Advancing the Quality of Education

Curricula Accreditation

The American Academy of Environmental Engineers and Scientists® is the lead society for environmental engineering and environmental science education program accreditation. It is a full partner in the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET), which accredits all engineering curricula. Setting and enforcing program guidelines ensures that persons attending accredited programs receive an education consistent with the needs of the profession.

Education Needs

Defining the ever-changing needs of environmental engineering and environmental science education is accomplished by the Academy in partnership with the Association of Environmental Engineering & Science Professors and the American Society for Engineering Education. Periodically, these organizations conduct workshops for educators and practitioners to forecast future environmental engineering and environmental science education needs and develop guidance for curricula content.

Kappe Lecture

Environmental engineering requires both formal course work and practical experience. The Academy's annual Kappe Lecture Series brings a recognized environmental engineering practitioner to university campuses across the United States. This professional is selected from the cadre of the Academy's Board Certified Environmental Engineers and Board Certified Environmental Engineering Members. During two-day campus visits, the practitioner presents formal lectures and engages in informal discussions with undergraduate and graduate students to supplement their training with real-world, up-to-date information about the practice of environmental engineering.

Tau Chi Alpha

The objective of Tau Chi Alpha is to advance the environmental engineering profession by identifying and placing a mark of distinction on those environmental engineering students and engineers who have demonstrated high scholastic achievement, ethical character, practicality, and sociability or significant achievement in environmental engineering profession.