Environmental Engineer Fall 2012 - 21

ment levels since the mid-1990’s. MS EnvEng enrollments peaked in the mid-1990’s and have generally declined to nearly half of those levels since, with some exceptions in the past few years. Of 16 universities providing data consistently since 1997, 11 reported declining enrollment ranging from 9 to 65 percent comparing 1997 and 2011. This raises the obvious question: are enough MS EnvEng degree holders being produced to meet employer demand? In the short term economic crisis, perhaps yes, but in the longer term, demand for MS degree holders is expected to exceed supply.

Entry Level Hiring
70 60

% of All Hires

50 40 30 20 10 0 All n=57 Private n=31 Public n=25

BS MS PhD

...are enough MS EnvEng degree holders being produced to meet employer demand?
Reflections from the Conference

Figure 1

Entry Level Hiring Preference
70 60

In discussing the survey results with department and program chairs in attendance, the predominant opinion was that the survey results were not unexpected, and in fact, stronger preferences for the MS degree could have been expected. However, the pressures to perform transformative research, the availability of funding for such research, and the incentive to publish all combine to make focus on the MS degree at research institutions problematic. An observation from the conference is that students and parents are economically challenged and are less likely to opt for another year or two of education to obtain the MS degree. These constraints make obvious the need for employers to assume more responsibility for funding MS candidates.
Fall 2012 | V 48, N 4

% First Choice

50 40 30 20 10 0 All n=57 Private n=31 Public n=25

BS MS PhD

Figure 2
Environmental Engineer: News, Current Events & Careers

Environmental Engineer Fall 2012

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Environmental Engineer Fall 2012