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Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering (College of Agriculture)

Purdue University in West Lafayette

Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering prepares you to understand environmental and economic sustainability challenges.

You’ll learn about ecosystem processes (the water cycle, nutrient transformation processes and biological systems), how human activities such as agriculture affect these complex systems, and how to design sustainable solutions. You will also gain the background in chemistry and biology necessary to understand the influences of contaminants on the environment. Basic engineering principles, as well as some of the newest technological approaches including geographical information systems, finite element analysis, sensor design, hydrologic modeling, and soil and water remediation are applied to solve challenges related to soil and plant environments, surface and ground water quality, air quality, animal environments, and food safety. 

Applying

Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering is a major within the Agricultural and Biological Engineering (ABE) Department. Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering is a degree granted in the College of Engineering, and there are multiple entry paths for students who are interested in ABE majors.

First-time college students may apply to Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering in the College of Agriculture (where they would begin in the pre-ABE program) or they may select First-Year Engineering in the College of Engineering (where they would begin in the First-Year Engineering program). The first-year curriculum is the same for each path.

Transfer students who have fulfilled the first-year requirements of this engineering program may apply directly to Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering in the College of Agriculture.   

Note: The First-Year Engineering Program is the entry point for all beginning engineering students. They must complete the First-Year Engineering requirements before entering the engineering school of their choice. The mission of this student-oriented service program is to advise, teach and retain outstanding students for Purdue's College of Engineering. This core curriculum includes courses in math, chemistry, physics, computer programming, and communication skills, as well as introductory engineering coursework taught in the new Ideas to Innovation (i2i) Learning Laboratory. The First-Year Engineering Program provides students with a firm foundation and initial understanding of engineering and career options to assist them in identifying which of Purdue's engineering disciplines is the right fit. Our professional academic advisors, faculty and student advisors are dedicated to assisting beginning engineers with the first-year experience.

Alumna Spotlight: Nicole Macaluso Millns

Nicole portrait

ENRE ’06
Senior Water Resources Engineer
Wildlands Engineering, Inc.

I bet you love being outdoors. Playing in streams. Taking hikes. Planting trees. You’re probably a science and math whiz, too. And if you’re where I once was, you’re wondering: How can I make the world better and combine that with all of those things I love?

I found the answer in Purdue University’s Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering (ENRE) program.

As part of the Department of Agricultural & Biological Engineering, ENRE offers a holistic and hands-on blend of engineering and environmental science. You’ll learn leading-edge engineering principles and get outside the lab to apply them in nature itself. With your degree, you can help maintain the beauty and benefits of natural resources for generations to come.

Getting lost in a big program can be intimidating. In ENRE, that won’t happen to you. Class sizes are small, so you’ll connect one-on-one with professors who teach amazing stream and wetland restoration courses.

Don’t have an agriculture background? Neither did I. Don’t let it stop you. I met all sorts of people eager to change the world just like me. And Purdue Agriculture has so much good stuff going on that you’re guaranteed to escape your comfort zone and thrive on new perspectives. (Plus, it’s easily the prettiest spot-on Purdue’s campus and you’ll get to break in a state-of-the-art building!)

Today, I find damaged streams and restore them using natural engineering

-based principles. The work we do helps off set the impacts of development to our watersheds, bridging the gap between environmental needs and economic realities. Most of all, my job allows me plenty of time working onsite to collect data and oversee construction of the new stream and wetland designs, and it’s so rewarding to see the positive results of something I love to do.

Plan of Study

Environmental and Natural Resources Engineering, BSAGE
Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering (College of Agriculture) Webpage

Transfer to Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering (College of Agriculture)

Purdue admits to individual majors. Transfer students must meet Purdue's overall transfer criteria, as well as any major-specific requirements. Before you apply, check the closed programs page to confirm this major is open to transfer students. If it is, refer to the information below for major-specific transfer criteria.

Minimum GPA: 2.5 

Additional Requirements: See the Engineering Transfer Criteria page for more detailed course requirements.


Contact Information

Agricultural and Biological Engineering
(765) 494-1172
joinabe@ecn.purdue.edu

College of Agriculture
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Careers in Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering (College of Agriculture)

  •   Federal, state, and local government agencies
  •   Environmental engineering consulting firms
  •   Product engineering
  •   Facilities design
  •   Safety engineering
  •   Forest engineering
  •   Engineering management

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