Bachelor of Science in Engineering (BSE) with a Major in Civil Engineering - Environmental Engineering and Water Resources (E/W)

The bachelor of science with a major in civil engineering (CE) features two study tracks so students can pursue interests in either (or both) structural engineering and mechanics (S/M), or environmental engineering and water resources (E/W). This major will be of interest to students interested in, in part, the design and construction of civil infrastructure. Students have considerable flexibility to pursue second majors and minors within the Pratt School of Engineering or Duke's Trinity College of Arts and Sciences. Environmental Engineering & Water Resources (E/W) The application of biology, chemistry, and fluid mechanics to the analysis of natural environments and the design of systems to reduce the effects of pollutants on the environment and on public health. Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Environmental Engineering on which Duke places particular emphasis, including: Environmental Biotechnology and Bioremediation The response of microbial communities to anthropogenic perturbations and the manipulation of microbial processes to degrade anthropogenic compounds Environmental Nanoscience The study of nanoscale materials for environmental treatment technology and their potential impacts for environmental quality and human health Air Quality The study of atmospheric contaminants, their persistence, and potential exposure hazards for humans Energy and the Environment The development of innovative solutions that meet the global demand for energy and the environmental implications associated with energy production Environmental Chemistry The study of chemical processes that control the transformation, partitioning, and bioavailability of pollutants, nutrients, and other compounds in environmental media Sensors The development of devices to improve detection and control of trace constituents in air, water and soil The application of fluid mechanics, soil mechanics, and, in many cases chemistry, to the analysis of the flow of water within the water-table, between the water-table and the surface, and on the surface. Beyond the education provided by these undergraduate courses, students may pursue independent study in areas of Water Resources and Hydrology on which Duke places particular emphasis, including: Environmental Fluid Dynamics The study of atmospheric and oceanic flows in the meso-scale and the global scale for the prediction of long-term and medium-term environmental changes; turbulent transport in rivers, wetlands and plant canopies; exchanges of water and other substances within the soil-plant-atmosphere system. Vadose-Zone Hydrology The study of water flow beneath the ground surface and above the water table; tracking and prediction of contaminant plumes in the sub-surface, contaminant remediation within the subsurface. Eco-Hydrology The study of the interaction between hydrological processes and terrestrial ecosystems), modeling and analysis of precipitation space-time dynamics Environmental Mechanics The study of how mechanical loads, chemical environments, and fluid flows interact and modify each other. The use of electro-magnetic waves and stress waves to interrogate the properties of the sub-surface.