Environmental Engineering Graduate Study

Graduate students may pursue their educational and research interests across departmental lines and draw upon the resources of other departments and schools at Yale. Research and teaching in the program focus on fundamental understanding of the basic chemical, physical, and biological processes underlying environmental engineering and science problems.

Courses and Programs of Study:

Graduate students develop their own course of study and research with the guidance and advice of faculty members in the areas of their research interests. In the first two years of the Ph.D. program students take ten required term courses. No more than two courses should be Special Investigations, and at least four should be outside the area of the dissertation.

Areas of research specialization include: physical and chemical processes for water quality control, aquatic and environmental chemistry, transport and fate of chemical substances in the environment, assessing benign alternative chemicals and materials, environmental engineering microbiology, green engineering and product design, environmental nanotechnology, chemical aspects of wastewater reuse, membrane processes for desalination and water reuse, biological processes for water and energy production, aerosol science and technology, incineration of toxic wastes, industrial ecology, water and sanitation in developing countries, and links between public health, engineering, and sustainability.

Who may apply:

Students with a Bachelor of Science (B.S.) or equivalent degree in any field of engineering and in related areas such as chemistry, physics, geology, biology, mathematics, and environmental science may apply for admission to the Ph.D. Program in Environmental Engineering. Admission to the Ph.D. Program is offered on a competitive basis to highly qualified students who show promise for a successful academic or professional career. Students may also apply for admission for graduate study leading to an M.S. degree in Environmental Engineering. The M.S. degree requires one year of full-time studies (eight approved courses). Part-time students must complete the M.S. degree in four years. Please note that full financial support is offered only to Ph.D. students. However, you can apply directly to the Ph.D. program with an undergraduate degree; a Master's degree is not a prerequisite to attending the Ph.D. program at Yale.

Full financial support is offered  to Ph.D. students.