Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Environmental scientist education requirements
Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read
There are several educational requirements to become an environmental scientist. Environmental scientists usually study environmental science, biology, or geology. 81% of environmental scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 5,380 real environmental scientist resumes to see exactly what environmental scientist education sections show.
The most common colleges for environmental scientists are the Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania State University.
There are also many online environmental scientist courses to help get the education required to be an environmental scientist.
There are certain environmental scientist certifications that you should consider. These environmental scientist certifications include OSHA Safety Certificate and Geographic Information Systems Professional (GISP).
What education do you need to become an environmental scientist?
What degree do you need to be an environmental scientist?
- Bachelor's, 81%
- Master's, 12%
- Associate, 5%
- Doctorate, 1%
- Other Degrees, 1%
What should I major in to become an environmental scientist?
Most common colleges for environmental scientists
| Environmental scientist common college | Percentages |
|---|---|
| Pennsylvania State University | 10.70% |
| Texas A&M University | 9.11% |
| West Virginia University | 6.55% |
| University of California, Santa Barbara | 6.07% |
| Louisiana State University and A&M College | 5.43% |
Best majors for environmental scientists
| Rank | Major | Percentages |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Environmental Science | 37.7% |
| 2 | Biology | 16.9% |
| 3 | Geology | 11.7% |
| 4 | Ecology, Population Biology, And Epidemiology | 4.8% |
| 5 | Chemistry | 4.4% |
Best colleges for environmental scientists
The best colleges for environmental scientists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
An environmental scientist 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 scientists. 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 scientists.
1. University of Pennsylvania
Philadelphia, PA • Private
In-state tuition
$55,584
Enrollment
10,764
2. University of Southern California
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$56,225
Enrollment
19,548
3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Chapel Hill, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$8,987
Enrollment
18,946
4. University of California, Berkeley
Berkeley, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,184
Enrollment
30,845
5. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
In-state tuition
$55,695
Enrollment
6,596
6. Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$59,430
Enrollment
8,216
7. University of California - Davis
Davis, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$14,402
Enrollment
30,698
8. SUNY Stony Brook
Stony Brook, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$9,625
Enrollment
17,407
9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor
Ann Arbor, MI • Private
In-state tuition
$15,262
Enrollment
30,079
10. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$51,354
Enrollment
7,083
20 best online courses for environmental scientists
Advertising disclosure
1. Environmental Science
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
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. Air Dispersion Modeling for Environmental Management
Environmental management with AERMOD Air Pollution Model by EPA...
4. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system
Understand the requirements for an environmental management system according to ISO 14001:2015...
5. Introduction to Environmental Science
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...
6. Human Health Risks, Health Equity, and Environmental Justice
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...
7. Water Treatment Process Design
design water treatment& RO/NF plants, sand& multimedia filter, iron& manganese removal filter, Ion exchange DI& softener...
8. Design of Water Treatment Systems for Beginners
Learn how to fully design a water treatment system for small to medium scale projects...
9. Sustainable Urban Water Systems
The MOOC “Sustainable Urban Water Systems” aims to provide knowledge about modern and sustainable solutions for urban water management in water-sensitive cities. The focus is on stormwater control and water supply strategies for the mitigation of effects on the water cycles due to human settlements and climate change. In particular, the integration of Nature-based Solutions (NbS) into urban drainage systems, the use of alternative water resources, and the reduction of losses and waste, make...
10. Climate Change and Water in Mountains: A Global Concern
What is climate change ? How are mountain regions affected by the evolution of water resources and their uses ? What kind of risks need to be considered ? Mountains are recognized as particularly sensitive physical environments where intense and rapid changes have in the past, and may increasingly in the future, place pressure on their resource base. In this context, a team of roughly 100 experts worked from 2008 to 2013 for the European ACQWA project (www.acqwa.ch) which was coordinated by the...
11. Cost of Quality Analysis and Reporting using Microsoft Excel
Expertly collect, analyze and present quality cost data (using Microsoft Excel) to help drive continual improvement...
12. Electrical, Electronics and PCB Design Safety & Compliance
Learn the most important aspects and methods for designing safe electrical and electronics products and applications...
13. Women in environmental biology
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...
14. Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: New Paradigms, Technologies, and Applications
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...
15. Compliance Training for Employees
Compliance: a simple, comprehensive and effective way to protect your company!...
16. Groundwater Potential Zones GIS - Complete Project ArcGIS
Also covers, Flood Risk Map, Drought Analysis, Fluctuation from Observed data, Watershed Delineation, Tutorial in depth...
17. Quality Management Systems:Management and Control of Quality
Learn to Build, Implement, and Sustain a Performance Excellence Culture into Your Organisation...
18. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM
Compliance risk management CRM for Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and IS Security Professionals...
19. Quality Management for Business Excellence
Lead Quality Management in the Organization • Transform the Organization to Become the Best-in-Class...
20. The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance
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 scientists
The most affordable schools for environmental scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.
If the best universities for environmental scientists 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 scientists.
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. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York
Brooklyn, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,240
Cost of attendance
13,991
4. California State University - Long Beach
Long Beach, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,798
Cost of attendance
18,306
5. University of South Florida
Tampa, FL • Private
In-state tuition
$6,410
Cost of attendance
20,456
6. California State University - Los Angeles
Los Angeles, CA • Private
In-state tuition
$6,749
Cost of attendance
14,823
7. 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
8. Queens College of the City University of New York
Queens, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,338
Cost of attendance
14,281
9. Lehman College of the City University of New York
Bronx, NY • Private
In-state tuition
$7,210
Cost of attendance
14,359
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 scientists
The hardest universities for environmental scientists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.
Some great schools for environmental scientists 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 scientists 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. Duke University
Durham, NC • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,516
4. Northwestern University
Evanston, IL • Private
Admissions rate
8%
SAT average
1,508
5. Stanford University
Stanford, CA • Private
Admissions rate
4%
SAT average
1,497
6. Harvard University
Cambridge, MA • Private
Admissions rate
5%
SAT average
1,520
7. Johns Hopkins University
Baltimore, MD • Private
Admissions rate
11%
SAT average
1,513
8. Yale University
New Haven, CT • Private
Admissions rate
6%
SAT average
1,517
9. Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN • Private
Admissions rate
10%
SAT average
1,514
10. Dartmouth College
Hanover, NH • Private
Admissions rate
9%
SAT average
1,488
Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for environmental scientists
The easiest schools for environmental scientists to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and d'youville college.
Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an environmental scientist 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 scientists.
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. D'Youville College
Buffalo, NY • Private
Admissions rate
100%
SAT average
1,072
4. University of the Incarnate Word
San Antonio, TX • Private
Admissions rate
88%
SAT average
1,044
5. Curry College
Milton, MA • Private
Admissions rate
93%
SAT average
1,026
6. University of Houston - Downtown
Houston, TX • Private
Admissions rate
83%
SAT average
1,012
7. Kean University
Union, NJ • Private
Admissions rate
86%
SAT average
991
8. San Francisco State University
San Francisco, CA • Private
Admissions rate
72%
SAT average
1,054
9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine
Standish, ME • Private
Admissions rate
84%
SAT average
1,069
10. Cardinal Stritch University
Milwaukee, WI • Private
Admissions rate
71%
SAT average
1,035
Average environmental scientist salary by education level
| Environmental scientist education level | Environmental scientist salary |
|---|---|
| Master's Degree | $66,904 |
| Bachelor's Degree | $61,031 |
Environmental scientist education FAQs
Have more questions? See all answers to common life, physical, and social science questions.
Search for environmental scientist jobs
Updated January 8, 2025
Updated January 8, 2025