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Environmental Education

A program that prepares individuals to teach environmental education at various educational levels as a K-12 classroom educator. Includes instruction in foundations of environmental education, instructional methods, and related content knowledge.

Types of Degrees Environmental Education Majors Are Earning

Students pursuing Environmental Education have the option of earning degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	3
Master’s Degree	83

What Environmental Education Majors Need to Know

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

Knowledge Areas

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

• Education and Training — Importance 4.6 / 5; level 5.8 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.5 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Psychology — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Sociology and Anthropology — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.4 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a Environmental Education program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.4 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Instructing — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Learning Strategies — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to Environmental Education careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.3 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.

Common Job Activities

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

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Training and Teaching Others	4.7 / 7
Getting Information	4.4 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.3 / 7
Coaching and Developing Others	4.3 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.2 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.2 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.2 / 7
Working with Computers	4.1 / 7
Developing Objectives and Strategies	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by Environmental Education professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	—
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	—
Email software	Electronic mail software	—
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Blackboard software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Desmos	Analytical or scientific software	—
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	—
Google Docs	Word processing software	—
Padlet	Computer based training software	—
Geogebra	Analytical or scientific software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for Environmental Education graduates include:

• Educator
• Outdoor Education Instructor
• Secondary Education Professor
• Professor
• Educational Instructor
• Education Instructor
• College Professor
• Lecturer
• Associate Professor
• Physical Education Instructor
• Education Professor
• Continuing Education Instructor
• Adjunct Education Professor
• Tenure-Track Professor
• Education Faculty Member

What Can You Do With a Environmental Education Degree?

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

Occupation	Job Growth	Median Salary	25th–75th Pctile
Education Teachers, Postsecondary	2.4%	$98,329	$80,157–$116,500

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

Education Typically Required

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

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	45.9%
Bachelor’s degree	35.4%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	7.0%
Master’s degree	6.7%
Less than a high school diploma	2.4%
Post-master’s certificate	1.6%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	0.8%
Post-doctoral training	0.1%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in Environmental Education?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 75.6% of Environmental Education degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	65	75.6%
Men	21	24.4%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	74	86.0%
Asian	3	3.5%
Hispanic or Latino	4	4.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native	1	1.2%
Two or More Races	3	3.5%
Race Unknown	1	1.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do Environmental Education Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of Environmental Education graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$49,919
4 years	$50,204
5 years	$56,331

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $56,331 — roughly 13% above the 1-year mark.

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

Online Environmental Education Programs

Fully online options is tracked by IPEDS for Environmental Education. 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
Master’s	1	0

^{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 Education Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, Environmental Education graduates earn a median of $50,204 four years after completion — roughly 32% 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
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas	39,881
Teacher Education, Multiple Levels	8,732
Physical Education Teaching and Coaching	6,964
Reading Teacher Education	5,986
Teaching English as a Second or Foreign Language/ESL Language Instructor	5,071
Music Teacher Education	4,544
English/Language Arts Teacher Education	3,018
Mathematics Teacher Education	2,993
Junior High/Intermediate/Middle School Education and Teaching	2,976
Teacher Education and Professional Development, Specific Subject Areas, Other	2,352
Social Studies Teacher Education	1,963
Art Teacher Education	1,860

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.