Master's in Environmental Science Online: The Complete List

Getting your master’s in environmental science online is a great way to advance or transition your career into one where you can handle some of the most complex challenges facing the world today. Global environmental issues have governments, businesses, and individuals concerned about the health of our natural environment and how that will affect human health. An online environmental science master’s degree is perfect for anyone interested in natural resources management, sustainability, or helping businesses do good while doing well.

Environmental studies is an interdisciplinary field that combines the study of ecology, biology, and land and water management practices with policy and social science topics.

There are many excellent careers that you can pursue with an environmental science master’s online. It gives you a solid scientific and analytical background, making you the ideal candidate for jobs directly related to the environment, as well as scientific disciplines that reach into industries far beyond the natural world.

For example, you could work as an environmental consultant for industry, an environmental manager in state or federal government agencies, or a marine biologist. In addition, controlling the amount of waste our society produces is a significant issue, and with an online environmental master’s degree, you could work as a recycling or waste-management officer. Other possible jobs include working as a landscape architect, town planner, or environmental science teacher.

ARTICLE NAVIGATION:

• Does a Master’s In Environmental Science Online Meet Licensing Requirements?
• Choosing an Online Environmental Science Master’s Program
• Admission Requirements for Master’s In Environmental Science Online
• Accreditation for Environmental Science Master’s Online Degree Programs
• Environmental Science Master’s Programs Online Costs
• Careers with a Master’s in Environmental Science Online

There is no one license or certification for people who work in environmental science, as the field is quite broad. Online master’s environmental science programs have varied aims and outcomes for students. Some graduates may pursue specific certifications or licenses related to their exact careers.

For environmental science, there are certifications or memberships available from the National Registry of Environmental Professionals (NREP), the Academy of Board Certified Environmental Professionals (ABCEP), the Institute of Hazardous Materials Management (IHMM), the Soil Science Society of America, the Global Board for EHS Credentialing, and the National Association for Environmental Professionals. For students in sustainable architecture, environmental law, or public school teaching, there are licensing boards with exams you must pass. You may also wish to obtain membership in a professional association of like-minded practitioners. Most environmental science master’s programs online do not offer specific licensure preparation.

Resources:

• NREP - Certified Environmental Scientist
• ABCEP - Certification
• IHMM - Professional Credentials
• SSSA - Certified Professional Soil Scientist
• Board for Global EHS Credentialing
• NAEP - Membership

Whether you are already a professional in a related field, just finishing your undergraduate degree, or looking to switch careers, there is an online environmental science program that can prepare you for the next step. People who choose this degree may already work in agriculture or land management, water and resource planning, public policy, teaching, or any number of industry jobs where the business either has concerns for the environment or could potentially harm the environment. With a degree, you will gain skills and understanding to take your stewardship of our natural resources into businesses, government, nonprofits, or schools.

Subject Areas

There are distinct types of environmental science master’s programs online. Within each type, some degrees could work for you with prior experience in a related field, or they may accept you to transition into this subject area. Here are the main types of degrees:

Environmental Policy and Management

These degrees will include courses in the natural sciences and the laws and policies that protect them. They include watersheds, fisheries, forests, hazardous waste, global development, energy, compliance, wildlife, and urban planning science and policies. There may be requirements in economics, statistics, research methods, and other related subjects. The bulk of courses will study areas of natural science related to specific environments or usages of natural resources.

Public Health and Safety

There are master of public health programs that focus on how the environment impacts human health, and there are safety programs that look at occupational safety and mitigating hazards to people from environmental and toxic causes.

Education

For teachers who want to enhance or specialize their teaching about environment, sustainability, and conservation, there are master’s programs to give you added knowledge and skills. They may also help prepare you for subject area exams for a specific teaching credential in public schools, but you should check with your state on what requirements you need to meet to teach this subject.

Other Types of Degrees

There are more specialized options, such as degrees that focus on legal aspects, architecture and design, geographic information systems, environmental communications, or business degrees that focus on the environment.

Degree Titles

At the master’s level, the most common degree names for this field are Master of Science in Environmental Science or Master of Science in some variation of environmental policy or natural resource management. There are also Master of Education, Master of Laws, and Master of Public Health degrees with an ecological specialization. You can also choose some Professional Master of Science degrees, which are applied science degrees, rather than for people planning to continue their studies to the doctoral level and into research science. In all these cases, the degree name is less important than the particular training you will get that prepares you for specific career options. All are graduate-level and will advance your credentials.

Online vs. Hybrid

Almost all master’s in environmental science online degree programs are 100% online, meaning that you never need to travel to campus for any reason. This gives you a wide choice of institutions to explore without hindrance if the school is far from your home. The few programs that require campus work only require short visits for lab classes, which can often be easily arranged for working professionals with busy schedules. In addition, some programs offer the option of taking your degree in a hybrid fashion, attending some classes on campus while others will be fully online—for some students, this could be the best of both worlds if the campus is nearby.

Schools have designed their environmental science master’s online programs to accommodate working professionals, and most allow for part-time study. Some take as little as one year, but the vast majority of students will opt for a schedule that allows them to finish the program in 2-3 years.

Curriculum

While there is a wide variety of course offerings in different programs, some classes you could take include the following:

• Global Environmental Management
• Disaster Management: Vulnerability & Threat Assessment
• Environmental Health & Epidemiology
• Environmental Policy, Regulation, & Law
• Fish & Wildlife Management
• Energy Policy & Sustainability
• Environmental Toxicology

Graduate programs have some typical application requirements, including official transcripts, a letter of recommendation, a bachelor’s degree from an accredited college, a statement of intent, and often, a minimum GPA score of 3.0 or higher. Some accept students with lower GPAs, and not all require a statement of your intentions and goals for graduate school.

With some online master’s environmental science degrees, your undergrad degree can be in any subject, with your advisor helping you select courses appropriate to your goals. Other programs will look for an undergraduate major related to environmental science, which could be biology, chemistry, engineering, or other sciences. In addition, you could have specific prerequisite classes required in STEM subjects, business, or communications. As you consider programs, check the admissions checklists to ensure they work with your prior experience and study.

All of the programs we list are from schools with institutional accreditation, either through a national or regional accreditor. These groups examine the academic quality, student policies, governance, and finances of the higher education institution to ensure they are sound. This assures you that the overall degree-granting institution is of high quality.

Not every online master’s in environmental science is required to have programmatic accreditation, though a growing number have their programs approved through the National Environmental Health, Science, and Protection Accreditation Council (NEHSPAC). This agency closely assesses programs to make sure their curriculum meets industry standards for jobs in environmental health and science. Other master’s in environmental science online programs could have accreditation through the Council on Education in Public Health (CEPH), the ABET for engineering-focused programs, or the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation.

Resources:

• NEHSPAC
• CEPH
• ABET
• CAEP

We feature affordable and high-quality programs on this list. The average price for these environmental science programs is $20,148. The program with the lowest cost is East Carolina at $8,320. Johns Hopkins University has the highest cost at $41,820. Scholarships, student loans, and employer or military education benefits can help you with the cost of your degree so that you may pay less than the sticker price.

With a scientific consensus on the issues around global warming, professionals with an online environmental master’s degree will be able to pursue careers in government, science, nonprofits, and every industry. Jobs for sustainability and conservation pros will continue to grow into the foreseeable future. Salary can vary from region to region and for different levels and types of jobs. For many in environmental careers, the chance to do good work for humanity and nature is more important than compensation, but there are many options for highly paid positions.

For those looking for management jobs, becoming a chief sustainability officer carries an average annual salary of $236,920. The average for a sustainability manager is $67,890, with the top 10 percent earning $142,000. The average for an environmental manager is $85,822. An environmental project manager can expect an average annual compensation of $104,672. A policy manager at the Environmental Protection Agency makes an average of $126,373.

Positions relating to health and agriculture can see an environmental health officer averaging $82,607 in annual salary, while environmental health and safety officers average $105,057. An environmental health specialist sees an average annual wage of $54,789. A sustainable agriculture manager averages $98,068, while a soil scientist would see an average of $76,248.

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, jobs relating to the environment primarily see average job growth. For example, environmental scientists and specialists earn a median of $76,530 annually, while environmental engineers see $96,820. Health and safety engineers also have average job growth, with a median salary of $99,040. In addition, occupational health and safety specialists and technicians earn a median of $74,870, while environmental technicians earn $47,370. For high school teachers, the median is $61,820.

Resources:

• Salary.com
• Zippia
• Glassdoor
• Comparably
• Indeed
• BLS - Occupational Outlook Handbook

Environmental careers can allow you to contribute to the planet’s health and that of its inhabitants. So whether you see the online master’s in environmental science as a way to enhance your current career or to shift into a more satisfying and worthwhile profession taking care of our natural world, there are wonderful options for a master’s in environmental science online that will help you meet your goals.