Poway, California has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs, with tuition ranging from $1,156 to $27,780 per year for indexed programs. Poway has a population of about 48,515. Median household income is $143,825 (Census ACS 2023, 5-year). About 53.4% of adults 25+ hold a bachelor’s degree or higher. In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, the top-earning environmental science-related role is Environmental Engineer at a median $119,390 annually (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
Closest Environmental Science Schools to Poway
The accredited institutions listed below are the closest in our directory that offer environmental science programs near Poway, ranked by BOC Score and straight-line distance from Poway 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 Poway.
Advertising never affects these rankings. Read the full methodology.
Acceptance rate
36%
Graduation rate
77%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$64,909
Avg net price
$15,364/yr
TuitionIn‑state$8,728
Out‑of‑state$21,328
Key stats- Retention rate: 90%
- Programs offered: 133
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
81%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$86,522
Avg net price
$30,365/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 77
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
78%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$63,998
Avg net price
$38,729/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 86%
- Programs offered: 59
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
29%
Graduation rate
86%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$80,735
Avg net price
$14,251/yr
TuitionIn‑state$15,722
Out‑of‑state$49,922
Key stats- Retention rate: 94%
- Programs offered: 134
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
62%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$61,504
Avg net price
$26,285/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 74%
- Programs offered: 98
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Acceptance rate
76%
Graduation rate
76%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$67,699
Avg net price
$14,304/yr
TuitionIn‑state$15,606
Out‑of‑state$49,806
Key stats- Retention rate: 88%
- Programs offered: 87
Source:Accreditor: Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior Colleges and University Commission · IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
31%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$42,553
Avg net price
$11,331/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Graduation rate
82%
Median earnings, 10 yrs after entry
$70,070
Avg net price
$46,555/yr
TuitionContact school for pricing
Key stats- Retention rate: 91%
- Programs offered: 77
Source:IPEDS · College Scorecard
Source: IPEDS / College Scorecard (2023 cohort). Browse all California schools on the California environmental science page.
Environmental Science Wages Near Poway
Poway is part of the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area (BLS area code 41740). Where MSA-level wages are published, the table below shows MSA medians; otherwise it falls back to California statewide.
| Occupation | Median Wage | Source | COL-Adjusted (US=100) |
|---|
| Environmental Scientist and Specialist | $106,100 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $94,817 |
| Conservation Scientist | $78,200 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $69,884 |
| Environmental Engineer | $119,390 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $106,693 |
| Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist | $93,500 | San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA | $83,557 |
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.
Poway at a Glance
| Metric | Value | Source |
|---|
| Population | 48,515 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B01003) |
| Median household income | $143,825 | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B19013) |
| Adults 25+ with bachelor’s+ | 53.4% | Census ACS 2023 5-yr (B15003) |
| Regional Price Parity (US=100) | 111.9 (above U.S. average) | BEA RPP 2024 |
Other Poway-Area Cities With Environmental Science Programs
- Santee, CA – 9.3 mi away (57,834 pop)
- Escondido, CA – 10.6 mi away (151,613 pop)
- San Diego, CA – 12.3 mi away (3,181,172 pop)
- El Cajon, CA – 13.3 mi away (103,768 pop)
- San Marcos, CA – 13.6 mi away (95,261 pop)
Frequently Asked Questions
How many accredited environmental science schools are near Poway, CA?
Our directory has 5 accredited schools offering environmental science programs near Poway. The closest is San Diego State University in San Diego, CA (14.9 miles), and the farthest of the schools shown is Mt San Jacinto Community College District (56.7 miles). 4 of the highlighted schools are flagged as offering distance education.
What are the highest-paying environmental science roles near Poway?
Based on BLS OEWS May 2025 wage data, the top-paying environmental science-related roles near Poway are: Environmental Engineer ($119,390), Environmental Scientist and Specialist ($106,100), Zoologist and Wildlife Biologist ($93,500). These reflect MSA-level medians where published, with California statewide fallback for occupations not reported at the metro level.
Should I look at programs in Santee instead of Poway?
Santee, CA is 9.3 miles from Poway and has its own set of local environmental science programs – see the city’s page. For online programs, distance matters less; for hybrid or in-person formats, comparing both can help.
Is Poway an affordable place to study environmental science?
Poway’s median household income of $143,825 (Census ACS 2023) is one input. Online programs let students stay in Poway while attending lower-cost out-of-state schools, and California 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.
Learn More About Environmental Science Programs
Other Programs Available in Poway
Compare every accredited online degree program with city-level data for Poway:
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- Public Health programs in Poway, CA
- Human Resources programs in Poway, CA
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- Marketing programs in Poway, CA
- Finance programs in Poway, CA
- Kinesiology programs in Poway, CA
- Sports Management programs in Poway, CA
- Early Childhood Education programs in Poway, CA
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- Communications programs in Poway, CA
- Graphic Design programs in Poway, CA
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- MBA programs in Poway, CA
- Criminal Justice programs in Poway, CA
- Nursing programs in Poway, CA
- Business Administration programs in Poway, CA
- Computer Science programs in Poway, CA
- Psychology programs in Poway, CA
- Education programs in Poway, CA
- Engineering programs in Poway, CA
- Technology programs in Poway, CA
- Liberal Arts programs in Poway, CA
- Healthcare programs in Poway, CA
- Cybersecurity programs in Poway, CA
- Accounting programs in Poway, CA
- Healthcare Administration programs in Poway, CA
- Social Work programs in Poway, CA
- Counseling programs in Poway, CA
Data verified: September 1, 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.
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