Environmental Science

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Total Degrees
Awarded in 2017

7,996

growing 2.41%

Median In-State
Public Tuition

$6,916

growing 1.8%

Median Out-of-State
Private Tuition

$33,335

growing 1.99%

Average Wage

$68,265

growing 1.52%

People in Workforce

373,404

growing 4.59%

Average Employee Age

40.5

declining 0.827%

About

The locations with the highest concentration of Environmental Science degree recipients are , Charles Town, WV, and Tampa, FL. The locations with a relatively high number of Environmental Science degree recipients are Buzzards Bay, MA, Española, NM, and Goshen, IN. The most common degree awarded to students studying Environmental Science is a bachelors degree.

Natural Resources & Conservation Natural Resource Conservation & Research

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Environmental Science and the types of students that study this field. American Public University System awards the most degrees in Environmental Science in the US, but Northwest Indian College and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Environmental Science.

Tuition costs for Environmental Science majors are, on average, $6,916 for in-state public colleges, and $33,335 for out of state private colleges.

The most common sector, by number of institutions, that offers Environmental Science programs are Private not-for-profit, 4-year or above institutions (290 total). The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded, is Public, 4-year or above (5,560 completions).

Institutions

Institution with the Most Degrees Awarded in Environmental Science

The most common sector, by number of degrees awarded in Environmental Science, is Public, 4-year or above (5,560 completions).

The following chart shows the share of universities that offer Environmental Science programs, by the total number of completions, colored and grouped by their sector.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,916

Median In-State Public

$33,335

Median Out of State Private

American Public University System has the most Environmental Science degree recipients, with 268 degrees awarded in 2017.

The following bar chart shows the state tuition for the top 5 institutions with the most degrees awarded in Environmental Science.

Specialized Colleges

Highest Concentration Institution

Northwest Indian College
10.7%
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry
9.24%
Antioch College
8.7%

Out of all institutions that offer Environmental Science programs and have at least 5 graduates in those programs, Northwest Indian College and SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry have the highest percentage of degrees awarded in Environmental Science, with 10.7% and 9.24%, respectively.

Degrees Awarded by County

Counties with the Most Degrees Awarded in Environmental Science

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest number of degrees awarded in Environmental Science by year.

Growth in Awarded Degrees

Counties with the Fastest Growing Number of Degrees Awarded

This map shows the counties in the United States colored by the highest growth in degrees awarded for Environmental Science.

Employment

Information on the businesses and industries that employ Natural Resources & Conservation graduates and on wages and locations for those in the field.

The average salary for Natural Resources & Conservation majors is $68,265 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Postsecondary teachers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

The industry that employs the most Natural Resources & Conservation majors is Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, though the highest paying industry, by average wage, is Iron & steel mills & steel product manufacturing.

Wages

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

$68,265

Average Wage in Workforce

± $2,649

1.52%

1 Year Growth

± 5.36%

The average salary for Natural Resources & Conservation majors is $68,265 and the most common occupations are Other managers, Postsecondary teachers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

This chart shows the average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

Highest Paying Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

Highest Paying Pumas

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States colored by the average salary of Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

Note that the census collects information tied to where people live, not where they work. It is possible that Natural Resources & Conservation majors live and work in the same place, but it is also possible that they live and work in two different places.

Occupations

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

The most common occupations Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by number of employees, are Other managers, Postsecondary teachers, and Elementary & middle school teachers.

Most Specialized

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

Compared to other majors, there are an unusually high number of Natural Resources & Conservation majors working as Conservation scientists & foresters, Environmental scientists and specialists, including health, and Biological scientists.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

The highest paid occupations by median income for Natural Resources & Conservation majors are Real estate brokers & sales agents, Chief executives & legislators, and Aircraft pilots & flight engineers.

Occupations by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

373,404

2018 Workforce

± 14,984

4.59%

1 Year Growth

± 5.49%

The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.59%, from 357,006 in 2017 to 373,404 in 2018.

The largest single share of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates go on to work as Other managers (5.94%). This chart shows the various jobs filled by those with a major in Natural Resources & Conservation by share of the total number of graduates.

Industries

Most Common

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

The most common industries that employ Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by number of employees, are Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges, and Elementary & secondary schools.

Highest Paid

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

The highest paying industries of Natural Resources & Conservation majors, by average wage, are Iron & steel mills & steel product manufacturing, Internet publishing, broadcasting & web search portals, and Miscellaneous durable goods merchant wholesalers.

Industries by Share

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

373,404

2018 Workforce

± 14,984

4.59%

1 Year Growth

± 5.49%

The number of Natural Resources & Conservation graduates in the workforce has been growing at a rate of 4.59%, from 357,006 in 2017 to 373,404 in 2018.

The industry which employs the most Natural Resources & Conservation graduates by share is Administration of environmental quality & housing programs, followed by Colleges, universities & professional schools, including junior colleges. This visualization shows the industries that hire those who major in Natural Resources & Conservation.

Specialty Locations

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

PUMAS with a relatively high number of Natural Resources & Conservation majors

This map shows the public use micro areas (PUMAs) in the United States where there are a relatively high population of Natural Resources & Conservation majors.

Diversity

Demographic information on those who earn a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation in the US. The average age of a person in the workforce with a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation is 40.5, and the most common degree type these workers hold is a Bachelors Degree. Female employees are more likely to hold Natural Resources & Conservation degrees, and White students earn the majority (5,497) of the degrees.

Workforce Age

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

40.5

Average Age in 2018

± 0.516 Years

0.827%

1 Year Change

± 1.84%

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Natural Resources & Conservation. The most common ages of employees with this major are 26 and 27 years old, which represent 3.89% and 3.84% of the population, respectively.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Environmental Science are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Workforce Degrees

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

The most common degree types held by the working population in Natural Resources & Conservation are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Doctorate degree.

Gender Imbalance for Common Institutions

Female (52.2%)

Most Common Gender with a Degree in this Field

This chart shows the granted degrees by gender at the 5 institutions that graduate the most students in Environmental Science.

Race & Ethnicity by Degrees Awarded

Most Common Race or Ethnicity

White
5,497 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino
780 degrees awarded
Asian
405 degrees awarded

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Environmental Science for each race & ethnicity. White students earned the largest share of the degrees with this major.

Race & Ethnicity by Gender

Most Common Race/Ethnicity and Gender Combination

White Female
2,279 degrees awarded
White Male
2,248 degrees awarded
Hispanic or Latino Female
352 degrees awarded

This chart illustrates the differences by gender for each race & ethnicity of Bachelors Degree recipients in Environmental Science. White Female students, who earn most of the degrees in this field, are the most common combination of race/ethnicity and gender.

Global Diversity

The closest comparable data for the 6 Digit Course Environmental Science is from the 2 Digit Course Natural Resources & Conservation.

Most Common Countries of Origin

China
1,898 degree recipients
Mexico
1,645 degree recipients
Canada
1,553 degree recipients

High Relative Number of Students

Nepal
12.7 times more than expected
France
6.98 times more than expected
Taiwan
4.3 times more than expected

There are a relatively high number of people that were born in Nepal that hold Natural Resources & Conservation degrees (12.7 times more than expected), and the most common country of origin by total numbers for non-US students earning a degree in this field is China (1,898 degree recipients).

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Environmental Science field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Environmental Science majors need many skills, but most especially Reading Comprehension. The revealed comparative advantage (RCA) shows that Environmental Science majors need more than the average amount of Science, Management of Material Resources, and Mathematics.

These two visualizations, one a radial chart and one a bar chart, show the same information, a rating of how necessary the following skills are for Environmental Science majors. Toggle between "value" and "RCA" to see the absolute rating of that skill (value) and the revealed comparative advantage (RCA), or how much greater or lesser that skill's rating is than the average. The longer the bar or the closer the line comes to the circumference of the circle, the more important that skill is. The importance of Science is very distinctive for majors, but the Reading Comprehension, Writing, and Speaking are the three most important skills for people in the field.