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Environmental science research center director education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an environmental science research center director. Environmental science research center directors usually study environmental science, business, or biology. 62% of environmental science research center directors hold a bachelor's degree, and 18% hold an doctoral degree. We analyzed 90 real environmental science research center director resumes to see exactly what environmental science research center director education sections show.

The most common colleges for environmental science research center directors are the University of Phoenix and the University of Phoenix.

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

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

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

The most common degree for environmental science research center directors is bachelor's degree, with 62% of environmental science research center directors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are doctoral degree degree at 18% and doctoral degree degree at 15%.
  • Bachelor's, 62%
  • Doctorate, 18%
  • Master's, 15%
  • Associate, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

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

You should major in environmental science to become an environmental science research center director. 13% of environmental science research center directors major in environmental science. Other common majors for an environmental science research center director include business and biology.

Most common colleges for environmental science research center directors

Environmental science research center directors often get their degrees at University of Phoenix, Ohio State University, and Lyndon State College. Here are the most common colleges for environmental science research center directors in the US based on their resumes.
Environmental science research center director common collegePercentages
University of Phoenix14.29%
Ohio State University7.14%
Lyndon State College7.14%
University of South Florida7.14%
University of Toledo7.14%

Best majors for environmental science research center directors

RankMajorPercentages
1Environmental Science12.5%
2Business8.9%
3Biology7.1%
4Chemistry5.4%
5Pharmacology5.4%

Best colleges for environmental science research center directors

The best colleges for environmental science research center directors are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

An environmental science research center 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 research center 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 research center directors.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

In-state tuition

$54,568

Enrollment

8,451

4. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

5. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

6. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

7. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

20 best online courses for environmental science research center 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. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system

udemy
4.4
(4,224)

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

4. The Beginners Course for Clinical Research

udemy
4.5
(650)

The Essentials of Clinical Trials - Clinical Research for Beginners...

5. Being a researcher (in Information Science and Technology)

coursera

The course provides a broad view of how to become and progress as a researcher. It spans over a wide range of topics, from the historical development of scientific thought to research methodology, to the pragmatics of publication, research funding, evaluation, and promotion in a researcher’s career. It also stresses the ethical aspects of research. Although the course speaks about scientific research in general, it especially focuses on the field on Information and Communication Science and...

6. AI for Scientific Research

coursera

In the AI for Scientific Research specialization, we'll learn how to use AI in scientific situations to discover trends and patterns within datasets. Course 1 teaches a little bit about the Python language as it relates to data science. We'll share some existing libraries to help analyze your datasets. By the end of the course, you'll apply a classification model to predict the presence or absence of heart disease from a patient's health data. Course 2 covers the complete machine learning...

7. Research Methodology

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4.5
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Academic Research Business Research Thesis & Dissertation Report Research Paper / Journal...

8. Research Methodology: Complete Research Project Blueprint

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4.6
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Research Methodology From A-Z. A Step-by-Step Guide Through Research Design, Data Collection, Analysis, & Interpretation...

9. 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...

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. Data Science Bootcamp 2022: 5 Data Science Projects

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4.5
(745)

Data Science and Machine Learning Masterclass with Python with 5 Data Science Real World Projects...

12. Good Clinical Practice for Clinical Research Professionals

udemy
4.5
(537)

The Complete, Certified ICH GCP (R2 & R3) Course for Investigators, Study Coordinators, Sponsors, Monitors and Study staff...

13. Uncertainty and Research

coursera

This course teaches the fundamentals of scientific research. We approach the research process as a means of systematically reducing uncertainty and demonstrate how conducting a scientific investigation can be posed as an exercise in Bayesian uncertainty quantification. We begin by exploring the scientific landscape to understand the different types of research, where they are conducted, how they are supported, and why each of these types of research is important. We then formalize scientific...

14. Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research

coursera

Welcome! Are you looking to learn more about how to conduct scientific research, specifically in an urban or local context? Then you have found the right course: Studying Cities: Social Science Methods for Urban Research by the Institute for Housing and Urban Development Studies (IHS), Erasmus University Rotterdam. During the course you will gain more insight in the different steps of the research cycle, and build a firm foundation for your own future research endeavors. Before any (urban)...

15. Clinical Research for beginners

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4.2
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The Art of Publishing - Master Pub Med, Study design, Biostatistics, Journal choice, Manuscript writing & Referencing...

16. Cybersecurity: Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst NOW!

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4.5
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Jump-start your cybersecurity career from the gateway to success: A Security Operations Center (SOC) Analyst...

17. Introduction to Translational Science

coursera

Translational science seeks to speed up the process of moving research discoveries from the laboratory into healthcare practices. Numerous scientific and organizational roadblocks can act as obstacles along the path of translation and ultimately hinder the speed of progress in medical research. The National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences (NCATS) was established by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to transform and accelerate the translational research process, with the...

18. Understanding Clinical Research: Behind the Statistics

coursera

If you’ve ever skipped over the results section of a medical paper because terms like “confidence interval” or “p-value” go over your head, then you’re in the right place. You may be a clinical practitioner reading research articles to keep up-to-date with developments in your field or a medical student wondering how to approach your own research. Greater confidence in understanding statistical analysis and the results can benefit both working professionals and those undertaking research...

19. Data Science for Health Research

coursera

In Data Science for Health Research, learn to organize and visualize health data using statistical analysis in programs like R. Explore how to translate data, interpret statistical models, and predict outcomes to help make data-informed decisions within the public health field...

20. Operations Research (2): Optimization Algorithms

coursera

Operations Research (OR) is a field in which people use mathematical and engineering methods to study optimization problems in Business and Management, Economics, Computer Science, Civil Engineering, Electrical Engineering, etc. The series of courses consists of three parts, we focus on deterministic optimization techniques, which is a major part of the field of OR. As the second part of the series, we study some efficient algorithms for solving linear programs, integer programs, and nonlinear...

Top 10 most affordable universities for environmental science research center directors

The most affordable schools for environmental science research center directors are University of Florida, california state university - bakersfield, and california state university - long beach.

If the best universities for environmental science research center 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 research center directors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

3. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

4. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

7. University of Puerto Rico - Mayaguez

Mayaguez, PR • Private

In-state tuition

$4,094

Cost of attendance

14,302

8. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

9. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

10. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for environmental science research center directors

The hardest universities for environmental science research center directors to get into are Stanford University, University of Pennsylvania, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for environmental science research center 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 research center 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. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

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. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

9. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

10. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for environmental science research center directors

The easiest schools for environmental science research center directors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and fresno pacific university.

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

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

4. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

5. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Oklahoma Wesleyan University

Bartlesville, OK • Private

Admissions rate

68%

SAT average

964

9. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

10. Ursuline College

Pepper Pike, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,102

Average environmental science research center director salary by education level

According to our data, environmental science research center directors with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $58,042 annually. Environmental science research center directors with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $37,567.
Environmental science research center director education levelEnvironmental science research center director salary
Master's Degree$37,567
Doctorate Degree$58,042

Environmental science research center 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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