Quick answer: An online environmental science degree leads to environmental scientist and specialist work, at a median $82,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). It is the direct step up from environmental technician work at $55,090. Coursework delivers well at a distance; laboratory and supervised field methods are the part that does not, so most working-adult programs are hybrid. No general state license gates the occupation.
Environmental Science Degree at a Glance
Metric
Detail
Source
Median annual wage
$82,220
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Wage range
$52,520 (10th pct) - $140,010 (90th pct)
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Employment
89,250 environmental scientists and specialists
BLS OEWS, May 2025
Projected change (2024-34)
4.4%, about 8,500 openings per year
BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34
Typical credential
Bachelor’s in environmental science; master’s for research and senior technical roles
Program catalogs
License
None general. Specific activities may carry state certifications
State agencies
SOC codes covered
19-2041 environmental scientists and specialists; 19-4042 environmental science and protection technicians; 17-2081 environmental engineers
BLS OEWS, May 2025
The Ladder, and Why the Technician Rung Matters
Rung
SOC
Median
10th pct
90th pct
Employment
Environmental science and protection technicians
19-4042
$55,090
$38,170
$94,160
34,670
Environmental scientists and specialists
19-2041
$82,220
$52,520
$140,010
89,250
Environmental engineers
17-2081
$107,110
$69,990
$162,220
38,340
All figures BLS OEWS, May 2025.
The gap between the first two rows is the argument for this degree, and it is unusually clean: $55,090 to $82,220 for work in the same buildings, on the same sites, often for the same employers. The technician collects the samples and runs the monitoring; the scientist designs the sampling plan, interprets the results, signs the assessment and talks to the regulator.
Look at the percentiles as well as the medians. A technician at the 90th percentile earns $94,160, which is above the scientist median of $82,220 - so an experienced technician is not automatically worse off. What changes is the ceiling: the scientist 90th percentile is $140,010, and the roles behind it are project lead, senior consultant and technical reviewer rather than more time in the field.
The occupation is also twice the size of the technician category, 89,250 against 34,670, which is the opposite of the usual shape on this site. There are more scientist jobs than technician jobs, so this is not a narrow door, and the transition does not usually require leaving your employer.
If you already work as an environmental technician, the field experience is the part that most classroom graduates lack, and it is directly relevant on day one. Chain-of-custody discipline, instrument calibration and knowing how a site actually behaves in bad weather are not taught well anywhere except on site.
What Resists Online Delivery
Be clear-eyed about this before enrolling. The coursework splits in two.
Delivers well at a distance: environmental chemistry theory, hydrology and geology, GIS and remote sensing, statistics and data analysis, environmental policy and regulation, toxicology and risk assessment.
Does not: wet laboratory work, and supervised field methods - soil and water sampling technique, chain of custody, instrument calibration, ecological survey protocols. Programs serving working adults handle this with intensive field weeks, arrangements at a site near you, or by crediting documented work experience. That last option is worth asking about specifically if you already do this work, though what any individual school will accept varies.
Ask each program three questions: how the laboratory requirement is met, whether field methods are taught locally or on campus, and which GIS software the program teaches.
Where the Work Is
Environmental science is unusual among technical fields in that its employers are spread across sectors rather than concentrated in one:
Consulting firms doing site assessment, permitting support and remediation oversight, which is the largest single employer type and where most graduates start.
State and federal agencies running monitoring programs, enforcing regulation and reviewing permits.
Utilities and industrial employers staffing internal compliance departments, which is where the technician-to-scientist move most often happens without changing employer.
Water and wastewater operations, where the regulatory framework and the sampling regime are the daily work.
That spread is why the occupation appears in more places than its size suggests, and why relocation is less often required than in, say, mining engineering or marine engineering.
Environmental Science vs Environmental Engineering
The two are frequently confused and lead to different jobs.
Science characterizes; engineering designs the fix. An environmental scientist samples a contaminated site, models the plume and writes the assessment. An environmental engineer designs the treatment system that cleans it up.
The engineering route pays a median $107,110 against $82,220, runs through ABET accreditation, and leads toward the NCEES FE and PE sequence. It is also the heavier math load. See online environmental engineering degree for that path, and which engineering degree fits your trade if you are choosing between disciplines.
For the compliance and safety side of the same subject, employer-facing rather than site-facing, see online occupational safety degree.
Is an Environmental Science Degree Worth It?
The case for: a median of $82,220 against $55,090 at the technician rung, an occupation larger than its feeder at 89,250 jobs, about 8,500 openings a year, employers spread across consulting, government, utilities and industry, no licensure gate, and coursework that suits distance study better than most lab sciences (BLS OEWS, May 2025; BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
The case against: 4.4 percent projected change is modest and mostly replacement demand, the laboratory and field components complicate fully-online study, and much of the employment depends on regulatory budgets and enforcement priorities that shift with policy. The engineering route pays meaningfully more if you can carry the math.
Is college worth it covers the general tradeoff. Individual outcomes may vary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can you do with an environmental science degree?
The direct occupation is environmental scientist and specialist, including health, at a median $82,220 per year across 89,250 people (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Work runs through consulting firms, state and federal agencies, utilities, and the compliance departments of industrial employers. Site assessment, permitting, monitoring and remediation oversight are the common day jobs.
How much do environmental scientists make?
The national median annual wage is $82,220, or the equivalent of a full-time year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The bottom 10 percent earn $52,520 or less and the top 10 percent earn $140,010 or more. Employment stands at 89,250 with about 8,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Can you earn an environmental science degree online?
Partly. Chemistry, hydrology, GIS, policy and statistics deliver well at a distance, and several programs ship sampling kits or use local field sites. What resists online delivery is laboratory work and supervised field methods. Programs built for working adults handle this with intensive field weeks or arrangements at a site near you. Confirm the format before you enroll.
Is this a realistic step up from an environmental technician job?
It is one of the cleanest upgrades on this site. Environmental science and protection technicians earn a median $55,090 and environmental scientists $82,220 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The technician work is the field experience the degree contextualizes, and the sampling, chain-of-custody and monitoring skills transfer directly.
Environmental science or environmental engineering?
Engineering pays more and designs the fix: environmental engineers earn a median $107,110 against $82,220 for environmental scientists (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Science characterizes the problem, engineering builds the solution, and engineering runs through ABET accreditation and the PE licensure track. Engineering is also the heavier math sequence.
Do environmental scientists need a license?
No general state license gates the occupation the way the PE does for engineering. Some specific activities, such as certain site assessments or asbestos and lead work, carry their own state certifications. Confirm what your intended work requires with the relevant state agency.
Is environmental science a growing field?
Modestly. Employment is projected to change by 4.4% from 2024 to 2034, with about 8,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Most of those openings come from replacement rather than growth, which is typical for a mature technical occupation.
What is the difference between environmental science and environmental studies?
Science programs are lab and field heavy with a chemistry, biology and statistics core. Studies programs lean toward policy, economics and social science. Employers hiring for monitoring, assessment and compliance roles generally expect the science version. Check the course list rather than the degree title.
Colleges Offering This Degree
How we rank schools – graduation rate, graduate earnings, cost and retention.
Advertising plays no part.
This page lists 10 schools, closest group first, then ordered by
BOC Score with the highest at the top.
10 of them carry a score.
LOCAL RANK
Location / proximity to this page
Defines the local group
Graduation rate how often students finish
30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry whether it paid off
25%
Average net price what students actually pay after aid; lower ranks higher
20%
Retention rate how many come back for year two
15%
Fully online availability whether you can study while working
10%
Scores come from IPEDS (2024) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.
Earnings are for all graduates of a school, not one program, so treat them as a signal
about the institution rather than about this subject.
Sponsored listings are paid placements and are labelled as such; they are separate from
this ranking and never change it. Read the full methodology.
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 - Environmental Scientists and Specialists Including Health (SOC 19-2041), Environmental Science and Protection Technicians (SOC 19-4042), Environmental Engineers (SOC 17-2081)
U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections, 2024-34
About this guide: Researched and written by the TradeCareerPath Editorial Team. Our editorial team researches and sources every trade school and career guide using federal labor and education data, including BLS OEWS and Employment Projections, DOL apprenticeship records, IPEDS, College Scorecard, and state licensing boards. We follow the editorial standards documented at /editorial-policy/.
