Ecological Engineering is the design of sustainable systems consistent with ecological principles that integrate human activities into the natural environment to the benefit of both. This approach emphasizes diversity, resilience and adaptation to maintain sustainability. Ecological Engineering deals with both fundamental processes and engineering applications on scales that range from microscopic to watersheds and beyond. This discipline is rapidly developing as an important new area of engineering based on the science of ecological systems, with a number of dedicated journals, national and international professional societies, and new application areas emerging over the last decade. The Biological and Ecological Engineering Department at OSU has considerable expertise in this area and is among the national leaders in this discipline.

ecological engineering skill set may find employment with industrial clients, engineering consulting companies, governmental agencies, and entrepreneurial start-ups.