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Environmental program manager education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an environmental program manager. Environmental program managers usually study biology, environmental science, or geology. 69% of environmental program managers hold a bachelor's degree, and 22% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 404 real environmental program manager resumes to see exactly what environmental program manager education sections show.

The most common colleges for environmental program managers are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.

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

What education do you need to become an environmental program manager?

What degree do you need to be an environmental program manager?

The most common degree for environmental program managers is bachelor's degree, with 69% of environmental program managers earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 22% and master's degree degree at 6%.
  • Bachelor's, 69%
  • Master's, 22%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Doctorate, 1%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become an environmental program manager?

You should major in biology to become an environmental program manager. 14% of environmental program managers major in biology. Other common majors for an environmental program manager include environmental science and geology.

Most common colleges for environmental program managers

Environmental program managers often get their degrees at Pennsylvania State University, Marshall University, and University of California - Davis. Here are the most common colleges for environmental program managers in the US based on their resumes.
Environmental program manager common collegePercentages
Pennsylvania State University7.89%
Marshall University6.58%
University of California - Davis6.58%
University of California, Santa Barbara6.58%
University of Phoenix6.58%

Best majors for environmental program managers

RankMajorPercentages
1Biology14.3%
2Environmental Science14.3%
3Geology10.2%
4Civil Engineering7.4%
5Chemistry7.0%

Best colleges for environmental program managers

The best colleges for environmental program managers are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

An environmental program manager 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 program managers. 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 program managers.

1. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

4. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

5. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

6. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

7. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

8. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

10. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

20 best online courses for environmental program managers

Advertising disclosure

1. Environmental Science

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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. 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...

3. Air Dispersion Modeling for Environmental Management

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4.4
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Environmental management with AERMOD Air Pollution Model by EPA...

4. 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...

5. 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...

6. Regulatory Compliance

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Every organization faces a myriad of risks that can threaten its operations, reputation, and bottom line. A robust, effective compliance program can make the difference between companies that successfully navigate those risks, and those that become cautionary tales.\n\nThis specialization will introduce the essential elements of effective organizational compliance by exploring the concepts, considerations, and strategies for assessing risks and managing the compliance function. You will learn...

7. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

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Compliance risk management CRM for Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and IS Security Professionals...

8. Build Powerful Compliance Programs & Prevent Corporate Fraud

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Learn everything you need to know to build an effective and powerful compliance culture and prevent corporate fraud...

9. Introduction to Environmental Science

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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...

10. Municipal Solid Waste Management in Developing Countries

coursera

Have you come across large piles of garbage in neighbourhoods and streets and smelly waste disposal sites polluting the environment of low- and middle-income countries? Do you want to know what kind of sustainable solutions are appropriate to better manage waste and enhance recycling and recovery? If yes, this course is for you! This course provides you with an overview of the municipal solid waste management situation in low- and middle-income countries. It covers key elements of the waste...

11. Compliance Training for Employees

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4.6
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Compliance: a simple, comprehensive and effective way to protect your company!...

12. Technical Program Management

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4.5
(3,910)

This is a course designed for individuals looking to learn about the Technical Program Management (TPM) discipline...

13. Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health

coursera

In this specialization, you will explore how many public health outcomes are directly influenced by human contact with the environment. The four courses in this series will introduce you to the environmental health sciences (EHS) discipline; you'll examine the hazards of air pollution, water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, radon, and noise; identify the major challenges posed by climate change and unsustainable practices; and use risk assessment to evaluate the health of population,...

14. Women in environmental biology

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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...

15. Program Management Course - Program Manager Essentials

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In this Program Management course you will learn the essentials and more to become an effective Program Manager...

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

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

17. Cybersecurity Management and Compliance

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In this course, you’ll learn about data and record management, Information security, standards and policy formation, and implementation. You’ll also explore cloud adoption frameworks and regulatory compliance frameworks. This course will take you one step closer to the Microsoft Cybersecurity Analyst Professional Certificate, which requires no degree or prior experience. After completing this course, you'll be able to: • Explain the principles of cloud security planning • Identify security...

18. What is Compliance?

coursera

Compliance isn’t only about preventing problems and ensuring that everyone is abiding by laws, rules, and regulations. It’s also about the positive impact a robust and ethical compliance program can have on a business or organization. In this course we will discuss why compliance is important – from the needs facing businesses in highly regulated industries to avoiding fines and penalties to preventing reputational and economic nightmares. We’ll examine real-world examples of compliance and...

19. Program Management Fundamentals: The Essentials

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4.4
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In this course you will learn the essentials of program management. Become your bosses boss start this course today...

20. Program Management Interview Course

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4.5
(899)

Learn how to interview for program manager roles at tech companies...

Top 10 most affordable universities for environmental program managers

The most affordable schools for environmental program managers are University of Florida, new mexico institute of mining and technology, and florida international university.

If the best universities for environmental program managers 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 program managers.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

3. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

4. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

8. 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

9. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for environmental program managers

The hardest universities for environmental program managers to get into are Stanford University, Northwestern University, and Duke University.

Some great schools for environmental program managers 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 program managers 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

5. Carnegie Mellon University

Pittsburgh, PA • Private

Admissions rate

17%

SAT average

1,507

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

7. Rice University

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Notre Dame

Notre Dame, IN • Private

Admissions rate

18%

SAT average

1,502

9. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

10. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for environmental program managers

The easiest schools for environmental program managers to get into are Oregon Institute of Technology, the university of texas at el paso, and saint joseph's college of maine.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an environmental program manager 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 program managers.

1. Oregon Institute of Technology

Klamath Falls, OR • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,139

2. The University of Texas at El Paso

El Paso, TX • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,035

3. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

4. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

5. Pennsylvania State University - Altoona

Altoona, PA • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,094

6. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

7. Texas A&M University - Kingsville

Kingsville, TX • Private

Admissions rate

89%

SAT average

1,035

8. Portland State University

Portland, OR • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,111

9. Saint Martin's University

Lacey, WA • Private

Admissions rate

96%

SAT average

1,111

10. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

Average environmental program manager salary by education level

According to our data, environmental program managers with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $80,584 annually. Environmental program managers with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $78,909.
Environmental program manager education levelEnvironmental program manager salary
Master's Degree$80,584
Bachelor's Degree$78,909

Environmental program manager 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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