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Environmental Policy & Sustainability

Colleges offering this major Rankings Trends

What you'll do in college

This interdisciplinary group focuses on how human systems interact with the environment. Coursework blends environmental science with economics, political science, sociology, urban design, and geography. You will learn how to draft environmental policy, design sustainable supply chains, map demographic data using GIS, or analyze the social impacts of climate change.

What you'll do after college

The career path here is rapidly growing as climate concerns reshape the business world. Grads work as sustainability coordinators, urban planners, GIS analysts, environmental lawyers, and policy advisors. They often find roles in tech firms tracking ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) goals, NGOs, or local government planning departments.

Selectivity vs. earnings

By acceptance rate

$52,087
657
100–85%
$52,650
1,573
85–72%
$59,424
1,663
71–22%
$78,446
666
20–0%
Acceptance rate · bar = degree-weighted earnings

By SAT median

$50,620
543
400–1120
$52,325
1,281
1120–1270
$55,195
1,231
1270–1400
$63,974
554
1400–1600
Combined SAT composite median (submitters + non-submitters) · bar = degree-weighted earnings

Earnings vs. selectivity rank

$47,063p10 $67,873p90 Arts Military Female-only Liberal Arts Public University Religious University Private University Public University 1–25 Private University 21–40 Private University 1–20 Art Center College of Design · $75,853 Everglades University · $60,613 Barnard College · $70,932 Muhlenberg College · $59,947 St. Lawrence University · $48,242 University of the South · $58,126 Berry College · $52,206 Furman University · $55,547 Allegheny College · $50,887 Chatham University · $27,483 Graceland University - Lamoni · $53,886 Taylor University · $52,796 Hood College · $54,552 Davis & Elkins College · $58,127 York College of Pennsylvania · $55,657 Guilford College · $47,179 Keene State College · $52,562 Batten University · $52,598 Aquinas College · $69,211 Pacific University · $56,726 Goshen College · $53,805 Hartwick College · $54,822 Cal State Long Beach · $68,028 University of Montana Western · $56,118 University of South Florida · $49,173 Clemson University · $52,586 Florida International University · $42,046 University of California, Davis · $74,836 Stony Brook University · $60,339 Florida Atlantic University · $52,882 University of Connecticut · $53,791 Pennsylvania State University · $53,841 New Mexico State University · $48,906 Tarleton State University · $48,333 Mississippi State University · $51,750 University of Massachusetts - Amherst · $60,051 Frostburg State University · $57,418 Arkansas State University · $45,907 University of Alaska - Fairbanks · $51,283 University of Minnesota - Twin Cities · $53,460 University of Houston · $55,921 Central Michigan University · $46,528 Texas State University · $52,065 Louisiana State University · $57,520 University of Colorado Boulder · $68,017 University of South Alabama · $49,571 George Mason University · $62,841 Indiana University - Kokomo · $50,232 Indiana University - Northwest · $51,120 Indiana University - South Bend · $49,246 Missouri State University - Springfield · $41,766 Montclair State University · $60,095 Northeastern State University · $47,998 Ohio University · $52,099 Temple University · $60,568 University of Delaware · $48,678 University of Northern Colorado · $54,162 University of Oklahoma - Norman · $54,877 College of Charleston · $51,115 University of Vermont · $49,751 SUNY College at Geneseo · $53,500 Michigan Technological University · $54,629 Oregon State University · $52,320 University of Alabama · $48,766 University of Idaho · $51,962 University of Louisville · $50,490 University of Wisconsin - Parkside · $52,090 University of Rhode Island · $53,415 University of Wisconsin - Superior · $49,664 Elizabeth City State University · $45,085 University of New Hampshire · $50,969 University of Oregon · $47,594 Coastal Carolina University · $48,464 Tennessee Technological University · $44,008 Western Carolina University · $42,455 Grand Valley State University · $46,296 University of Nebraska, Lincoln · $49,722 Western Washington University · $59,432 SUNY College at Potsdam · $38,661 Bowling Green State University · $51,456 Cal Poly - Humboldt · $47,629 Colorado State University - Fort Collins · $65,688 Kent State University at Kent · $39,120 Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania · $51,576 University of Utah · $48,354 Michigan State University · $62,537 Stephen F. Austin State University · $50,835 Framingham State University · $54,899 Arkansas Tech University · $48,923 Eastern Oregon University · $51,600 Iowa State University · $57,464 Saint Cloud State University · $53,507 Southern Oregon University · $52,516 Stockton University · $49,205 University of Alaska - Southeast · $55,625 University of Arizona · $49,012 University of Nevada, Reno · $45,248 University of South Dakota · $50,285 West Virginia University · $47,063 Western Oregon University · $54,267 University of California, Riverside · $57,294 University of Wisconsin - River Falls · $53,087 Arizona State University · $55,941 Towson University · $60,755 University of Hawaii at Manoa · $51,882 University of Wisconsin - Platteville · $70,770 Florida Gulf Coast University · $35,067 University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee · $76,170 University of Kentucky · $54,801 University of Montana · $42,981 University of Wisconsin - Stevens Point · $53,081 University of Texas at San Antonio · $48,624 Plymouth State University · $55,855 University of Southern Mississippi · $50,302 Kansas State University · $56,322 Montana State University · $45,564 Southwestern Oklahoma State University · $52,060 Creighton University · $57,303 Messiah University · $49,556 Toccoa Falls College · $47,848 Pepperdine University · $61,387 St. John Fisher University · $54,958 College of St. Scholastica · $61,465 Shenandoah University · $58,793 Loyola University Chicago · $58,902 University of Indianapolis · $55,245 Otterbein University · $55,991 Xavier University · $55,872 Oral Roberts University · $49,328 DePaul University · $53,761 Lubbock Christian University · $49,414 Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute · $67,873 Florida Institute of Technology · $59,266 Thomas University · $49,531 Marist University · $75,821 Jacksonville University · $56,282 Bentley University · $74,877 Hofstra University · $42,858 Hawaii Pacific University · $54,151 University of New England · $62,288 Paul Smiths College of Arts and Science · $50,253 Daemen University · $59,342 Maryville University of Saint Louis · $56,589 Roosevelt University · $54,565 University of California, Berkeley · $88,927 University of Florida · $66,058 University of Maryland, College Park · $65,416 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign · $62,332 University of Texas at Austin · $53,341 Rutgers University - New Brunswick · $57,710 University of Wisconsin - Madison · $59,362 Florida State University · $48,084 University of Tennessee, Knoxville · $53,302 Ohio State University · $51,049 North Carolina State University · $68,454 Washington University in St Louis · $66,527 New York University · $71,849 University of Miami · $55,112 Worcester Polytechnic Institute · $65,837 George Washington University · $65,865 Harvard University · $73,382 University of Chicago · $67,857 Cornell University · $61,505 Vanderbilt University · $73,611 Columbia University · $85,716 Arts: mean $75,853 Military: mean $60,613 Female-only: mean $70,932 Liberal Arts: mean $53,387 Public University: mean $52,545 Religious University: mean $54,987 Private University: mean $58,746 Public University 1–25: mean $61,276 Private University 21–40: mean $65,038 Private University 1–20: mean $72,414 All colleges: p10 $47,063 All colleges: p90 $67,873
Each dot = a college · y = degree-weighted earnings

Majors in this category

Major Colleges Degrees ▼ Male/Female Intl Earnings Employment
Environmental Policy & Sustainability 178 4,559 40% / 60% 3% $57,004 95%
Sustainability Studies 89 1,105 39% / 61% 3% $55,958 97%
Environmental Science and Policy 22 643 36% / 64% 2% $57,528 95%
Natural Resources/Conservation 19 512 40% / 60% 1% $53,205 94%
Wildlife, Fish and Wildlands Science and Management 11 370 46% / 54% 1% $46,213 97%
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy 8 286 42% / 58% 1% $53,549 97%
Environmental Design 9 236 43% / 57% 4% $59,861 94%
Environmental Economics and Policy 2 224 33% / 67% 11% $67,545 94%
Sustainability 12 164 29% / 71% 1% $55,717 100%
Environmental Science and Management 1 132 30% / 70% 13% $74,836 92%
Human Environmental Sciences 1 111 31% / 69% 2% $48,766 89%
Environmental and Sustainability Studies 4 83 46% / 54% 7% $56,754 89%
Environmental/Natural Resource Economics 4 80 44% / 56% 6% $65,198 97%
Environmental Policy Analysis and Planning 1 73 26% / 74% 10% $74,836 92%
Earth, Society, and Environmental Sustainability 1 69 49% / 51% 9% $62,332 100%
Natural Resources Conservation and Research 3 68 37% / 63% 1% $66,898 97%
Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management 6 60 45% / 55% 0% $57,292 95%
Natural Resources and Conservation 7 59 58% / 42% 2% $59,478 99%
Sustainability and the Environment 1 50 28% / 72% 8% $42,046 92%
Environmental and Urban Studies 1 35 46% / 54% 3% $67,857
Sustainability and the Built Environment 1 27 85% / 15% 0% $77,354 100%
Sustainable Environmental Design 1 25 36% / 64% 8% $75,368
Environmental Policy and Decision Making 1 24 38% / 62% 0% $44,703 98%
Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services 1 20 90% / 10% 0% $52,060
Environmental Science and Public Policy 1 19 53% / 47% 16% $73,382
Sustainability, Ecology and Policy 1 19 47% / 53% 0% $49,751 93%
Natural Resources Conservation 4 15 53% / 47% 0% $57,051 96%
Sustainability Science 1 12 8% / 92% 0% $52,992
Environmental Policy 1 11 73% / 27% 0% $60,613 96%
Environmental and Natural Resource Economics 1 10 40% / 60% 0% $53,673
Energy and Environmental Policy 1 8 50% / 50% 0% $55,836
Environmental Economics and Management 1 3 33% / 67% 0% $52,251
Marine Resources Management 1 3 0% / 100% 0% $58,070
Natural Resources Planning and Interpretation 1 2 50% / 50% 0% $47,629 94%
Natural Resources Management and Policy 1 1 100% / 0% 100% $59,183