COVID-19-Related Degree Requirement Changes
For information on how Environmental Systems Engineering degree requirements have been affected by the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 Policies tab" in the "Civil and Environmental Engineering" of this bulletin. For University-wide policy changes related to the pandemic, see the "COVID-19 and Academic Continuity" section of this bulletin.
See the "Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering" section of this bulletin for additional information on the department, and its programs and faculty.
The department offers a B.S. as well as a minor in Environmental Systems Engineering (see following), as well as a B.S. in Civil Engineering and a minor in Civil Engineering.
Environmental Systems Engineering (EnvSE)
Completion of the undergraduate program in Environmental Systems Engineering leads to the conferral of the Bachelor of Science in Environmental Systems Engineering.
Mission of the Undergraduate Program in Environmental Systems Engineering
The mission of the undergraduate program in Environmental Systems Engineering is to prepare students for incorporating environmentally sustainable design, strategies and practices into natural and built systems and infrastructure involving buildings, water supply, 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 three focus areas for more in-depth study: coastal environments, freshwater environments, or urban environments. 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.
Degree Requirements
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Mathematics and Science | ||
| See Basic Requirement 1 and 2 1 | 36 | |
| Technology in Society (TiS) | ||
| One 3-5 unit course required, course chosen must be on the SoE Approved Courses list at <ughb.stanford.edu> the year taken; see Basic Requirement 4 4 | 3-5 | |
| Engineering Fundamentals | ||
| Two courses minimum (see Basic Requirement 3), including: | ||
| CS 106A | Programming Methodology | 5 |
| (or CS 106X) | ||
| ENGR 14 | Intro to Solid Mechanics | 3 |
| Fundamental Tools/Skills 2 | 9 | |
| in visual, oral/written communication, and modeling/analysis | ||
| Specialty Courses, in either | 40 | |
| Coastal environments (see below) | ||
| or Freshwater environments (see below) | ||
| or Urban environments (see below) | ||
| Total Units | 96-98 | |
| 1 | Math must include CME 100 Vector Calculus for Engineers (or MATH 51 Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and Modern Applications), and either a Probability/Statistics course or CME 102 Ordinary Differential Equations for Engineers (or MATH 53 Ordinary Differential Equations with Linear Algebra). Science must include PHYSICS 41 Mechanics; and either CHEM 31B Chemical Principles II or CHEM 31M Chemical Principles: From Molecules to Solids (or PHYSICS 43 Electricity and Magnetism, for Urban focus area only). |
| 2 | Fundamental tools/skills must include:
|
| 3 | A course may only be counted towards one requirement; it may not be double-counted. All courses taken for the major must be taken for a letter grade if that option is offered by the instructor. Minimum Combined GPA for all courses in Engineering Fundamentals and Depth is 2.0. |
| 4 | Basic Requirement 4: Technology in Society (TiS) requirement. |
Urban Environments Focus Area (40 units)
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| CEE 100 | Managing Sustainable Building Projects | 4 |
| CEE 101B | Mechanics of Fluids | 4 |
| CEE 146S | Engineering Economics and Sustainability | 3 |
| CEE 176A | Energy Efficient Buildings | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 176B | 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything | 3-4 |
| Electives (at least two of the 4 areas below must be included with at least 3 units from 2nd area) | ||
| Building Systems | ||
| CEE 102A | Legal / Ethical Principles in Design, Construction, Project Delivery | 3 |
| CEE 120B | Advanced Building Modeling Workshop | 2-4 |
| CEE 130 | Architectural Design: 3-D Modeling, Methodology, and Process | 5 |
| or | ||
| CEE 131C | How Buildings are Made -- Materiality and Construction Methods | 4 |
| CEE 156 | Building Systems Design & Analysis | 4 |
| Energy Systems | ||
| CEE 107A | Understanding Energy (or CEE 107S, Sum. 3-4 units) | 4-5 |
| CEE 176B | 100% Clean, Renewable Energy and Storage for Everything ((if not counted as req'd course)) | 3-4 |
| ENERGY 104 | Sustainable Energy for 9 Billion | 3 |
| CEE 173S | Electricity Economics | 3 |
| or | ||
| ENERGY 171 | Energy Infrastructure, Technology and Economics | 3 |
| or | ||
| ENERGY 191 | Optimization of Energy Systems | 3-4 |
| Water Systems | ||
| CEE 166A | Watershed Hydrologic Processes and Models | 4 |
| CEE 166B | Water Resources and Hazards | 4 |
| CEE 170 | Aquatic and Organic Chemistry for Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CEE 174A | Providing Safe Water for the Developing and Developed World | 3 |
| CEE 174B | Wastewater Treatment: From Disposal to Resource Recovery | 3 |
| Urban Planning, Design, Analysis | ||
| CEE 6 | Physics of Cities | 3 |
| CEE 136 | Planning Calif: the Intersection of Climate, Land Use, Transportation & the Economy | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 275D | Environmental Policy Analysis | 3-4 |
| or | ||
| CEE 273B | The Business of Water | 2 |
| CEE 177L | Smart Cities & Communities | 3 |
| URBANST 113 | Introduction to Urban Design: Contemporary Urban Design in Theory and Practice | 5 |
| or | ||
| URBANST 164 | Sustainable Cities | 4-5 |
| or | ||
| URBANST 165 | (alt. years) | 4-5 |
| ME 267 | Ethics and Equity in Transportation Systems | 3 |
| Capstone (one class required) | ||
| CEE 131D | Urban Design Studio ((or CEE 131E)) | 5 |
| CEE 141A | Infrastructure Project Development | 3 |
| CEE 141B | Infrastructure Project Delivery | 3 |
| CEE 226E | Techniques and Methods for Decarbonized and Energy Efficient Building Design | 2-3 |
| CEE 218Y | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 218Z | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 243 | Intro to Urban Sys Engrg | 3 |
| CEE 265F | Environmental Governance and Climate Resilience | 3 |
| CEE 199 | Undergraduate Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering | 3-4 |
Freshwater Environments Focus Area (40 units)
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| CEE 70 | Environmental Science and Technology | 3 |
| CEE 101B | Mechanics of Fluids | 4 |
| CEE 177 | Aquatic Chemistry and Biology ((or CEE 170)) | 4 |
| CEE 166A | Watershed Hydrologic Processes and Models | 4 |
| or | ||
| CEE 174A | Providing Safe Water for the Developing and Developed World | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 162E | Rivers, Streams, and Canals | 3 |
| Electives | ||
| CEE 162E | Rivers, Streams, and Canals (if not counted as a required course) | 3 |
| CEE 162F | Coastal Processes | 3 |
| CEE 166A | Watershed Hydrologic Processes and Models (if not counted as a required course) | 4 |
| CEE 166B | Water Resources and Hazards | 4 |
| CEE 136 | Planning Calif: the Intersection of Climate, Land Use, Transportation & the Economy | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 275D | Environmental Policy Analysis | 3-4 |
| or | ||
| CEE 273B | The Business of Water | 2 |
| CEE 174A | Providing Safe Water for the Developing and Developed World ((prereq: CHEM 31B) (if not counted as a req'd course)) | 3 |
| CEE 174B | Wastewater Treatment: From Disposal to Resource Recovery ((prereq: CEE 174A)) | 3 |
| CEE 177L | Smart Cities & Communities | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 260D | Remote Sensing of Hydrology (prerequisite CS 106A) | 3 |
| CEE 265A | Resilience, Sustainability and Water Resources Development (offered occasionally) | 3 |
| CEE 265D | Water and Sanitation in Developing Countries | 3 |
| BIOHOPK 150H | Ecological Mechanics (alternate years) | 3 |
| Capstone (1 class required) | ||
| CEE 141A | Infrastructure Project Development (recommended prerequisite: CEE 136) | 3 |
| CEE 218Y | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 218Z | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 199 | Undergraduate Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering (must petition CEE UG Committee for approval, prior to enrollment; must have completed at least 6 focus area classes, excluding Breadth) | 3-4 |
Coastal Environments Focus Area (40 units)
| Units | ||
|---|---|---|
| Required | ||
| CEE 70 | Environmental Science and Technology | 3 |
| CEE 101B | Mechanics of Fluids | 4 |
| And two of the following 4 classes: | ||
| CEE 162F | Coastal Processes | 3 |
| CEE 162D | Introduction to Physical Oceanography | 4 |
| CEE 162I | Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation | 3 |
| CEE 175A | California Coast: Science, Policy, and Law | 3-4 |
| Electives | ||
| CEE 162D | Introduction to Physical Oceanography (if not counted as a required class) | 4 |
| CEE 162F | Coastal Processes (if not counted as a required class) | 3 |
| CEE 162I | Atmosphere, Ocean, and Climate Dynamics: the Ocean Circulation (if not counted as a req'd class) | 3 |
| CEE 166A | Watershed Hydrologic Processes and Models | 4 |
| CEE 136 | Planning Calif: the Intersection of Climate, Land Use, Transportation & the Economy | 3 |
| or | ||
| CEE 275D | Environmental Policy Analysis | 3-4 |
| or | ||
| CEE 273B | The Business of Water | 2 |
| CEE 174A | Providing Safe Water for the Developing and Developed World | 3 |
| CEE 174B | Wastewater Treatment: From Disposal to Resource Recovery | 3 |
| CEE 175A | California Coast: Science, Policy, and Law | 3-4 |
| CEE 177 | Aquatic Chemistry and Biology | 4 |
| or CEE 170 | Aquatic and Organic Chemistry for Environmental Engineering | |
| CEE 272 | Coastal Contaminants | 3-4 |
| BIOHOPK 150H | Ecological Mechanics | 3 |
| BIO 30 | Ecology for Everyone | 4 |
| or | ||
| BIO 81 | Introduction to Ecology | 4 |
| or | ||
| BIOHOPK 81 | Introduction to Ecology | 4 |
| or | ||
| EARTHSYS 116 | Ecology of the Hawaiian Islands | 4 |
| or | ||
| OSPAUSTL 32 | Coastal Ecosystems | 3 |
| or | ||
| OSPGEN 53 | 2 | |
| or | ||
| OSPSANTG 85 | Marine Ecology of Chile and the South Pacific | 5 |
| DESINST 250 | Oceans by Design | 3 |
| ESS 8 | The Oceans: An Introduction to the Marine Environment | 4 |
| or | ||
| ESS 240 | Advanced Oceanography | 3 |
| or | ||
| BIOHOPK 182H | Stanford at Sea (Oceanography portion - only 4 units may count) | 4 |
| EARTHSYS 141 | Remote Sensing of the Oceans | 3-4 |
| EARTHSYS 151 | Biological Oceanography | 3-4 |
| to be taken concurrently with | ||
| EARTHSYS 152 | Marine Chemistry | 3-4 |
| Capstone (1 class required) | ||
| CEE 141A | Infrastructure Project Development | 3 |
| CEE 218Y | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 218Z | Shaping the Future of the Bay Area | 3-5 |
| CEE 199 | Undergraduate Research in Civil and Environmental Engineering (must petition CEE UG Committee for approval, prior to enrollment; must have completed at least 6 focus area classes, excluding Breadth) | 3-4 |
Honors Program
This program leads to a B.S. with honors for undergraduates majoring in Civil Engineering or in Environmental Systems Engineering. It is designed to encourage qualified students to undertake a more intensive study of civil and environmental engineering than is required for the normal majors through a substantial, independent research project.
The program involves an in-depth research study in an area proposed to and agreed to by a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty adviser and completion of a thesis of high quality. A written proposal for the research to be undertaken must be submitted and approved by the faculty advisor in the fourth quarter prior to graduation. At the time of application, the student must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.3 for course work at Stanford; this GPA must be maintained to graduation. The thesis is supervised by a CEE faculty adviser and must involve input from the School of Engineering writing program by means of ENGR 202S Directed Writing Projects or ENGR 199W Writing of Original Research for Engineers. The written thesis must be approved by the thesis adviser. Students are encouraged to present their results in a seminar for faculty and students. Up to 10 units of CEE 199H Undergraduate Honors Thesis, may be taken to support the research and writing (not to duplicate ENGR 202S or ENGR 199W). These units are beyond the normal Civil Engineering or Environmental Systems Engineering major program requirements.
For additional information on the major, minor, honors, and sample programs see the Handbook for Undergraduate Engineering Programs (UGHB).
Honors Program
This program leads to a B.S. with honors for undergraduates majoring in Civil Engineering or in Environmental Systems Engineering. It is designed to encourage qualified students to undertake a more intensive study of civil and environmental engineering than is required for the normal majors through a substantial, independent research project.
The program involves an in-depth research study in an area proposed to and agreed to by a Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering faculty adviser and completion of a thesis of high quality. A written proposal for the research to be undertaken must be submitted and approved by the faculty advisor in the fourth quarter prior to graduation. At the time of application, the student must have an overall grade point average (GPA) of at least 3.3 for course work at Stanford; this GPA must be maintained to graduation. The thesis is supervised by a CEE faculty adviser and must involve input from the School of Engineering writing program by means of ENGR 202S Directed Writing Projects or ENGR 199W Writing of Original Research for Engineers. The written thesis must be approved by the thesis adviser. Students are encouraged to present their results in a seminar for faculty and students. Up to 10 units of CEE 199H Undergraduate Honors Thesis, may be taken to support the research and writing (not to duplicate ENGR 202S or ENGR 199W). These units are beyond the normal Civil Engineering or Environmental Systems Engineering major program requirements.
Environmental Systems Engineering (EnvSE) Minor
The Environmental Systems Engineering minor is intended to give students a focused introduction to one or more areas of Environmental Systems Engineering. Departmental expertise and undergraduate course offerings are available in the areas of environmental engineering and science, environmental fluid mechanics and hydrology, and atmosphere/energy. The minimum prerequisite for an Environmental Systems Engineering minor is MATH 19 Calculus (or MATH 20 Calculus or MATH 21 Calculus); additionally, many courses of interest require PHYSICS 41 Mechanics and/or MATH 51 Linear Algebra, Multivariable Calculus, and Modern Applications as prerequisites. Students should recognize that a minor in Environmental Systems Engineering is not an ABET-accredited degree program.
Since undergraduates having widely varying backgrounds may be interested in obtaining an Environmental Systems Engineering minor, no single set of course requirements is appropriate for all students. Instead, interested students are encouraged to propose their own set of courses within the guidelines listed below. Additional information on preparing a minor program is available in the Undergraduate Engineering Handbook.
General guidelines are—
- An Environmental Systems Engineering minor must contain at least 24 units of course work not taken for the major, and must consist of at least six classes of at least 3 units each of letter-graded work, except where letter grades are not offered.
- The list of courses must represent a coherent body of knowledge in a focused area, and should include classes that build upon one another. Example programs are available on the CEE web site.
Professor Nicholas Ouellette (nto@stanford.edu) is the CEE undergraduate minor adviser in Environmental Systems Engineering. Students must consult with Professor Ouellette in developing their minor program, and obtain approval of the finalized study list from him.
