The Pennsylvania State University © 2004
THOMAS H. EBERLEIN, Coordinator, Environmental Programs
Penn State Harrisburg
TL 177 Science and Technology Building
777 W. Harrisburg Pike
Middletown, PA 17057-4898
Degree Conferred: M.Eng.
The Graduate Faculty:
Katherine A. Baker, Ph.D. (Delaware) Associate Professor of Environmental Microbiology
Shirley Clark, Ph.D. (Alabama, Birmingham) Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering
Charles A. Cole, Ph.D. (Rutgers) Professor Emeritus of Engineering
Baikun Li, Ph.D. (Cincinatti) Assistant Professor of Environmental Engineering
Howard G. Sachs, Ph.D. (Clark) Professor of Biology
Yuefeng Xie, Ph.D. (Tsinghua) Associate Professor of Environmental Engineering
This program, offered at the Harrisburg campus, is intended for the engineer who desires a part-time graduate environmental engineering program. Prospective students who do not have an undergraduate engineering degree, but rather hold a baccalaureate degree in a related scientific field (such as chemistry, microbiology, environmental science) may be admitted to the program but may need to take some prerequisite undergraduate engineering courses. This degree program complements the Environmental Pollution Control graduate programs (M.E.P.C. and M.S. in EPC) offered by the same faculty.
A variety of civil and environmental engineering courses are regularly offered, as well as specialty courses in environmental policy, other engineering areas, computer science, and other policy-related areas.
Admission Requirements
Requirements listed here are in addition to general Graduate School requirements stated in the GENERAL INFORMATION section of the Graduate Bulletin.
Applicants are strongly encouraged to present an undergraduate degree in engineering from an accredited program. However, those who possess an undergraduate degree in a related scientific field may be considered for admission; those students will need to take additional engineering courses in order to be adequately prepared.
All students are expected to have an undergraduate junior/senior grade-point average of 3.0 on a 4.0-point system. Exceptions to this minimum may be made for students with special backgrounds or abilities, or other qualifications.
All applicants must provide two copies of all official transcripts of all their previous course work. In addition, applicants must supply a statement of objectives and three letters of recommendation.
For those students for whom English is not their native language, scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) are required; an acceptable score of 560 on the paper-based version or 220 on the computer-based test is required.
International applicants should be aware that processing of transcripts and other application-related information may take considerable time. Applicants must ensure that materials arrive at least three months prior to the start of the semester they first intend to begin studies.
Degree Requirements
A minimum of 30 credits is required for the degree. All candidates are required to take a core course in each of the four environmental areas: air, water, solid waste management, and policy/risk. The program suggests that students take the following courses to meet the first three area requirements:
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (M E)
M E 433 Air Pollution Control (3)
CIVIL ENGINEERING (C E)
CE 472 Water Pollution Control (3)
CE 476 Solid Waste Management (3)
The college regularly offers several courses that meet the policy/risk area
requirement, including:
ENVE 487 Environmental Law, ENVE 569 Environmental Risk Assessment, and P ADM
531 Environmental Policy.
Courses in the degree program may be taken at the 400 or 500 level, but a minimum of 15 credits must be at the 500 level. All students must take at least 1 credit of EPC 590 Seminar and complete a scholarly master's paper. The seminar and the paper count toward the 500-level requirement. All students must complete a total of 30 credits in order to earn the degree.
Graduate courses carry numbers from 500 to 599 and 800 to 899. Advanced undergraduate courses numbered between 400 and 499 may be used to meet some graduate degree requirements when taken by graduate students. Courses below the 400 level may not. A graduate student may register for or audit these courses in order to make up deficiencies or to fill in gaps in previous education but not to meet requirements for an advanced degree.
CIVIL ENGINEERING (C E) course list
CIVIL ENGINEERING (C ENG) course list
ENVIRONMENTAL ENGINEERING (ENVE) course list
MECHANICAL ENGINEERING (M E) course list
The Pennsylvania State University © 2004
The University reserves the right to change the requirements and regulations listed here and to determine whether a student has satisfactorily met its requirements for admission or graduation, and to reject any applicant for any reason the University determines to be material to the applicant's qualifications to pursue higher education. Nothing in this material should be considered a guarantee that completion of a program and graduation from the University will result in employment.
This electronic Graduate Bulletin is a version of the official bulletin of The Pennsylvania State University. It is suggested that users refer to this electronic bulletin when seeking the latest information about the University's academic programs and courses. Printed versions of the Bulletin are also official copies of the programs, courses, and policies in effect at the time of printing.
Blue Sheet Item #: 31-04-132
Review Date: 1/14/03
UCA Revision #2: 7/30/07
DATE LAST REVIEWED BY PUBLICATIONS: 11/21/06