Back
Environmental Science
What you'll do in college
These majors bridge the physical and biological sciences to study ecosystems, conservation, and resource management. Coursework combines biology, chemistry, ecology, and data science. Field work involves getting your hands dirty: sampling water quality in local watersheds, monitoring forest health, restoring degraded habitats, or testing agricultural soils.
What you'll do after college
Graduates are highly sought after by environmental protection agencies (like the EPA or state equivalents), conservation nonprofits, agricultural sectors, and environmental consulting firms. Their day-to-day might involve ecological surveying, ensuring regulatory compliance, managing land or water resources, or running environmental toxicity tests.
Famous graduates
- M. Sanjayan - CEO of Conservation International, B.S. in Environmental Science from the University of Oregon
Selectivity vs. earnings
By acceptance rate
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings
By SAT median
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings
Earnings vs. selectivity rank
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings
Majors in this category
| Major | Colleges | Degrees ▼ | Male/Female | Intl | Earnings | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Environmental Science | 712 | 15,633 | 36% / 64% | 2% | $54,130 | 95% |
| Environmental Science | 441 | 6,426 | 37% / 63% | 2% | $53,731 | 95% |
| Environmental Studies | 368 | 6,170 | 34% / 66% | 2% | $53,226 | 95% |
| Natural Sciences | 61 | 702 | 29% / 71% | 5% | $54,903 | 94% |
| Natural Resources | 11 | 415 | 45% / 55% | 0% | $49,681 | 97% |
| Environmental Sciences | 9 | 335 | 30% / 70% | 2% | $58,277 | 94% |
| Natural Resources Management | 23 | 286 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $55,121 | 98% |
| Environmental Science and Resource Management | 1 | 155 | 27% / 73% | 6% | $51,900 | 91% |
| Environment | 1 | 118 | 15% / 85% | 1% | $59,488 | 92% |
| Environmental Geosciences | 8 | 104 | 32% / 68% | 0% | $59,433 | 98% |
| Environmental and Resource Management | 1 | 95 | 32% / 68% | 1% | $59,517 | 92% |
| Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences | 1 | 84 | 48% / 52% | 5% | $59,352 | 91% |
| Conservation and Resource Studies | 1 | 79 | 27% / 73% | 11% | $78,676 | 92% |
| Environmental Resource Science | 1 | 79 | 34% / 66% | 9% | $68,135 | 92% |
| Natural Resource Conservation | 1 | 78 | 36% / 64% | 1% | $55,177 | 97% |
| Natural Science | 5 | 75 | 39% / 61% | 3% | $62,524 | 100% |
| Ecological Restoration | 1 | 51 | 37% / 63% | 2% | $66,140 | 96% |
| Natural Resources and Environmental Science | 1 | 39 | 28% / 72% | 0% | $71,228 | 91% |
| Environmental and Natural Resources | 1 | 38 | 39% / 61% | 0% | $46,523 | 98% |
| Environmental, Geographical, and Geological Sciences | 1 | 38 | 63% / 37% | 0% | $55,606 | 96% |
| Environmental and Natural Resources Management | 2 | 31 | 68% / 32% | 0% | $52,129 | 98% |
| Marine and Environmental Sciences | 1 | 29 | 24% / 76% | 7% | $64,599 | |
| Natural Resources Law Enforcement | 1 | 25 | 80% / 20% | 0% | $55,892 | 98% |
| Marine Science, Safety, and Environmental Protection | 1 | 22 | 64% / 36% | 0% | $71,447 | 100% |
| Environmental Systems Science | 1 | 21 | 48% / 52% | 0% | $52,238 | 97% |
| Natural Resource Management | 2 | 20 | 60% / 40% | 0% | $49,852 | |
| Renewable Natural Resources | 1 | 19 | 32% / 68% | 0% | $71,841 | 96% |
| Environmental Resource Management | 3 | 17 | 71% / 29% | 0% | $58,758 | 93% |
| Environmental Management | 2 | 17 | 59% / 41% | 0% | $54,382 | 98% |
| Environmental Horticulture | 1 | 14 | 43% / 57% | 7% | $50,514 | 100% |
| Environmental Toxicology | 1 | 13 | 54% / 46% | 0% | $66,777 | 100% |
| Wood Science | 3 | 10 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $62,714 | 94% |
| Environment and Natural Resources | 1 | 10 | 30% / 70% | 0% | $52,238 | 97% |
| Environmental Sustainability | 1 | 9 | 33% / 67% | 0% | $53,158 | 100% |
| Environmental Analysis | 1 | 6 | 50% / 50% | 0% | $62,464 | |
| Water Resources Science | 1 | 3 | 0% / 100% | 0% | $53,082 |