Degree Offered

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying offers undergraduate instruction leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.).

Mission

The mission of the Environmental Engineering Program is to prepare and motivate students from diverse backgrounds to achieve excellence through intellectual, humanistic, scientific, and technological advancements on their way to becoming practicing professional environmental engineers with a sense of social responsibility.

Program Educational Objectives

Within a few years of graduation, the PUPR Environmental Engineering Program graduates are expected to attain the following:

1. Establish themselves as practicing professionals in the industry and government of their communities in accordance with the standards and ethics of the profession.

2. Demonstrate professional competence by holding positions of increasing responsibility in an environmental engineering field.

3. Contribute to their organizations by serving as liaisons in a bilingual (Spanish-English) environment, performing as effective leaders and as active members of a professional team.

4. Enhance their professional knowledge through a lifetime of continuing education and through the active participation in professional societies

Outcomes

The graduates of the Environmental Engineering Program will have:

1. An ability to identify, formulate, analyze, and solve complex environmental engineering problems by applying principles of engineering, basic sciences, mathematics through differential equations, and probability and statistics.

2. An ability to apply advanced principles and practice to design environmental engineering systems that include considerations of risk, uncertainty, sustainability, life-cycle principles, and environmental impacts to formulate material and energy balances, and analyze the fate and transport of substances in and between air, water, and soil phases in order to produce solutions that meet specified needs with consideration of public health, safety, and welfare, as well as global, cultural, social, environmental, and economic factors.

3. An ability to communicate effectively with a range of audiences.

4. An ability to recognize ethical and professional practice responsibilities in environmental engineering situations understanding the concepts of project management and the roles and responsibilities of public institutions and private organizations pertaining to environmental policy and regulations, and making informed judgments, which must consider the impact of engineering solutions in global, economic, environmental, societal, and sustainability contexts.

5. An ability to function effectively on a team whose members together provide leadership, create a collaborative and inclusive environment, establish goals, plan tasks, and meet objectives.

6. An ability to develop and conduct appropriate experimentation, analyze and interpret data in at least two environmental engineering focus areas (water supply, wastewater management, air pollution, and solid waste management) and use engineering judgment to draw conclusions.

7. An ability to acquire and apply new knowledge as needed, using appropriate learning strategies.

Enrollment

Graduation Data

Curriculum

Curriculum Sequence

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Graduation Requirements

The Department of Civil & Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying offers undergraduate instruction leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E.). To obtain the degree the student must complete the following minimum requirements:

MINIMUM GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

• 15 Credit-hours in Mathematics
• 26 Credit-hours in Basic Sciences
• 21 Credit-hours in Socio-humanistic Studies and Languages
• 13 Credit-hours in General Engineering
• 17 Credit-hours in Civil and Environmental Engineering
• 49 Credit-hours in Environmental Engineering
• 6 Credit-hours in Technical Electives
• 147 Total Credit-hours

PREPARATORY STUDIES

All students that are admitted to the Environmental Engineering Program must show evidence that they have acquired the academic abilities and skills necessary to progress through this major. Those not demonstrating the complete acquisition of these abilities and skills (as reflected by the results of their College Entrance Examination Board tests, results in P.U.P.R.’s placement test, previous university experience, and other tests or criteria) will be required to take preparatory courses. These courses are designed to help the students overcome deficiencies in languages, mathematics and science. These preparatory courses are in addition to the 147 credit-hours of the Environmental Engineering Program. The preparatory courses are the following:

PREPARATORY STUDIES COMPONENT (MAXIMUM OF 37 CREDIT-HOURS)

COURSE TITLE CREDIT-HOURS

• MATH 0102 Preparatory Mathematics 3
• MATH 0106 Elementary Algebra 3
• MATH 0110 Intermediate Algebra 3
• MATH 1330 Precalculus I 3
• MATH 1340 Precalculus II 3
• SCIE 0110 Introduction to Physics 3
• ATUL 0100 Adjustment to University Life 3
• ENGL 0100 Preparatory English 3
• ENGL 0110 English Grammar 3
• SPAN 0100 Preparatory Spanish 3
• SPAN 0110 Spanish Grammar 3
• SCIE 1110 General Biology (*) 4
• SCIE 1111 General Biology Laboratory (*) 0

(*) To be taken by students who have not taken a Biology course in High School.

Civil and Environmental Engineering Courses

CEE 1010 ̶ ENGINEERING GRAPHICS FOR CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS
Four credit-hours. Two-two and half hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: None
An introduction to the field of engineering graphics and descriptive geometry as a design and documentation tool. Topics include orthographic projection, pictorial drawings, dimensioning, feature control symbols, and tolerancing. Use of a computer-aided design (CAD) system to create engineering drawings. 

CEE 1012 ̶ ADVANCED AUTOCAD FOR CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: CEE 1010
Introduction to the knowledge of graphical vocabulary for the preparation of construction documents, including the technical specifications and their development by computer assisted tools. The topics include AutoCAD used as a tool for the preparation of civil engineering construction documents. Use of tridimensional drawings using Sketchup and Civil 3D in the development of grading and presentation technics. Includes the evaluation of technical specifications for the civil engineering area and the relation with the drawings.

CEE 2110 ̶ ENGINEERING GEOLOGY
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: SCIE 1210 or SCIE 1214
Evolution of geology principles through history. The rock cycle. Mineral characteristics and rock formations. Rock types. Rock characteristics and engineering issues. Volcanism. Plate tectonics. Soil formation. Rock weathering. Mass movements. Seismology. Structural geology. Overview of the hydrological cycle. The relation of surface and groundwater hydrology to engineering geology. 

CEE 2210 ̶ PROBABILITY AND STATISTICS FOR CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: MATH 2350, CEE 2310 and CEE 2311
An introduction to the role of probability and statistics in civil and environmental engineering. Fundamentals of probability theory. Random variables. Probability distributions. Functions of random variables. Sampling. Hypothesis testing and confidence intervals. Regression and correlation analysis. 

CEE 2310 ̶ ALGORITHMS, PROGRAMMING, AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: MATH 1370 and CE 1011 or ENVE 1011
An introduction to programming and algorithms applied to the numerical analysis. The most commonly used numerical methods in civil and environmental engineering practice are introduced. Roots of equations, systems of linear equations, curve fitting techniques, numerical differentiation and integration.

CEE 2311 ̶ ALGORITHMS, PROGRAMMING, AND NUMERICAL ANALYSIS LABORATORY
One credit-hour. Two two-hour lecture and laboratory periods per week. Prerequisites: MATH 1370 and CE 1011 or ENVE 1011. Corequisite: CEE 2310
An introduction to programming and algorithms applied to numerical analysis. Programming of numerical methods commonly used in civil and environmental engineering practice, using Visual Basic for Applications within Excel as the programming environment.

CEE 3410 ̶ WATER RESOURCES AND HYDRAULIC ENGINEERING
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENGI 2420, ENGI 2421, CEE 2310, and CEE 2311
Fundamental concepts of hydrology and hydraulics. Hydrologic processes and the elements of the hydrologic cycle. Rainfall-runoff relationship. Hydrograph and unit hydrograph theory. Frequency analysis. Design of storm sewer systems. Reservoir: yield, capacity, and sedimentation. Open channel flow. Performance and design of culverts. Groundwater hydrology concepts. Well hydraulics.

CEE 5002 ̶ CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING PRACTICE
Three credit-hours. By agreement. Prerequisite: Approval of the Department Head
Civil and environmental engineering design procedures are applied to the solution of problems under the supervision of a non-faculty member. The problem may deal with any of the fields of civil and environmental engineering, as determined by the instructor.

CEE 5020 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL LAWS AND REGULATIONS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: CE 4440 or ENVE 4610
Introduction to the technical, economic, political, administrative, and social forces that influence the environmental quality regulations and the use of natural resources. Review of federal and state laws, regulations, and programs enacted to minimize air, land, and water pollution. Review of public participation mechanisms.

CEE 5030 ̶ ADVANCED HYDRAULICS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: CEE 3410
Advanced hydraulics for the design and analysis of systems concerned with the use and control of water, storage, water transmission; design of open channels and pressure conduits. Design of storm and sewer systems. Performance and design of culverts. Sediment transport and sedimentation in reservoirs. Groundwater hydraulics and well hydraulics.

CEE 5050 ̶ CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Three credit-hours. One four-hour lecture period per week. Prerequisite: Approval of the Department Head
Introduction to research methodologies including: title and objectives development, literature review, research justification, experiment or analytical design, and proposal preparation. Open-ended research project in a specific area of Civil and Environmental Engineering.

CEE 5052 ̶ CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH II
Three credit-hours. One four-hour lecture period per week. Prerequisite: CEE 5050
Continuation of the research project started in CEE 5050. Detailed literature review. Research cost estimates. Application of probability and statistics. Selection of instrumentation and tests. Experimentation or analytical development. Results manipulation and evaluation. Development of scientific publication and report presentation.

CEE 5090 ̶ SPECIAL TOPICS IN CIVIL AND ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: According to special topics to be covered.
Special topics in any of the areas of specialization in civil engineering (structural engineering, geotechnical engineering, transportation engineering, water resources engineering, and construction engineering), environmental engineering (water supply engineering, wastewater engineering, air pollution control, solid and hazardous waste management, occupational safety and health, environmental toxicology, environmental impact assessment, and pollution prevention engineering), or related fields relevant to engineering practice.

Environmental Engineering Courses

ENVE 1011 ̶ INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING
One credit-hour. Two two-hour lecture and laboratory periods per week. Prerequisites: MATH 1350, SCIE 1214, SCIE 1215, and CEE 1010
An introduction to the environmental engineering field, presenting to the students a historical background on the profession, as well as basic knowledge on environmental impacts on the atmosphere, soil, and water, and the mitigation technologies available for the environmental engineer. The course includes laboratory activities to illustrate distinct monitoring techniques for impact and compliance assessment, as well as field visits to water and wastewater treatment plants and to solid waste handling facilities.

ENVE 3010 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING OPERATIONS AND PROCESSES
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: SCIE 1230, SCIE 2110, ENGI 2430, CEE 2210, and ENVE 1011
This course presents to the students an interface between the scientific knowledge acquired in previous courses and their applications in environmental unit processes and operations, specifically to physical and chemical operations and processes.

ENVE 3110 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: SCIE 1230, SCIE 2110, and ENGI 2430
Nature, sources, pathways of toxic substances in the environment and their impact on humans and other life forms. Biochemical Mechanisms of toxicity. Cellular mechanisms of environmental causes of disease. Dose-Response relationships. Xenobiotic metabolism. Phase I and Phase II Reactions. Biodegradation and Bioaccumulation. Quantitative toxicology.

ENVE 3210 ̶ FUNDAMENTALS OF AIR POLLUTION
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3010 and ENVE 3110
Definition and general listing of air pollutants. Sources and effects of air pollutants. Federal legislation and regulatory trends. Meteorology. Dispersion of pollutants in the atmosphere. General control methods for particulate matter, gases, and vapors, sulfur oxides, nitrogen oxides and trace metals. Atmospheric photochemical reactions: ozone formation and smog. Emission standards for mobile sources. General odor control methods.

ENVE 3220 ̶ AIR POLLUTION CONTROL DESIGN
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 3210
Engineering principles applied to the solution of air pollution problems. Characteristics and design considerations: a) incinerators for control of VOC emissions, b) fixed bed absorbers, c) flue gas desulphurization systems, d) systems for the control of nitrogen oxides, e) cyclonic devices, f) electrostatic precipitators, and g) fabric filters. Cost estimation methodology in air pollution control.

ENVE 3310 ̶ SOLID WASTE MANAGEMENT
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3010 and ENVE 3110
Sources, types, composition, and properties of municipal solid waste. Solid Waste generation and collection. Disposal of Solid Wastes; the landfill method. Design, operation, and closure of landfills. Control of gases and leachate in landfills. Materials separation and processing technologies. Thermal, biological, and chemical conversion technologies. Recycling of materials found in municipal solid wastes. Solid waste management and planning issues.

ENVE 3320 ̶ HAZARDOUS WASTE MANAGEMENT
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 3310
Definitions and characterization of hazardous wastes. Environmental legislation: TSCA, RCRA and CERCLA. Site Assessment. Partitioning, sorption, and exchange at surfaces. Dynamics of transport away from the source. Approaches to hazardous waste minimization, resources recovery, remediation, treatment and disposal. Design of selected pathway applications. Bioremediation technologies.

ENVE 3420 ̶ DESIGN OF AQUEDUCTS AND SANITARY SEWER SYSTEMS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: CEE 3410
Water demand calculations. Availability of water. Reservoirs. Distribution reservoirs and service storage. Wells. Types of aqueducts. Distribution systems. Analysis of flow in pipeline networks. Head loss. Design of piping networks. Fundamentals of open channel flow. Wastewater sources and flow rates. Design of sewers and sewer appurtenances. Prevention and control of infiltration and inflow. Occurrence and control of the biological transformations in sewers. Selection, analysis, and design of pumps and pumping stations.

ENVE 3430 ̶ WATER QUALITY AND TREATMENT
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: CEE 3410 and ENVE 3010
Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of water. Drinking Water Standards. Water sources. Characteristics and design of the water treatment processes. Rapid mixing, chemical feeding, flocculation, sedimentation, filtration, disinfection, and other operations and processes. Processing and disposal of sludge generated at the water treatment plants.

ENVE 3440 ̶ MUNICIPAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT AND DISPOSAL
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 3430
Wastewater sources. Physical, chemical, and biological characteristics of wastewater. Design of wastewater treatment processes: a) preliminary treatment: screening, coarse solids reduction, grit removal, flow equalization, odor control and coagulation/flocculation; b) primary treatment: sedimentation; c) secondary treatment: activated sludge, trickling filters, stabilization ponds, aerated lagoons, and rotating biological contactors; d) advanced treatment: filtration, adsorption, ion exchange, air stripping, nitrification-denitrification, reverse osmosis, microfiltration and ultrafiltration, chemical precipitation, and phosphorus removal. Disinfection. Post-aeration. Effluent disposal and reuse alternatives. Dissolved oxygen sag analysis. Design of facilities for the treatment and disposal of sludge. The Clean Water Act. Regulatory agencies and their requirements.

ENVE 3450 ̶ GROUNDWATER POLLUTION CONTROL
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: CEE 2110 and ENVE 3430
Overview of groundwater hydrology. Groundwater pollution sources. Pollutant transport and fate considerations. Flow and solute transport modeling. Pollutant source prioritization. Groundwater monitoring, planning and analysis. Groundwater pollution control: physical, chemical, biological and innovative treatment technologies. Groundwater quality management.

ENVE 4460 ̶ INDUSTRIAL WASTEWATER TREATMENT, REUSE, AND DISPOSAL
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 3440
Sources and characteristics of industrial wastewaters. Unit operations and processes used in the pre-treatment or treatment of industrial wastewaters: equalization, neutralization, sedimentation, oil separation, flotation, coagulation and chemical precipitation, aeration systems, air stripping, activated sludge, trickling filtration, rotating biological contactors, stabilization basins, anaerobic processes, nutrient removal processes, adsorption, ion exchange, chemical oxidation, filtration, membrane processes, and land treatment. Sludge handling and disposal. Effluent reuse and disposal alternatives. Regulatory agencies and their requirements.

ENVE 4511 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY I
One credit-hour. Two two-hour lecture and laboratory periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3210 and ENVE 3440
Experiments focused on process monitoring and control as part of the environmental engineering design processes. Include laboratory techniques to determine the properties of water and wastewater. Sampling: collection, storage, and preservation. Tests for physical characteristics: color, turbidity, temperature, and solids content (total, settleable, suspended, volatile, and fixed). Tests for chemical characteristics: pH, alkalinity, hardness, chlorine, conductivity, dissolved oxygen, BOD, COD, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Tests for microbiological characteristics: fecal and total coliform. Meteorological factors measurements.

ENVE 4513 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING LABORATORY II
One credit-hour. Two two-hour lecture and laboratory periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3220, ENVE 3320, and ENVE 4511
This course introduces concepts of experimental design applied to environmental engineering. Experiments include Jar test using different coagulants, Air quality measurements and analysis: CO2, CO, NOx, and SOx the physical characterization of solid wastes, the measurement of chemical properties of soils, activated carbon adsorption, and magnetic carbon preparation, primary and tertiary wastewater treatment tanks design. Experiments on electrocoagulation are designed. Noise pollution tests and metal measurement in water.

ENVE 4610 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3220, ENVE 3320, ENVE 3440, and ENVE 3450
Analysis, evaluation, coordination, and preparation of environmental impact studies. Identification and description of the environmental setting, applicable environmental regulations, impact prediction, evaluation of the impacts, mitigation measures and environmental monitoring. Decision methods for the evaluation of alternatives. Public participation in environmental decision-making processes and environmental justice principles.

ENVE 4710 ̶ POLLUTION PREVENTION ENGINEERING
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3220, ENVE 3320, and ENVE 4460
An introduction to the theory, principles, and practices related to pollution prevention, environmental legislation, resources usage and conservation, and environmentally benign design for products, processes and manufacturing systems. Environmental impacts of waste from manufacturing operations and life-cycle assessment that include post-use product disposal, environmental cycles of materials, sustainability, and principles of environmental economics will be thoroughly covered. Principles of process design and economic analysis are integrated in the solution of improved manufacturing processes, and technologies that can be used to minimize pollution. Environmental Accounting and Financial Analysis of pollution prevention projects are presented to assess the effectiveness of proposed process modifications for capital budgeting considerations and managerial decision-making. Several computer projects involving numerical solutions for modification of process design, waste accountability, resource recovery, and financial accounting models are required.

ENVE 4810 ̶ OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisites: ENVE 3220 and ENVE 3320
System safety. Safety management and regulations. Psychology. Industrial hygiene. Ergonomics. Workers compensation. Accident causation and investigation. Fire science. Hazardous materials. Workplace violence. Training.

 ENVE 4911 ̶ ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT I
One credit-hour. Two two-hour lecture and laboratory periods per week. Prerequisites: ENGI 2260, ENVE 3420, and ENVE 4610
First part of a two-period open-ended design project to correlate all areas of Environmental Engineering to apply, at a high level, the principles of engineering design and science studied in previous courses and to develop awareness of social and economic effects of engineering projects. Projects are equivalent to those normally experienced by a beginning professional. Computer laboratory sessions, oral presentations, and written reports will cover alternatives to be considered at the initial stage of the preliminary design.

ENVE 4920 – ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING SENIOR DESIGN PROJECT II
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 4911
A continuation of ENVE 4911. Second part of a two-period open-ended design project that involves most areas of Environmental Engineering. The project allows correlating the different areas of Environmental Engineering, to apply the principles of engineering design and science at a high level, and to develop awareness of social and economic effects of engineering projects. This second course will concentrate in the detailed analyses and designs required by the specific project, with a clear identification of hypothesis and assumptions, limitations of the study, design criteria, methods and tools, costs, safety, feasibility, and design parameters adopted for each design. Oral presentations and written reports will be used to develop the objectives.

ENVE 5620 – ENVIRONMENTAL AUDITS
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 4610
This course is an introduction to the principles of environmental auditing and to give to the students experience in the use of key methods and techniques. During the course, students will be able to understand the practice behind environmental management systems, gain experience of carrying out environmental management system techniques in the professional environment and conduct an environmental audit with a partner organization.

ENVE 5670 – ENVIRONMENTAL REMEDIATION
Three credit-hours. Two two-hour lecture periods per week. Prerequisite: ENVE 4610
Environmental remediation, design, and applications to emphasize the engineering aspects of using remediation process for the treatment of contaminated soils, sludge, and groundwater. Learn the fundamental techniques for the degradation of hazardous compounds, coupled with design and operational techniques for remediation process. Predict the basic hydrodynamic relationships of contaminant transport phenomena in subsurface environments. Identify the best treatment alternative for each contaminant. Interpret, calculate, and compare alternatives for remediation design.

Laboratories

The Environmental Engineering Curriculum requires the following laboratory courses:

• Two General Chemistry and one Organic Chemistry Laboratories,
• Two Physics Laboratories,
• Environmental Microbiology Laboratory,
• Fluid Mechanics Laboratory,
• Algorithms, Programming, and Numerical Analysis Laboratory,
• Two Environmental Engineering Laboratories.

Two additional courses (Introduction to Environmental Engineering and Environmental Engineering Senior Design Project I) also have laboratory experiences.