Breadcrumb
School of Engineering
At Humboldt, our Engineering majors build close connections with peers and professors in small classroom settings. They get real-world, hands-on training in projects on campus and in the community. And they gain the experience for a fulfilling career that solves complex problems and makes a difference, locally and globally.
Bachelor's Degrees
New Program
Energy Systems Engineering
Energy Systems Engineering helps prepare students for careers in developing, designing, operating, and analyzing clean energy systems. Through hands-on work on campus and out in communities, our students learn a systems-thinking approach to engineering. Students build computational methods and data analysis skills, get opportunities for applied design work in elective areas they choose, and learn about the necessary climate science and societal context.
Environmental Resources Engineering
In this program we are taking the next step in the evolution of the discipline. We are expanding the definition of environmental engineering so our graduates can create solutions to complex environmental problems that sustain, restore, and protect our natural resources. We look for big picture solutions to energy, water, and ecosystem restoration problems.
Mechanical Engineering
Mechanical Engineering is one of the most versatile engineering degrees and can encompass a focus across a wide range of topics, including environmental sensor design, air pollution control, sustainable power systems design, mechanical and electro-mechanical machine design, fluid handling systems, HVAC and building systems design, and food processing.
Master's Degrees
New Program
Engineering & Community Practice, M.S.
Among the few programs of its kind in the nation, this one-year master’s degree program is designed to develop future engineering leaders who work with and within communities to sustain, restore, and protect our environment. The program is guided by an interdisciplinary approach that draws upon engineering, resource management, and Native/Indigenous knowledges and practices to address environmental issues.
Environmental Systems, M.S.
Environmental Systems is an interdisciplinary Masters of Science program that helps students better understand and shape the complex systems that underpin our society. This degree is not housed under the School of Engineering but is designed for students who have an Engineering degree. Below are three concentrations for furthering your Engineering education.
- Energy Technology & Policy
- Environmental Resources Engineering
- Geology
Minors
An integrated approach to learning by doing
We are reimagining engineering education to support students on their path towards a career in the engineering field of their choice.
- In the first two years, all students who are interested in Environmental Resources, Energy, or Mechanical Engineering will take a core set of foundational courses together. These fundamentals provide a well-rounded basis in natural sciences, humanities, math, computational science, data analysis, and engineering design.
- At the upper division, students will choose a major pathway and complete specialty engineering courses that go deep in that area of expertise. These courses take a project-based approach, providing students experience with hands-on opportunities to learn by doing.
- One more year for a masters: Students who finish their undergraduate degree in Environmental Resources, Mechanical, and Energy Systems Engineering will have an option to continue their education in our new, interdisciplinary Masters of Engineering and Community Practice. Engineering and Native American Studies faculty are combining their expertise to offer this advanced degree.
Real-World Experience
Undergraduates can get hands-on, experiential learning in engineering and design both on campus and in the community. Examples include renewable energy microgrids and water filtration systems—engineering in service of society.
Supportive Faculty
Our small class sizes mean one-on-one support from our faculty, whose expertise and connections will help you establish a solid foundation in engineering.
Career Outcomes
Our graduates are in high demand in a wide variety of fields that are tackling today’s biggest problems, like climate change. Humboldt prepares you to join those disciplines.
Environmental Resources Engineering Alumni
Achievements
Find out what our students, faculty, and staff are being recognized for.
Sayra Montesinos, Sean Ruzicka, Roland Carter and Zander Leigh
School of Engineering
For at least 25 years, students from the School of Engineering have successfully participated in the Consortium for Mathematics and Its Applications (COMAP) annual Mathematical Modeling Contest (MCM) and Interdisciplinary Contest in Modeling (ICM). The contest begins on a Thursday afternoon and ends on the following Monday evening. This year the competition started on January 23, 2025 and over 27,000 teams of up to three students from thousands of universities around the world produced a report summarizing their solution to one of six possible problems.
This year, two Environmental Resources Engineering (ERE) student teams of two students each from the Cal Poly Humboldt School of Engineering entered in the competition. Both teams selected an ICM problem focused on constructing a model to track habitat change from forest-to-farm over time as the ecosystem evolves along with accompanying agricultural choices. The analysis was required to include both natural processes as well as human decisions.
Competing against over 6,000 teams that selected this problem, the ERE team of Sayra Montesinos and Sean Ruzicka was awarded the score of Honorable Mention, with less than 10% of the 6,000 teams receiving a higher score. The ERE team of Roland Carter and Zander Leigh was awarded the score of Finalist, with less than 1% of the 6000 teams earning a higher score. Congratulations to Sayra, Sean, Roland and Zander for their achievement in this extremely competitive event. We appreciate your efforts which bring recognition to the School of Engineering at Cal Poly Humboldt!
Pascal Biwole
School of Engineering
Two research articles were recently published in international journals.
Amer Bakkour, Salah-Eddine Ouldboukhitine, Pascal Biwole, Sofiane Amziane,
Modeling heat and moisture transfer in bio-based wall structures using the finite element method: Application to straw walls in varied climatic conditions, Journal of Building Engineering, Volume 104, 2025
Mahdi Ibrahim, Fatima Harkouss, Pascal Biwole, Farouk Fardoun, Salah-Eddine Ouldboukhitine, Multi-objective hyperparameter optimization of artificial neural network in emulating building energy simulation, Energy and Buildings, 2025, 115643
Pascal Biwole
School of Engineering
Professor Pascal Biwole co-authored the following recently published original research papers:
- Hygrothermal performance of wood-cement walls across various climate conditions, by Amer Bakkour, Salah-Eddine Ouldboukhitine, Pascal Biwole, and Sofiane Amziane, Materials and Structures, Volume 58 (8), February 2025.
- Multiple 3D particle tracking velocimetry for measuring airflow and pathogen trajectory in large indoor spaces, by Mohammed Umar Musa, Pascal Henry Biwole, and André Labbé, Building and Environment, Volume 271, 1 March 2025