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Environmental Engineering

Instructional content is defined in code 14.1401.

Types of Degrees Environmental Engineering Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Environmental Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1,858
Master’s Degree	831
Doctor’s Degree	154

What Environmental Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in Environmental Engineering emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Environmental Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

According to O*NET, a major in Environmental Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set built by a Environmental Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

Innate abilities most relevant to Environmental Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Environmental Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Environmental Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Environmental Engineering graduates include:

• Technical Professor
• Marine Engineering Teacher
• Heat Engineering Teacher
• Adjunct Instructor
• Refrigeration Engineering Teacher
• Ship Design Teacher
• Highway Engineering Teacher
• Electronic Science Teacher
• Drafting Teacher
• College Professor
• Adjunct Professor
• Metallurgy Teacher
• Electronics Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Teacher
• Theoretical Mechanics Teacher

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Environmental Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	34.1%
Bachelor’s degree	28.1%
Master’s degree	11.6%
Post-master’s certificate	10.8%
Post-doctoral training	10.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
First professional degree	1.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Environmental Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55% women and 45% men among Environmental Engineering graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,564	55.0%
Men	1,280	45.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Environmental Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,559	54.8%
Asian	207	7.3%
Hispanic or Latino	360	12.7%
Black or African American	86	3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.2%
Two or More Races	121	4.3%
Race Unknown	66	2.3%
International Students	432	15.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Environmental Engineering Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Environmental Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$65,973
4 years	$73,709
5 years	$82,616

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $82,616 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Environmental Engineering Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Environmental Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	2
Master’s	9	8
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Environmental Engineering Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Environmental Engineering graduates earn a median of $73,709 four years after completion — roughly 94% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Engineering	197,615
Mechanical Engineering	42,939
Electrical, Electronics, and Communications Engineering	26,760
Civil Engineering	20,005
Computer Engineering	19,986
Biomedical/Medical Engineering	13,914
Engineering, General	13,411
Chemical Engineering	10,939
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering	9,596
Industrial Engineering	8,533
Systems Engineering	3,956
Engineering, Other	3,529

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.