Pioneering programs with a bright future!

Civil Engineering has a long and distinguished history. In 1835, the Institute became the first U.S. school to issue a civil engineering degree. Among its graduates are Washington A. Roebling, engineer of the Brooklyn Bridge, Ralph B. Peck, a leader in soil mechanics and George W.G. Ferris, inventor of the Ferris Wheel.

Environmental Engineering has a long tradition at Rensselaer where William Pitt Mason paved the way in the late 1800s with his pioneering work in water analysis. Later, Rensselaer's Edward J. Kilcawley introduced environmental engineering as an option for students and was instrumental in starting it as a degree program in the mid-1950s.