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Environmental science program director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an environmental science program director. Environmental science program directors usually study biology, environmental science, or general education, specific areas. 61% of environmental science program directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 16% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 59 real environmental science program director resumes to see exactly what environmental science program director education sections show.

The most common colleges for environmental science program directors are the University of California, Berkeley and the University of California, Berkeley.

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

What education do you need to become an environmental science program director?

What degree do you need to be an environmental science program director?

The most common degree for environmental science program directors is bachelor's degree, with 61% of environmental science program directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 16% and doctoral degree degree at 14%.
  • Bachelor's, 61%
  • Doctorate, 16%
  • Master's, 14%
  • Associate, 6%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become an environmental science program director?

You should major in biology to become an environmental science program director. 18% of environmental science program directors major in biology. Other common majors for an environmental science program director include environmental science and general education, specific areas.

Most common colleges for environmental science program directors

Environmental science program directors often get their degrees at University of California, Berkeley, University of California, Santa Barbara, and University of Massachusetts Boston. Here are the most common colleges for environmental science program directors in the US based on their resumes.
Environmental science program director common collegePercentages
University of California, Berkeley8.00%
University of California, Santa Barbara8.00%
University of Massachusetts Boston8.00%
University of Delaware8.00%
National Louis University8.00%

Best majors for environmental science program directors

Best colleges for environmental science program directors

The best colleges for environmental science program directors are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

An environmental science program director 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 science program directors. 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 science program directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. New York University

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$51,828

Enrollment

26,339

8. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

9. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

10. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

20 best online courses for environmental science program directors

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. 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...

3. Computer Science 101 - Computers & Programming for Beginners

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4.4
(1,518)

Understand the basic concepts behind Computers, Computer Science, Programming and Programming Languages...

4. Computer Science 101: Master the Theory Behind Programming

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4.6
(5,377)

Computer Science 101: Learn Computer Science to become a better Programmer and Software Engineer...

5. Computer Science: Programming with a Purpose

coursera

The basis for education in the last millennium was “reading, writing, and arithmetic;” now it is reading, writing, and computing. Learning to program is an essential part of the education of every student, not just in the sciences and engineering, but in the arts, social sciences, and humanities, as well. Beyond direct applications, it is the first step in understanding the nature of computer science’s undeniable impact on the modern world. This course covers the first half of our book Computer...

6. Introduction to Computer Science and Programming

coursera

This specialisation covers topics ranging from basic computing principles to the mathematical foundations required for computer science. You will learn fundamental concepts of how computers work, which can be applied to any software or computer system. You will also gain the practical skillset needed to write interactive, graphical programs at an introductory level. The numerical mathematics component will provide you with numerical and computational tools that are essential for the problem...

7. R Programming for Statistics and Data Science

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4.6
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R Programming for Data Science & Data Analysis. Applying R for Statistics and Data Visualization with GGplot2 in R...

8. CS101 Bootcamp: Introduction to Computer Science & Software

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4.2
(1,036)

A Computer Science & software programming / coding bootcamp for absolute beginners. No coding background necessary...

9. Data Science Foundations: Statistical Inference

coursera

This program is designed to provide the learner with a solid foundation in probability theory to prepare for the broader study of statistics. It will also introduce the learner to the fundamentals of statistics and statistical theory and will equip the learner with the skills required to perform fundamental statistical analysis of a data set in the R programming language.\n\nThis specialization can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS)...

10. Statistical Inference for Estimation in Data Science

coursera

This course introduces statistical inference, sampling distributions, and confidence intervals. Students will learn how to define and construct good estimators, method of moments estimation, maximum likelihood estimation, and methods of constructing confidence intervals that will extend to more general settings. This course can be taken for academic credit as part of CU Boulder’s Master of Science in Data Science (MS-DS) degree offered on the Coursera platform. The MS-DS is an interdisciplinary...

11. Data Science and Machine Learning Bootcamp with R

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4.7
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Learn how to use the R programming language for data science and machine learning and data visualization!...

12. The Data Science Course: Complete Data Science Bootcamp 2023

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4.6
(130,823)

Complete Data Science Training: Mathematics, Statistics, Python, Advanced Statistics in Python, Machine & Deep Learning...

13. Statistical Learning for Data Science

coursera

Statistical Learning is a crucial specialization for those pursuing a career in data science or seeking to enhance their expertise in the field. This program builds upon your foundational knowledge of statistics and equips you with advanced techniques for model selection, including regression, classification, trees, SVM, unsupervised learning, splines, and resampling methods. Additionally, you will gain an in-depth understanding of coefficient estimation and interpretation, which will be...

14. Vital Skills for Data Science

coursera

Vital Skills for Data Science introduces students to several areas that every data scientist should be familiar with. Each of the topics is a field in itself. This specialization provides a "taste" of each of these areas which will allow the student to determine if any of these areas is something they want to explore further. In this specialization, students will learn about different applications of data science and how to apply the steps in a data science process to real life data. They will...

15. The Art of Doing: Code 40 Challenging Python Programs Today!

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Computer Science Through Python Application. Learn by doing...

16. R Programming: Advanced Analytics In R For Data Science

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Take Your R & R Studio Skills To The Next Level. Data Analytics, Data Science, Statistical Analysis in Business, GGPlot2...

17. Python Programming with Data Science

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4
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Learn the most popular programming language: Python!...

18. R Programming Hands-on Specialization for Data Science (Lv1)

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4.5
(539)

An in-depth course on R language with real-world Data Science examples to supercharge your R data analysis skills...

19. Computer Programming for Beginners

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4.3
(829)

Learn the basic concepts of programming using Python and Java Script...

20. Web Development w/ Google's Go (golang) Programming Language

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4.6
(7,319)

Learn Web Programming from a University Professor in Computer Science with over 20 years of teaching experience...

Top 10 most affordable universities for environmental science program directors

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

If the best universities for environmental science program directors 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 science program directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

7. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

8. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

9. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

10. California State University - Fresno

Fresno, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,587

Cost of attendance

16,915

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for environmental science program directors

The hardest universities for environmental science program directors to get into are Harvard University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for environmental science program directors 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 science program directors 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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

2. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. New York University

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

20%

SAT average

1,419

10. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for environmental science program directors

The easiest schools for environmental science program directors to get into are Barry University, wayland baptist university, and mount saint mary's university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an environmental science program director 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 science program directors.

1. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

2. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

3. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. Thomas More University

Crestview Hills, KY • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,099

7. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

10. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

Average environmental science program director salary by education level

According to our data, environmental science program directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $96,798 annually. Environmental science program directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $74,377.
Environmental science program director education levelEnvironmental science program director salary
Master's Degree$74,377
Doctorate Degree$96,798

Environmental science program director 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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