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Environmental geologist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an environmental geologist. Environmental geologists usually study geology, environmental science, or geological engineering. 84% of environmental geologists hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 305 real environmental geologist resumes to see exactly what environmental geologist education sections show.

The most common colleges for environmental geologists are the Texas A&M; University and the Texas A&M; University.

There are also many online environmental geologist courses to help get the education required to be an environmental geologist.

What education do you need to become an environmental geologist?

What degree do you need to be an environmental geologist?

The most common degree for environmental geologists is bachelor's degree, with 84% of environmental geologists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 12% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 84%
  • Master's, 12%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Diploma, 0%
  • Other Degrees, 0%

What should I major in to become an environmental geologist?

You should major in geology to become an environmental geologist. 77% of environmental geologists major in geology. Other common majors for an environmental geologist include environmental science and geological engineering.

Most common colleges for environmental geologists

Environmental geologists often get their degrees at Texas A&M; University, University of California - Davis, and Oklahoma State University. Here are the most common colleges for environmental geologists in the US based on their resumes.
Environmental geologist common collegePercentages
Texas A&M University10.00%
University of California - Davis6.67%
Oklahoma State University6.67%
West Virginia University6.67%
University of Louisiana at Monroe6.67%

Best majors for environmental geologists

Best colleges for environmental geologists

The best colleges for environmental geologists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

An environmental geologist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for environmental geologists. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become environmental geologists.

1. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

4. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

5. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

In-state tuition

$53,430

Enrollment

5,963

10. University of California - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$13,226

Enrollment

31,568

20 best online courses for environmental geologists

Advertising disclosure

1. Environmental Science

coursera

The Introduction to Environmental Science course explores the field of environmental science and encourages participants to understand how environmental scientists think. It addresses some important questions such as: 1. What is the difference between environmental science and environmental studies? 2. How do both differ from environmentalism? 3. Why is energy so important in environmental science? 4. What do you mean by biodiversity? You will also explore what global cycles are and how they...

2. Geospatial and Environmental Analysis

coursera

Apply your GIS knowledge in this course on geospatial analysis, focusing on analysis tools, 3D data, working with rasters, projections, and environment variables. Through all four weeks of this course, we'll work through a project together - something unique to this course - from project conception, through data retrieval, initial data management and processing, and finally to our analysis products. In this class you will learn the fundamentals of geospatial and environmental analysis during...

3. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system

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4.4
(4,224)

Understand the requirements for an environmental management system according to ISO 14001:2015...

4. Air Dispersion Modeling for Environmental Management

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4.4
(267)

Environmental management with AERMOD Air Pollution Model by EPA...

5. Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: New Paradigms, Technologies, and Applications

coursera

Cleaning up the large number of groundwater contamination sites is a significant and complex environmental challenge. The environmental industry is continuously looking for remediation methods that are both effective and cost-efficient. Over the past 10 years there have been amazing, important developments in our understanding of key attenuation processes and technologies for evaluating natural attenuation processes, and a changing institutional perspective on when and where Monitored Natural...

6. Introduction to Environmental Science

coursera

To understand current environmental problems, we need to consider physical, biological & chemical processes that are often the basis of those problems. This course will give you the skills necessary to address the environmental issues we are facing today by examining scientific principles and the application of those principles to natural systems. This course surveys some of the many environmental science topics at an introductory level, ultimately considering the sustainability of human...

7. Construction Cost Estimating and Management

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4.6
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Learn the tools used by construction management professionals to ensure their projects finish under budget...

8. Projects Cost Management, Estimating, Budgeting and Control.

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4.1
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Learn how to estimate costs for any project, how to determine budget and how to use Earned Value Management tools. 3 PDU...

9. Human Health Risks, Health Equity, and Environmental Justice

coursera

The fourth and final course of the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health specialization will cover two topics. The first is environmental justice – that is, avoiding an inequitable distribution of environmental health threats in our population, and ensuring a healthy and safe environment and health equity for all. The second is risk assessment and management, a framework that can be utilized to assess and quantify human health risks, and to identify appropriate approaches to...

10. Women in environmental biology

coursera

Have you ever wondered how humans relate to other living beings and what do you need to know to be able to understand current environmental problems? Do you know that many of these researches and knowledge have been described by women? This course gives answers to these questions and it is addressed to anyone interested in the relationship between humans and other living beings, as well as all those concerned about the global change situation that the planet is suffering. We will learn key...

11. Mastering Construction/Project Management

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4.2
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Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

12. IT Project Budget & Cost Management

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4.4
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Project Management tips to manage a million dollar IT Project budget from start to finish...

13. Quantity Surveying Building Estimation BBS with Excel & CAD

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4.4
(1,052)

Quantity Surveying, Construction Estimation ,Quantity survey ,Cost Estimation ,Civil engineering, Building Estimation...

14. Project Management - Complete Guide For A+ Project Managers

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4.6
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Complete guide to project management - stakeholders, planning, cost, quality, risks, feasibility, methods & resourcing...

15. Construction Project Scheduling

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4.5
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Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

16. Project Management: Cost & Schedule Monitoring using EVM

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4.3
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Earned Value Management, Project Management, Cost Control & Monitor, Budget, Schedule & Cost Variance, Performance Index...

17. Groundwater Potential Zones GIS - Complete Project ArcGIS

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Also covers, Flood Risk Map, Drought Analysis, Fluctuation from Observed data, Watershed Delineation, Tutorial in depth...

18. Mastering Agile Scrum Project Management

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Review and master agile development & scrum methodologies for your career...

19. Microsoft Project ADVANCED: Project Management Technics 3PDU

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MS PROJECT 2016 ADVANCED Project Management Techniques -incl Enterprise level. HANDS-ON from #1 BESTSELLING INSTRUCTOR...

20. The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance

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4.2
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A Perspective for Businesses on How to Manage ESG - Why it matters to Financial Performance and to the Economy...

Top 10 most affordable universities for environmental geologists

The most affordable schools for environmental geologists are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for environmental geologists are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for environmental geologists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

5. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

6. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

7. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

8. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

9. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

10. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for environmental geologists

The hardest universities for environmental geologists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for environmental geologists are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for environmental geologists based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

5. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

8. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for environmental geologists

The easiest schools for environmental geologists to get into are Wayland Baptist University, d'youville college, and university of the incarnate word.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an environmental geologist without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for environmental geologists.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

3. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

4. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

5. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

6. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

7. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

8. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

9. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

10. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

Average environmental geologist salary by education level

According to our data, environmental geologists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $70,450 annually. Environmental geologists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $65,612.
Environmental geologist education levelEnvironmental geologist salary
Master's Degree$70,450
Bachelor's Degree$65,612

Environmental geologist education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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