2023 ASEE Annual Conference & Exposition

Background: PUIs (Primarily Undergraduate Institutions) are recognized for programs focused on undergraduate student success via high contact between faculty and students without the competing interests of graduate students and large technical research programs. While this may alter the publicity of such programs, the curricular content standards must be maintained for accreditation via ABET.
Purpose and Methods: This descriptive study aims to document the development and spread of ABET Accredited Environmental Engineering programs in the US with a focus on PUI programs. Such information would be of use for future students and faculty who wish to learn/work in such a program. Additionally, this analysis is useful for programs identifying peer institutions for other forms of analysis.
Results: As of Fall 2022, ABET recognized 83 baccalaureate Environmental Engineering programs and 261 Civil Engineering programs in the United States. Of these, eight Environmental Engineering programs and 45 Civil Engineering programs are taught at PUIs. Trends in institution type and location are presented. Further analysis presents the degree to which students can specialize, formally or informally, in environmental engineering topics within an accredited Civil Engineering Major.