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.
Key takeaway: Environmental science is the natural-science degree for people who want to sample, map, and interpret air, water, soil, and ecosystems – and then write the reports that agencies, consultants, and land managers act on. It is not sustainability management, which is the management and business of sustainability (CIP 30.3301), and it is not a general biology major, which is a broader life-sciences foundation. The bachelor’s is the working degree for environmental scientists and specialists. A master’s is for specialization and advancement, not a substitute for the undergraduate science core. Environmental engineering (SOC 17-2081, median $107,110) typically requires an engineering degree, often ABET-accredited; a BS in environmental science is adjacent, not equivalent. There is no single programmatic accreditor for general environmental science, and there is no national license for the occupation – some states register or license environmental professionals, and the rules vary. Compare accredited programs below.
Coursework typically pairs a science core – biology, chemistry, ecology, statistics, and often geology – with GIS, environmental sampling, field methods, and environmental policy. Accredited online programs generally deliver the same lecture curriculum and degree titles as campus programs, though labs and field work are the parts that do not move online cleanly; browse the best accredited online colleges to compare schools that offer them.
These accredited schools offer online programs. Request information to compare programs, costs, and formats.
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:
Schools without enough outcome data appear after ranked schools, without a score. Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: New England Commission on Higher EducationIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University CommissionIPEDSCollege Scorecard
Source:IPEDSCollege Scorecard
Environmental science graduates work in environmental consulting firms, state and federal agencies, local government, industry environment-health-and-safety (EHS) groups, conservation organizations, and health departments that handle air, water, and environmental health. The occupations below are commonly associated with environmental science coursework. Median annual wages come from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics program.
| Occupation | Median annual wage |
|---|---|
| Environmental Engineer | $107,110 |
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist | $82,220 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $76,780 |
| Conservation Scientist | $73,010 |
| Occupation | Projected job growth (2024-2034) |
|---|---|
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist | 4.4% |
| Environmental Engineer | 3.9% |
| Conservation Scientist | 3.4% |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | 1.6% |
Entry requirements differ across these occupations, and one of them is not an environmental science degree path. Environmental scientists and specialists, including health (SOC 19-2041), had a median annual wage of $82,220, with 89,250 jobs nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The 10th percentile was $52,520, the 25th percentile $64,490, the 75th percentile $107,970, and the 90th percentile $140,010 (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The Bureau of Labor Statistics projects employment in this occupation to grow 4.4 percent from 2024 to 2034, with 8,500 openings per year over the decade (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). A bachelor’s in environmental science or a closely related natural science is the typical entry credential.
Conservation scientists (SOC 19-1031) had a median annual wage of $73,010, with 25,950 jobs nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The wage spread ran from $47,550 at the 10th percentile to $110,410 at the 90th (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Projected growth is 3.4 percent over 2024-34, with 2,500 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34).
Zoologists and wildlife biologists (SOC 19-1023) had a median annual wage of $76,780, with 18,120 jobs nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Projected growth is 1.6 percent, with 1,400 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). Permanent scientist titles in wildlife work more often expect a master’s than the environmental-scientist occupation does.
Environmental engineers (SOC 17-2081) had a median annual wage of $107,110, with 38,340 jobs nationally (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Projected growth is 3.9 percent, with 3,000 openings per year (BLS Employment Projections, 2024-34). That occupation typically requires an engineering degree, often from an ABET-accredited program, and a BS in environmental science does not substitute for it; see the engineering program guide if design of treatment or control systems is the goal. Individual outcomes vary by employer, geography, and experience.
An environmental science degree is a natural-science program covering ecology, chemistry, GIS, environmental sampling, field methods, and environmental policy. It is offered mainly as a bachelor’s (the working degree for environmental scientists) and a master’s (for specialization and advancement). It is a science degree, not a management degree and not an engineering degree.
Environmental science trains you to measure and interpret environmental systems – chemistry, ecology, sampling, GIS, and field methods. Sustainability management is the management and business of sustainability (CIP 30.3301): operations, ESG reporting, and compliance programs. Biology is a broad life-sciences major; environmental science is more applied, quantitative, and policy-aware, with heavier chemistry, GIS, and field methods.
Usually yes. Chemistry, biology, and environmental sampling labs, plus field methods, are the parts of the curriculum that do not move online cleanly. Schools use shipped kits, virtual labs, local sampling assignments, or short on-campus or field intensives. Confirm the method for each required lab and field course before you enroll.
No. Environmental engineers (SOC 17-2081) typically need an engineering degree, often from an ABET-accredited program. A BS in environmental science is adjacent – shared subject matter, different credential – and does not substitute for engineering education or professional engineering licensure. If design of treatment systems is the goal, see the engineering program guide.
No single programmatic accreditor evaluates general environmental science degrees. Verify institutional accreditation through the U.S. Department of Education database. Some states register or license environmental professionals, and the rules vary by state and specialty. There is no single national license for general environmental science practice.
Environmental science curricula are built in four layers, and the methods layer is where online programs differ enough to change which one you should choose.
The first layer is natural science. General biology and general chemistry with labs are the usual base. Stronger programs add environmental chemistry or organic chemistry, plus geology or earth systems, and they treat statistics as a working tool rather than a survey. This is the layer that distinguishes the degree from environmental studies titles that swap science labs for policy electives.
The second layer is environmental systems. Ecology, hydrology or water resources, soils or earth materials, and often atmospheric or climate science teach how contaminants, nutrients, and organisms actually move. You need enough of this to read a site assessment, a discharge report, or a habitat map and know what the numbers mean.
The third layer is methods, and it is the online-format hard part. GIS and spatial analysis, environmental sampling, field methods, and laboratory analysis of air, water, and soil are the skills consulting firms and agencies hire bachelor’s graduates to use. Lecture GIS can be taught online with desktop or cloud software. Wet labs and field sampling cannot be faked with a discussion board. Ask, course by course, whether labs use shipped kits, virtual simulations, local field assignments you arrange, or a required intensive.
The fourth layer is policy and application. Environmental law and policy – including the structure created by statutes such as the Clean Air Act, Clean Water Act, and RCRA, plus federal environmental review – plus risk, environmental health, and a capstone, internship, or research project. This is where the degree overlaps public health on the environmental-health side, and where it overlaps sustainability management on compliance language without becoming a management degree.
Bachelor’s programs generally run about 120 credits, with the science and methods core occupying the major. Master’s programs typically run 30 to 36 credits and go deeper on one specialty – hydrology, GIS, ecology, environmental chemistry, or policy – ending in a thesis or an applied project.
The work falls into a few recognizable shapes, and the bachelor’s is the credential that opens most of them. Consulting and site assessment is the largest bachelor’s destination: site assessments, sampling and monitoring, permit support, and technical reports. Government science – federal, state, and local environmental agencies, plus some health departments – hires for monitoring, inspection, and review. Conservation and land-management roles overlap wildlife biology; those titles are fewer (1,400 openings per year for zoologists and wildlife biologists; 2,500 for conservation scientists) and more often expect a master’s for permanent scientist positions. Industry EHS roles sit next to sustainability management, but the science degree is what employers want when the job is sampling or interpreting lab results rather than running an ESG reporting program.
Titles vary: environmental scientist, environmental specialist, staff scientist, field scientist, GIS analyst, and environmental health specialist. Read the duties. For labor-market context, see the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook.
Environmental science or a related field? Choose environmental science if you want to do the science: ecology, chemistry, GIS, sampling, and field methods. Consider sustainability management if you want to manage sustainability, ESG reporting, and operations. Consider biology if you want a broader life-sciences major with more organismal depth. Consider public health if population-level environmental health is the draw. Consider engineering if you want to design environmental systems rather than measure and interpret them.
Looking for programs near you? Browse environmental science programs by state.
Aiming at the occupation itself? See how to become an environmental scientist. Wondering where it leads? See what you can do with an environmental science degree for the jobs and BLS salary data behind the degree. Compare programs by topic:
