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Environmental Health

A program that focuses on the application of environmental sciences, public health, the biomedical sciences, and environmental toxicology to the study of environmental factors affecting human health, safety, and related ecological issues, and prepares individuals to function as professional environmental health specialists. Includes instruction in epidemiology, biostatistics, toxicology, public policy analysis, public management, risk assessment, communications, environmental law, occupational health and safety emergency response, and applications such as air quality, food protection, radiation protection, solid and hazardous waste management, water quality, soil quality, noise abatement, housing quality, and environmental control of recreational areas.

Types of Degrees Environmental Health Majors Are Earning

People majoring in Environmental Health have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	18
Bachelor’s Degree	305
Master’s Degree	856
Doctor’s Degree	83

What Environmental Health Majors Need to Know

Studies in Environmental Health build a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that Environmental Health graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing Environmental Health emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Biology — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Education and Training — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 3.5 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

The skill set developed in a Environmental Health program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Abilities

Abilities most relevant to Environmental Health careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, Environmental Health graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.5 / 7
Working with Computers	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.1 / 7
Interpreting the Meaning of Information for Others	4.1 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Environmental Health professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	—
SAS	Analytical or scientific software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
IBM SPSS Statistics	Analytical or scientific software	—
Geographic information system GIS software	Geographic information system	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
EcoLogic ADAM Indoor Air Quality and Analytical Data Management	Data base user interface and query software	—

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Environmental Health graduates include:

• Corrective Therapy Aide Teacher
• Clinical Laboratory Science Professor
• Physical Medicine Teacher
• Anesthesiology Teacher
• Gericare Aide Teacher
• Clinical Laboratory Aides Teacher
• Associate Professor
• Infant Care Teacher
• Surgical Aides Teacher
• Dental Laboratory Technology Teacher
• Clinical Full Professor
• Coding Educator
• Therapy Teacher
• Immunology Teacher
• Professor

What Can You Do With a Environmental Health Degree?

Graduates with a degree in Environmental Health commonly enter the following occupations:

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Health Specialties Teachers, Postsecondary	10.7%	$46,663	$40,304–$53,022
Epidemiologists	3.2%	$87,636	$68,312–$106,960
Climate Change Policy Analysts	7.1%	$46,198	$38,773–$53,623
Industrial Ecologists	8.5%	$83,212	$70,942–$95,482
Medical Scientists, Except Epidemiologists	8.9%	$111,314	$90,148–$132,479
Environmental Restoration Planners	4.3%	$61,737	$51,626–$71,848
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health	3.6%	$90,139	$75,743–$104,536

^{Job-growth = projected employment change for the parent occupation. Source: ONET / BLS Employment Projections.*}

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to Environmental Health graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Master’s degree	39.6%
Doctoral degree	19.1%
Bachelor’s degree	17.5%
Post-doctoral training	14.8%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	3.3%
Postsecondary certificate	1.9%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.9%
Post-master’s certificate	0.4%
First professional degree	0.3%
Some college courses	0.3%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in Environmental Health?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 68.8% of Environmental Health degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	873	68.8%
Men	396	31.2%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of Environmental Health graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	566	44.6%
Asian	137	10.8%
Hispanic or Latino	128	10.1%
Black or African American	120	9.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native	5	0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	2	0.2%
Two or More Races	66	5.2%
Race Unknown	35	2.8%
International Students	210	16.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Environmental Health Graduates Earn?

The U.S. Department of Education tracks median earnings of Environmental Health graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$50,939
4 years	$60,432
5 years	$70,561

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $70,561 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online Environmental Health Programs

Fully online options are documented by IPEDS for Environmental Health. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Bachelor’s	1	4
Master’s	9	4
Doctoral (Research)	1	3

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in Environmental Health Worth It?

Strictly by the federal earnings tracker, Environmental Health graduates earn a median of $60,432 four years after completion — roughly 59% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	Annual Degrees Awarded
Public Health	41,086
Public Health, General	25,004
Public Health Education and Promotion	3,785
Public Health, Other	2,803
Health Services Administration	2,629
Community Health and Preventive Medicine	2,571
Behavioral Aspects of Health	623
Occupational Health and Industrial Hygiene	313
Health/Medical Physics	288
Maternal and Child Health	180
Patient Safety and Healthcare Quality	121
International Public Health/International Health	—

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.