An Early Start in Environmental Engineering Academics

Johns Hopkins unveiled their environmental engineering master’s program nearly 30 years ago when it was still a fledgling degree.

Now the program has expanded into three distinct master’s offerings: Master of Environmental Engineering, Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science, and Master of Science in Environmental Planning and Management. These programs are 100% online without any on-campus requirements.

Dr. Hedy Alavi, Program Chair at Johns Hopkins, explained how these programs help their students advance their careers and make a positive impact on the world, environmentally speaking.

Dr. Hedy Alavi, Program Chair, Environmental Engineering at Johns Hopkins

The Three Environmental Master’s Degrees

“Our environmental programs are some of the most comprehensive and rigorous professional programs in the nation. They allow students to focus on disciplines such as environmental engineering, science, planning, and management. Johns Hopkins’ nationally ranked Department of Geography and Environmental Engineering functions as the program committee. They lead the programs and provide students with the vision and guidance they need to succeed,” explained Dr. Alavi.

“We add more courses every year,” Dr. Alavi said. “We are currently developing new online courses such as applications and implications of nanotechnology on the environment, environmental security with applied decision analysis tools, and environmental justice and ethics incorporated into environmental decision-making.”

Though the courses list is extensive and up-to-date (80% are less than 5 years old), there are some gaps in the curriculum. For example, “We need to bring in some environmental health and international policymaking concepts into the program,” admitted Dr. Alavi. “We should also add more interdisciplinary environmental courses.”

Which Environmental Masters should you choose?

Some potential students may wonder which masters they should choose, the engineering, science, or management based program.

It appears that a Master of Environmental Engineering focuses more on the application of science and solution design. Some examples include wastewater treatment plants, air emission control technologies, and site remediation.

However, the Master of Science in Environmental Engineering and Science looks into how fundamental scientific concepts affects environmental issues. There is less emphasis on design and management.  Students cover concepts like fluid mechanics, ecology, and aquatic chemistry.

Finally, a Masters in Science Environmental Planning & Management looks into how the science and engineering affect policy, economics, environmental decision-making, and society. Students learn about environmental impact assessments, law, energy, climate change, global environmental sustainability, and risk management.

Environmental Engineering, the Multidisciplinary Field

The variety of courses offered to the students is important since environmental engineering is a multidisciplinary profession. Students should choose their courses carefully based on their career goals.

The careers students may pursue are highly diverse in subject and occupation. The private sector, public sector, and non-governmental organizations all need environmental engineers, scientists, planners, and managers. They may be studying topics ranging from water and wastewater treatment processes, to solid waste management, to radioactive waste, to air pollution. Typical job titles include design engineers, project managers, researchers, consultants, or environmental specialists. Dr. Alavi even suggested that some of his students end up as environmental lawyers and lobbyists.

“The job market is excellent at this time, but it is cyclical like other professions,” admitted Dr. Alavi. “The market is a function of national environmental policies, regulations, funding, and the economy as a whole. However, students will find competitive salaries with other engineering fields. But the real ‘salary’ is the indulgence of making the world a better place for all.”

Students can also pursue their master’s as a dual environmental degree with an MBA or an economics degree in other Hopkins schools. They are encouraged to take advantage of the flexibility of the program.

Due to this multidisciplinary nature, it is also possible for engineers to enter into the master’s program with little if any understanding of environmental engineering. Those students are required to take the background course, “Principles of Environmental Engineering.” This course teaches the principles and fundamentals needed to ensure that students can talk shop with fellow environmental specialists.

Who should pursue an Environmental Master’s from Johns Hopkins?

Most of the students pursuing their environmental master’s at Johns Hopkins are looking to advance their careers. These students tend to be 25-35 years old. They are working professionals that also bring their external expertise into the class discussions, projects, and designs.

While many other programs are searching far and wide for female registrants, the female population in environmental engineering is thriving. “In our environmental programs, 50% of students are women, which is higher than the ratio in other STEM disciplines,” said Dr. Alavi. “Our field is becoming a great way to introduce more women into engineering and enhance gender equity in STEM.”

Why is Online Learning so Powerful?

“Through the use of advanced interactive learning technologies and online course delivery we have made this academic curriculum accessible to professionals throughout the world,” proclaimed Dr. Alavi.

The courses are focused on interactions. Students will need to go beyond the “learn at your own pace” of online courses and participate in group discussions, projects, and designs. In fact, “these courses are as rigorous, or more demanding, than traditional face-to-face courses,” he explained. To help facilitate these group interactions, classes are limited to 20 students at a time.

Students are able to access the course content using the Blackboard platform. Discussions, examinations, assignments, lectures, and more can all be accessed through the Blackboard portal. However, instructors are free to structure their courses differently.

“We want to minimize grading on exams but this is not mandatory. My courses require exams, but every faculty member can decide how to evaluate students’ performance. Some choose tests, exams, and assignments. Others prefer group projects, designs, research papers, and presentations,” explained Alavi.

Another added bonus to online learning is the potential for international faculty. Johns Hopkins can tap into a large pool of high profile international educators as guest lecturers or full instructors. “We can recruit highly qualified faculty from all over the nation and perhaps the world as they don’t need to be present on campus and attend classes in person. We can therefore expand the faculty as we do the pool of students,” commented Alavi.

Online education also helps working professionals complete their master’s while working full time. “I personally appreciate what these professionals do. They have a lot on their hands and they choose to still take this on and advance their education. I feel this way in particular for environmental engineers and scientists as their aim is to make the world a better place to live in,” said Dr. Alavi.

However, not everyone is accustomed or suited to learning online. “Some of our students wish they were able to learn in a face-to-face format, but that is not feasible for the majority of our working students. Our program used to be 100% face-to-face but now it is 100% online as it grew past the campus. The environmental program was actually the first program to offer online courses in the Whiting School of Engineering at Johns Hopkins University about 15 years ago, and the first to go completely online.”

Why wouldn’t you get any of these Environmental Masters from Johns Hopkins:

• You want to focus on environmental health sciences or environmental policy
• You wish to earn your degree in a traditional on-campus setting

Johns Hopkins University has sponsored promotion of their Environmental Engineering, Science, and Management graduate programs on ENGINEERING.com. They have no editorial input to this post - all opinions are mine.  Shawn Wasserman