BestOnlineCollege.org is an advertising-supported website. Many of the school and program listings that appear on this site are from partners who compensate us, and this compensation may affect how, where, and in what order listings appear (such as featured placements). This compensation does not influence our editorial content, evaluations, or rankings, which are determined independently using publicly available data. We do not review or feature every school or program available in the marketplace. Our goal is to provide accurate, unbiased information so you can make informed decisions. Read our full Advertiser Disclosure.
Best Environmental Policy Schools Near Chesapeake, VA (2026)
Updated September 7, 2026BLS dataCollege ScorecardOn this page
Chesapeake, Virginia is home to about 251,153 residents. Median household income is $94,189 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 36.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area, the top-earning environmental policy-related role is Natural Sciences Managers at a median $128,340 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Policy Schools to Chesapeake
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental policy programs near Chesapeake, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Chesapeake city center. The list is rebuilt from federal IPEDS data on every site update.
How We Rank Schools
Every school list on this site is ordered by the BOC Score, computed from the most
recent school-level data published by the U.S. Department of Education (College Scorecard and IPEDS).
To qualify, a school must be currently operating and accredited by an agency recognized by the
U.S. Department of Education. Each eligible school is then scored on five measures, percentile-ranked
against schools at the same credential level:
BOCSCORE
Graduation rate 30%
Median earnings, 10 years after entry 25%
Average net price (lower is better) 20%
Retention rate 15%
Fully online availability 10%
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score.
On this page, schools are ordered by distance from Chesapeake.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
BOC
Ranked by BOC Score — U.S. Dept. of Education outcome data. Advertising never affects rankings.
Sort:
#1
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
Chesapeake is part of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area (BLS area code 47260). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to Virginia statewide.
Occupation
Median Wage
Source
COL-Adjusted (US=100)
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
$78,600
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$80,286
Compliance Officers
$78,330
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$80,010
Management Analysts
$101,380
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$103,555
Economists
$103,600
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$105,822
Political Scientists
N/A
VA statewide
–
Conservation Scientists
$63,790
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$65,158
Natural Sciences Managers
$128,340
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$131,093
Environmental Engineers
$102,110
Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC
$104,300
Source: BLS, May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics publishes wage data at the metro (MSA) and state level – not by individual city.
Chesapeake at a Glance
Metric
Value
Source
Population
251,153
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003)
Median household income
$94,189
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013)
Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+
36.4%
Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003)
Regional Price Parity (US=100)
97.9 (below U.S. average)
BEA RPP 2024
Other Chesapeake-Area Cities With Environmental Policy Programs
What are the highest-paying environmental policy roles near Chesapeake?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental policy-related roles near Chesapeake are: Natural Sciences Managers ($128,340), Economists ($103,600), Environmental Engineers ($102,110). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with Virginia statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Portsmouth instead of Chesapeake?
Portsmouth, VA is 12.0 miles from Chesapeake and has its own set of local environmental policy programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Chesapeake an affordable place to study environmental policy?
Chesapeake’s median household income of $94,189 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Chesapeake while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and Virginia public universities often offer reduced in-state online tuition.
How do I verify a program is accredited?
Confirm institutional accreditation via the U.S. Department of Education database (U.S. Dept. of Education database), and check for any program-specific accreditation listed by the school.
Data verified: September 7, 2026.
Salary, employment, and tuition figures on this page are sourced from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS May 2025; Employment Projections 2024–2034) and the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (2023 cohort). The source agency and data year are cited inline with every statistic.
