In this rapidly, changing technological world, graduate degrees are highly desirable and most often master's degrees are required to hold professional civil and environmental engineering positions in the industry, and in federal, in state and municipal government agencies. The department offers Master of Engineering (M.E.), Master of Science (M.S.) both in Civil Engineering and in Environmental Engineering., and Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) and Doctor of Engineering (D. Eng.) in Civil and Environmental Engineering. The department's graduate programs are designed to educate the technological leaders of the future in civil and environmental engineering, and are structured to accommodate both full-time and part-time students. The specialty areas include: coastal, geotechnical, structural, transportation and water resources engineering in civil engineering, and sub-fields in environmental engineering including water quality, water and wastewater treatment, hydrologic processes, water resources, environmental engineering microbiology, air quality, hazardous and solid waste, and pollution control prevention.