Environmental engineering is a form of engineering that preserves and heals the Earth, the foundation of our very existence. In other words, it is an academic field whose purpose is improving and preserving the quality of life and natural environments with the promotion of human health, safety and welfare in mind. Environmental engineering is also recognized as a form of human engineering which fosters doctors who are able to heal our planet. In particular, environmental technology (ET) is oriented towards future development as one of the three main emerging industries of the 21st century along with IT and BT, and is a public technology with close relations to national public welfare and social overhead capital (SOC) construction policies.

Accordingly, graduate students at the Department of Environmental Engineering, KU College of Engineering, work on building their expertise in the diagnosis and evaluation of environmental pollution, prescription, remedy, restoration, prevention and resource regeneration through experiments on the integration of education systems, practical learning, design and systematic theoretical knowledge of environmental engineering majors. The department runs flexible, in-depth and area-specific majors able to accommodate the demands of our students and society in addition to the distinct characteristics of the complex and interdisciplinary field of environmental engineering. By offering major programs in related fields, we actively foster students with expertise and who are able to assume leading roles in their chosen field.

The department's objective is to foster creative and distinguished talent with both advanced engineering skills and practical wisdom, allowing them to contribute to the preservation of our planet. Such individuals will be able to demonstrate a globally-oriented sense of challenge, intelligence, and the ability to contribute to the welfare of the nation and humanity through the sound use of science and technology, reflecting the founding philosophy of the University and the educational objectives of the College of Engineering.