The other option is Environmental Health and Safety Engineering and it is concerned with safe and healthful design of industrial systems such that workers are protected from potentially high-risk exposures associated with today's industries. The program is unique as it is designed to address critical environmental, safety and health problems of the basic industries such as those involved in the extraction, conversion, and utilization of energy and mineral resources. The courses are sequenced so that students acquire an appropriate blend of theory, applications, and design and are equipped with the fundamentals necessary to maintain lifelong professional growth. Graduates are prepared to enter both the private and public sectors as environmental systems engineers or health and safety engineers or to pursue further education at the graduate level.

During the first two years, the program shares many common features with other more traditional engineering disciplines. Students then take a series of special courses that introduce engineering concepts in the extractive and process industries.