In the freshman and sophomore years, the students will be exposed to fundamental sciences including mathematics, physics, chemistry, microbiology, introduction to computers, as well as basic environmental engineering. In their junior and senior years, the students will be taught courses in both civil and enviornmental engineering, including air pollution engineering, water and wastewater engineering, structural engineering, applied mechanics and geotechnical engineering. Hazardous and Solid Wastes Engineering essentially deals with finding ways to handle and dispose hazardous and solid wastes generated by cities and industries. Presently, the emphasis in the field is on the development of physical, chemical and biological treatment technologies for controlling them as well as application of effective technologies for waste minimization and resource recovery. A large variety of industries such as electronics and computers, aerospace, chemical, petroleum, and automobile and metallurgy employ consulting firms to design treatment facilities, and to ensure proper compliance with environmental laws and regulations.
Environmental engineers play a very important role in manufacturing industries.
They are simultaneously in charge of several challenging tasks, including pollution prevention, waste minimization, environmental audit, environmental regulatory compliance, resource recovery, and recycling and reuse. These include local, state or federal agencies and universities, as well as private research organizations, which employ environmental engineers to perform research in technology development and pollution control. Opportunities Offered by the USC School of Engineering Cooperative Education Program As a participant in the Co-op program, you can earn degree credit and a year's worth of industry work experience before you graduate. Co-op can improve your understanding of the relationship between theory and practice and help you gain important engineering skills. It will also help you fine-tune your career goals.