Environmental topics in an engineering education

The nineties are witnessing the beginning of considerations of undergraduate engineering curriculum reforms in many parts of the world. Environmental awareness is growing along with the mounting global environmental problems. It is observed that environmental topics are being incorporated into undergraduate engineering curricula of nonenvironmental engineering programs. Such topics however are either included within the humanities-social sciences courses, or, are offered as technical or nontechnical elective courses. It is proposed that environmental science courses, based upon ecology, should be included in the undergraduate engineering curricula for nonenvironmental engineering students at the sophomore level as compulsory natural science courses. Such courses should then be prerequisites for economics and ethics courses.<>