Environmental Systems Engineering Program

2023-24 Environmental Systems Engineering UG Major

The Environmental Systems Engineering major prepares students to incorporate environmentally sustainable design, strategies and practices into natural and built systems and infrastructure, ranging from buildings and energy systems to water resources and coastal regions.

Courses in the program are multidisciplinary in nature, combining math/science/engineering fundamentals, and tools and skills considered essential for an engineer, along with a choice of one of four focus areas for more in-depth study: sustainable coastal systems, sustainable energy systems, sustainable freshwater systems, or sustainable urban systems. This major offers somewhat more flexibility in the curriculum than the Civil Engineering degree program, and requires fewer units. The program of study, which includes a capstone experience, aims to equip engineering students to take on the complex challenges of the twenty-first century involving natural and built environments, in consulting and industry as well as in graduate school.

UG Director: Lynn Hildemann, 391 Y2E2, hildemann@stanford.edu
Student Services: Jill Filice, 316 Y2E2, jill.filice@stanford.edu

For instructions on how to declare the Environmental Systems Engineering major, jump to the bottom of this page.

The Curriculum

The undergraduate Environmental Systems Engineering major provides the math, science, engineering fundamentals, and tools and skills considered essential for an engineer, along with a choice of 4 focus areas for more in-depth study, including a capstone experience. Focus areas are:

• Sustainable Coastal Systems: Focuses on the impacts of urban areas on coastal waters, and vice versa. Study areas include coastal engineering, biological and chemical processes and contaminants in the marine environment, and issues in coastal planning and policy.
• Sustainable Energy Systems:  Focus is on designing renewable energy systems to address urban area challenges. Courses range from optimization of renewable energy systems to the impacts of energy use on climate and urban air pollutants.
• Sustainable Freshwater Systems: Focus is on incorporating sustainability into the design, management, and protection of water supply systems. Areas include water resources, water treatment processes, aquatic chemistry/biology, and design principles for urban waterways. 
• Sustainable Urban Systems:  Focuses on sustainability in the constructed urban environment, ranging from building-scale to urban-scale issues.  Considerations include sustainable design and construction practices, building energy, urban infrastructure, and sustainable cities.

Those undergraduates potentially interested in the Environmental Systems Engineering major should examine the Civil Engineering major as a possible alternative; a comparison of these two majors is presented below.

For more information on the Environmental Systems Engineering major, please contact Jill Filice in Room 316 of the Yang and Yamazaki Environment & Energy (Y2E2) building.

A Comparison: Environmental Systems Engineering vs. Civil Engineering

Students interested in the area of civil and environmental engineering should be aware of the following differences between choosing this Environmental Systems Engineering major versus the Civil Engineering major:

Professional Considerations: The Civil Engineering degree is ABET-accredited, while the Environmental Systems Engineering major is not. A degree accredited by ABET (Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology) is a first step toward a professional engineering license. In California, you must accrue 6 years of work experience under the supervision of a licensed professional engineer before being allowed to take the licensing exam. An ABET-accredited B.S. degree counts as 4 years of this required work experience. Earning a M.S. degree from a department that offers an ABET-accredited B.S. degree will give you credit for a total of 5 years of work experience in California, regardless of whether or not your B.S. degree is ABET-accredited.

→ If you envision a career providing, supervising or managing professional engineering services (e.g. engineering investigations, design) , you will likely need to become a licensed professional engineer and should aim, via your chosen B.S. and/or M.S. (coterm) degrees, to earn ABET credit for 4-5 years of work experience.

Pragmatic Considerations: The Civil Engineering major provides a structured curriculum that ensures breadth across different areas specified by ABET.   The Environmental Systems Engineering major requires fewer units, offers more flexibility in choosing courses, and provides greater ability to focus on a specific topic area. 

Research Experience For Undergraduates

The department of Civil and Environmental Engineering welcomes student participation in the VPUE undergraduate research programs. Interested students should check the VPUE website and the CEE website for announcements regarding the application procedures. Program announcements typically appear in January with application due dates in February.

Links to ENVSE planning tools:

ENVSE Program Sheet

ENVSE 4-Year Plans/Flowchart

ENVSE 4-Year Plans for Going Abroad

Requirements: 2022-23 Major in Environmental Systems Engineering

Find current major requirements for this and all other School of Engineering major programs at Explore Degrees

Mathematics and Science (36 units minimum)

Technology in Society (TiS)

One 3-5 unit course required: Choose from SoE-approved course list; course chosen must be on the list the year it is taken.

Engineering Fundamentals

Two courses minimum, including:

Fundamental Tools/Skills 9 units minimum (one course from each of categories (1), (2), & (3); CEE 1 is recommended)

• CEE 1 Introduction to Environmental Systems Engineering, 1 unit, not offered 20-21
• EARTHSYS 131  Pathways in Sustainability Careers, 1 unit, S
• EarthSys194A  Environmental Justice Colloquium, 1 unit, A
• OCEANS 112 Oceans and the Global Imaginary, 1 unit, A

One from CATEGORY 1: Visual Communication

One from CATEGORY 2:  Oral/Written Communication

One from CATEGORY 3: Modeling/Analysis

Writing in the Major (WIM) One 3-5 unit course required

• Choose one from: BIOE 131 or COMM 120W (TiS classes); CEE 102W or EARTHSYS 191 (Tools/Skills); or CEE 100 (required for Urban focus; Breadth Elective for other areas)

Environmental Systems Engineering Depth:

Choose one Focus Area

SUSTAINABLE COASTAL SYSTEMS FOCUS AREA (11 CLASSES MINIMUM)

Electives: (7 classes required); Either take 7 courses from (a), or 6 courses from (a) + 1 course from (b)

⇒ Breadth Electives: Up to 1 class. Can be relevant Overseas/Off-Campus class¹; addl. Tool/Skill; addl. ENGR Fund; or Required or Focus Elective course from any EnvSE focus area.
Senior Capstone: (1 class required) A second capstone course may count as a Focus Elective

¹ Relevant Overseas/Off-Campus classes (offerings vary from year to year):  See list following focus area tables.

² CEE199 may count as capstone only if: (a) at least 5 focus area classes, excluding breadth, have been completed before enrollment; and (b) pre-approval is obtained from CEE UG Committee on paper/project/research topic.

Sustainable Energy Systems Focus Area (11 classes minimum)

Sustainable Freshwater Systems Focus Area (11 classes minimum)

Sustainable Urban Systems Focus Area (11 classes minimum)

Relevant Breadth Courses Offered Overseas/Off-Campus in AY22-23 (list will vary each year)

Autumn:

Winter:

Spring:

Summer:

ENVSE Coterm Information

Instruction For Declaring Major in Environmental Systems Engineering

1. Enter your major declaration as Environmental Systems Engineering in Axess
2. Download your Stanford transcript (unofficial is fine) from Axess.
3. Download and complete the Excel version of the major Program Sheet. Be sure and list all courses already taken and those you plan to take -- you will have the opportunity to revise this later, so please fill in as many courses as you can. Specify which Focus area you are using.
4. Email your transcript and completed program sheet to the CEE Student Services Specialist, Jill Filice and request to have an EnvSE advisor assigned to you. You may request a specific advisor if you wish.
5. Meet with your Environmental Systems Engineering undergraduate advisor and have them review and sign your program sheet.
6. Email your signed program sheet to the CEE Student Services Specialist, who upon receiving your signed sheet will approve your major declaration in Axess.
7. You are encouraged to meet with your ENVSE undergraduate adviser at least once a quarter to review your academic progress. Changes to your program sheet can be made by printing out a revised sheet, obtaining your undergraduate adviser’s signature on a revised program sheet, and emailing the sheet to the CEE Student Services Specialist.  NOTE – It is very important to confirm that your program sheet is up to date at least 1 quarter prior to graduation
8. Other information:

• Procedures for requesting transfer credits and program deviations are described in detail in the SoE Undergraduate Handbook at the beginning of Chapter 4: "Policies and Procedures." The relevant forms, found at the Transfers-AP-Exceptions link, may be filled out and distributed electronically.
• If you are requesting transfer credits or program deviations, email copies of your completed petition forms, along with your transcript and program sheet, to the CEE Student Services Specialist, at least one quarter before your graduation quarter. Check with the CEE Student Services Specialist to make sure that you are on the CEE UG student email list for important announcements about department events and activities