Engineering personnel who utilize engineering knowledge and technology to identify, solve, or alleviate environmental problems. Environmental engineers typically apply knowledge of chemical, civil, mechanical, or other engineering discipline to preserve the quality of life by correcting and improving various areas of environmental concern, such as air, soil, or water pollution. However, any engineer whose technology is adaptable to solution of environmental problems, generates a need for environmental impact analysis, or affects the quality of life, is included in this term. This term may be used to denote engineering personnel in specific industries, such as mining and quarrying, petroleum production, or petroleum refining, who function at an administrative level to plan and coordinate pollution monitoring activities within a particular industrial framework.

Classifications are made according to area or specialization as industrial-health engineer, nuclear engineer, pollution-control engineer, project manager, environmental research, or sanitary engineer.