Declining Enrollment has Water and Wastewater Professionals Concerned

At a time when population growth, changing regulations, and decaying infrastructure are combining to create a greater demand for qualified environmental engineering professionals, fewer students are choosing to obtain advanced degrees in the field. Statistics collected in 2003 and 2005 via a survey of universities across the U.S. show an alarming decline in the number of students enrolling in Master of Science in environmental engineering programs. The master's degree is often regarded as the level at which the professional engineer is well prepared to enter the workforce as a practitioner. A funding program has been established to encourage top students in Civil, Mechanical, Chemical, and related engineering disciplines to enroll in environmental engineering master's degree programs at pre-approved universities. Students receive up to 20,000 toward tuition and expenses.