a job placement in 2025.

Combined with the program's strong industry connections, field experiences, professional events, alumni engagement, and industry-sponsored capstone projects, students graduate with significant exposure to professional practice and the opportunity to develop both technical skills and professional networks.

Environmental engineers are employed across many sectors because environmental considerations are increasingly important in infrastructure, industry, resource development, energy systems, technology, government, and organizational decision-making.

Student Experience

What is the student experience like?

Environmental Engineering has a highly engaged student community. Because the program has a relatively small cohort, students often develop strong relationships with their classmates and work with many of the same peers throughout the degree.

Students have opportunities to engage with faculty and the program through events, feedback sessions, student representation, meet-and-greets, and other activities. The Environmental Engineering Student Association also helps organize academic, professional, and social opportunities for students.

The combination of a close-knit student community and connections with faculty, alumni, and industry professionals creates opportunities to build relationships throughout the degree.

Is Environmental Engineering right for me?

Environmental Engineering may be a good fit if you:

Want to apply engineering to complex real-world environmental challenges
Are interested in areas such as climate, air quality, water treatment, energy, pollution prevention, sustainability, contaminated sites, ecosystems, or resource recovery
Enjoy working across disciplines rather than focusing on only one type of engineering system
Want a combination of technical analysis, laboratory and field experiences, engineering design, and systems thinking
Are interested in connecting engineering with environmental and societal challenges
Want opportunities to interact with industry and apply your learning to real-world problems
Want flexibility to explore different technical areas and career paths

You do not need to know exactly which environmental issue or career path you want to pursue before entering the program. Environmental Engineering is a broad field, and the program provides opportunities to explore different areas while developing a strong foundation in engineering.

Ultimately, Environmental Engineering is about using engineering knowledge to understand and improve the systems that support people, communities, industry, and the environment. The program combines technical rigor, interdisciplinary breadth, hands-on learning, strong industry engagement, and a close-knit student community to prepare students for a wide range of careers and real-world challenges.