What is the difference between environmental engineering and civil engineering?

Environmental engineering is, in many university programs, formally a sub-discipline or concentration within civil engineering, and the two fields share deep roots in hydraulics and hydrology. The practical distinction is one of focus: civil engineers working on water infrastructure are generally focused on conveying and controlling water (pipes, channels, structures), while environmental engineers are more specifically focused on water and air quality outcomes and regulatory compliance. In practice, many environmental engineers hold a civil engineering degree with an environmental specialization rather than a separately named degree.

What do environmental engineers actually do day to day?

It depends heavily on specialization. Water and wastewater treatment engineers design and size treatment processes (coagulation, filtration, activated sludge, disinfection) and prepare permitting submittals. Stormwater engineers design detention systems and low-impact development features for developed sites. Air quality engineers model emissions and manage air permitting for industrial facilities. Across all of these, common daily work includes hydraulic/hydrologic modeling, regulatory research and permit preparation, design calculations, and coordination with regulatory agencies.

Do you need a PE license for environmental engineering, and is there a specific FE exam?

Yes to both, in most cases. There is a dedicated FE Environmental exam (distinct from the general FE Civil exam) covering water and wastewater treatment, hydrology, air quality, and environmental regulations, typically taken near graduation. After several years of supervised experience, a PE license — often specifically the Environmental PE — is commonly required for engineers who stamp treatment plant designs, permitting submittals, or other regulated environmental engineering work, similar to the licensure structure in civil engineering.

Engineering·9 min read·July 29, 2026

🌱 What Is Environmental Engineering? A Complete Overview

What environmental engineers actually do — water treatment, wastewater treatment, stormwater management, air quality, and hydrology — the core sub-disciplines, how the field relates to civil and chemical engineering, key tools, PE/FE Environmental licensure, and typical career paths.

📖Environmental & Water Resources Engineering Handbook (Full Access)

View →

What Environmental Engineers Actually Do

Environmental engineering is the discipline of protecting human health and the natural environment by designing the systems that supply clean water, treat and dispose of waste, control air pollution, and manage the water resources that flow through a community — the built infrastructure and regulatory work that stands between raw natural inputs (a river, an aquifer, the atmosphere) and the safe, usable outputs a modern society depends on. If you turn on a tap and drinking water comes out safely, if wastewater from a home or factory doesn't end up untreated in a river, if a construction site's runoff doesn't wash sediment and pollutants into a stream, or if a power plant's emissions stay within legal limits, an environmental engineer was almost certainly involved in designing or permitting the system that made that happen.

Topics covered

what is environmental engineeringenvironmental engineering overviewenvironmental engineer jobwhat do environmental engineers doenvironmental engineering degreeenvironmental engineering careerwater treatment engineeringwastewater treatment engineeringstormwater managementair quality engineeringhydrologyFE environmental examPE environmental licenseenvironmental engineering vs civil engineeringenvironmental engineering salaryis environmental engineering a good career