The inter-disciplinary graduate program in environmental engineering in the department of civil and environmental engineering maintains and encourages strong interactions with faculty members in other departments, including earth and environmental science, chemistry, chemical engineering, materials science and engineering, and economics. Graduate students are admitted from diverse undergraduate backgrounds, thus enriching the cross-disciplinary spirit of the program.

The graduate program is flexible, accommodating full- and part-time students from a variety of fields, and offering a master's degree with or without a thesis, in addition to a Ph.D. Doctoral students conduct research with professors – and with industry researchers – from more than one discipline and often from other universities and national laboratories.

The research thrusts of the environmental engineering program are directed towards creating new knowledge and finding new technologies to address environmental problems facing society.

Key features of the program include:

• Excellent laboratory facilities that are equipped with the latest in analytical instruments and experimental apparata;
• Strong interaction with industry, including successful alumni;
• Interdisciplinary research projects in aquatic transport of toxins and bacteria, value-added use of waste materials, protection of watersheds, characterization of nano-scale particles, subsurface soil characterization, development of novel adsorbents and membrane processes, product recovery, and others.

Funding for research projects is provided by federal agencies, the state of Pennsylvania, non-profit research consortia, and private industries.

Environmental engineering faculty members are currently taking part in several international projects with developing countries. Graduate students are intimately involved in such projects and often conduct field demonstrations of new technologies.