Learn about irrigation, hydrology, drainage, soil erosion and the effects on stream quality resulting from agricultural and other land uses. Help develop more efficient ways to use soil and water and reduce pollution.
Our graduates work for consulting firms, manufacturers, and local, state, and federal government agencies.
Courses in math, soils and fluid mechanics prepare you to take on more advanced courses in hydrology, irrigation design, environmental water quality and pollutant cycling in the environment. Much of your education takes place in labs. Experiment with the natural cycle of water in watersheds. Work in teams on stream monitoring and water quality analysis in the laboratory. Use state-of-the-art software programs, geographic information systems (GIS) and global positioning systems to simulate water and pollutant flows in the environment.
In your senior year, you will draw on everything you’ve learned to solve a real-world problem for a client. You and your classmates might design an economical instrument to automate stream water sampling, build an irrigation system in El Salvador, or create a sediment trap for a large research flume at the Center for Ecohydraulics Research. Present your findings at the University of Idaho Engineering Expo where future employers judge student projects.
Students are encouraged to complete an internship the summer between their junior and senior year, and many conduct research with professors in biological and agricultural engineering.