More than seven billion people are packed into the world, with consumption and pollution increasing drastically every year. How can needs for water, sanitation, nutrition and health be met?

Engineering. New ways to provide energy, food, water, transportation, water disposal, health care, environmental clean-up, telecommunication and infrastructure must be created by engineers. Now, MIT offers an online course in Civil and Environmental engineering so more people have access to an engineering education and solution.

MIT’s department of civil and environmental engineering (CEE) teaches students how to create long-term infrastructure without harming the environment. CEE focuses on six main areas of research: smarter cities, ecosystems, coastal zone, water and energy resources, chemicals in the environment, and materials.

The undergraduate core curriculum examines the principles of earth systems and sustainability, fundamentals of solid and fluid dynamics, and incorporates labs that teach students how to plan, design and construct projects.

At the graduate level, CEE runs the two engineering programs, Engineering and Science in Transportation. These programs train engineers to create infrastructure and transportation systems that are environmentally friendly for companies and governmental agencies.

MIT offers 107 online courses in civil and environmental engineering; 34 courses are for undergraduate students and 73 are for graduate students.

– Kasey Beduhn

Sources: MIT, NAE
Photo: EWB MIT