Best Environmental Scientist programs in Florida, ranked by enrollment
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health.
36 schools in Florida run programs that feed this job, graduating 1,430 people a year. The job pays a median of $60,830 in Florida across about 5,950 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Florida that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
6 programs in Florida that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Florida (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are national College Scorecard figures reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. Each program also links to its own Florida page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 03.0104In Florida → | 592 | 41.4% | 21 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0103In Florida → | 398 | 27.8% | 13 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 3 | Sustainability Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.3301In Florida → | 255 | 17.8% | 11 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 4 | Marine Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.3201In Florida → | 118 | 8.3% | 5 | $27,337 | $22,400 |
| 5 | CIP 30.4401In Florida → | 58 | 4.1% | 4 | — | — |
| 6 | CIP 51.2202In Florida → | 9 | 0.6% | 1 | $36,762 | $25,076 |
Top 25 schools in Florida
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 13 of the 36 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of South Florida Tampa, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 241 | Environmental Science | $36,048 | 77% | — | 43% |
| 2 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL Public · 5 feeder programs | 186 | Sustainability Studies | $39,261 | 91% | — | 24% |
| 3 | Florida Gulf Coast University Fort Myers, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 124 | Environmental Studies | $34,875 | 57% | — | 63% |
| 4 | University of Central Florida Orlando, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 118 | Environmental Studies | $33,700 | 78% | — | 40% |
| 5 | Florida State University Tallahassee, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 110 | Environmental Science | $30,146 | 86% | — | 24% |
| 6 | Florida International University Miami, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 80 | Sustainability Studies | $28,997 | 74% | — | 55% |
| 7 | University of Miami Coral Gables, FL Private not-for-profit · 4 feeder programs | 62 | Environmental Studies | — | 84% | $26,589 | 19% |
| 8 | Eckerd College Saint Petersburg, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 60 | Environmental Studies | $25,709 | 66% | $31,022 | 76% |
| 9 | Florida Atlantic University Boca Raton, FL Public · 3 feeder programs | 50 | Environmental Science | $36,873 | 63% | — | 66% |
| 10 | Flagler College Saint Augustine, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 43 | Environmental Science | $28,175 | 56% | $28,070 | 81% |
| 11 | Nova Southeastern University Fort Lauderdale, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 40 | Environmental Science | $22,098 | 63% | $31,672 | 73% |
| 12 | University of West Florida Pensacola, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 38 | Environmental Science | $37,214 | 59% | — | 58% |
| 13 | The University of Tampa Tampa, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Environmental Studies | — | 64% | $33,070 | 40% |
| 14 | Rollins College Winter Park, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 24 | Environmental Studies | $22,352 | 75% | $31,438 | 48% |
| 15 | Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University Tallahassee, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Environmental Science | — | 53% | — | 21% |
| 16 | Embry - Riddle Aeronautical University - Worldwide Daytona Beach, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 20 | Sustainability Studies | — | 21% | $21,266 | 58% |
| 17 | New College of Florida Sarasota, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Marine Sciences | — | 67% | — | 73% |
| 18 | Palm Beach State College Lake Worth, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 19 | Environmental Science | — | 41% | — | — |
| 19 | University of Florida - Online Gainesville, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 18 | Geography and Environmental Studies | — | 85% | — | 61% |
| 20 | Hillsborough College Tampa, FL Public · 2 feeder programs | 14 | Sustainability Studies | — | 34% | — | — |
| 21 | Everglades University Boca Raton, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Sustainability Studies | — | 61% | $29,513 | 81% |
| 22 | Florida Gateway College Lake City, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Environmental Science | — | 54% | — | — |
| 23 | The College of the Florida Keys Key West, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Marine Sciences | — | 34% | — | — |
| 24 | Broward College Fort Lauderdale, FL Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Environmental Science | — | 39% | — | — |
| 25 | Florida Southern College Lakeland, FL Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Environmental Studies | — | 71% | $28,325 | 64% |
All 36 schools in Florida
Every school in Florida with a program that feeds this job, ordered by graduates per year. Earnings are shown for the ranked schools above; open a school profile for the rest.
| School | City | Control | Graduates / yr | Feeder programs |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| University of South Florida | Tampa | Public | 241 | 3 |
| University of Florida | Gainesville | Public | 186 | 5 |
| Florida Gulf Coast University | Fort Myers | Public | 124 | 3 |
| University of Central Florida | Orlando | Public | 118 | 1 |
| Florida State University | Tallahassee | Public | 110 | 1 |
| Florida International University | Miami | Public | 80 | 2 |
| University of Miami | Coral Gables | Private not-for-profit | 62 | 4 |
| Eckerd College | Saint Petersburg | Private not-for-profit | 60 | 1 |
| Florida Atlantic University | Boca Raton | Public | 50 | 3 |
| Flagler College | Saint Augustine | Private not-for-profit | 43 | 1 |
| Nova Southeastern University | Fort Lauderdale | Private not-for-profit | 40 | 1 |
| University of West Florida | Pensacola | Public | 38 | 1 |
| The University of Tampa | Tampa | Private not-for-profit | 37 | 1 |
| Rollins College | Winter Park | Private not-for-profit | 24 | 1 |
| Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University | Tallahassee | Public | 21 | 2 |
What environmental scientists and specialists, including health earn in Florida
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $82,220. Florida pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in Florida
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Growth and openings are national. The Bureau of Labor Statistics does not publish employment projections at state level, so these figures describe the occupation across the whole U.S., not this state alone.
How to get in
The full skills, tools, and day-to-day breakdown lives on the national Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health page.
How to become a Environmental Scientist
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Bachelor's degree
Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.
A considerable amount of work-related skill, knowledge, or experience is needed for these occupations. For example, an accountant must complete four years of college and work for several years in accounting to be considered qualified.
Employees in these occupations usually need several years of work-related experience, on-the-job training, and/or vocational training.
Top skills
The same job in other states
Where else this occupation employs the most people, and what it pays there.
Related careers in Florida
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0103Environmental Studies
- 03.0104Environmental Science
- 26.1004Toxicology
- 26.1005Molecular Toxicology
- 26.1006Environmental Toxicology
- 30.3201Marine Sciences
- 30.3301Sustainability Studies
- 30.4101Environmental Geosciences
- 30.4401Geography and Environmental Studies
- 40.0509Environmental Chemistry
- 51.2202Environmental Health
Common questions
Answers for people weighing environmental scientists and specialists, including health programs in Florida.
What degree do you need to become an Environmental Scientist?+
Bachelor's degree is the typical entry-level education BLS reports for this occupation. The most common program people actually graduate from is Environmental Science, which awarded 592 degrees in Florida in 2024-25, 41.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Environmental Scientist?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 6 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Sustainability Studies, Marine Sciences, Geography and Environmental Studies, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 1,430 people a year in Florida.
How much do environmental scientists and specialists, including health earn in Florida?+
The median is $60,830 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 26.0% below the U.S. median of $82,220. This is pay for people already working in the occupation, not the same thing as graduate earnings one year after finishing a degree.
Is demand for environmental scientists and specialists, including health growing?+
BLS projects a +4.4% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 8,500 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in Florida?+
36 institutions in Florida reported graduates from at least one of the 6 programs that feed this occupation in IPEDS 2024-25. Rankings on this page use graduates per year, because the federal data publishes no enrollment count by program.
What other job titles do environmental scientists and specialists, including health work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Ecologist, Policy Analyst, Climate Analyst, Research Scientist, Restoration Ecologist, Environmental Scientist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-2041.
About the data on this page
Rankings use IPEDS completions 2024–25, degrees awarded per year. That is the closest federal measure of how many people a program puts into a career, because no federal dataset publishes enrollment by program. Wages and employment come from BLS OEWS May 2025, growth and openings from BLS Employment Projections 2024-34, and which majors lead to which jobs from the NCES CIP 2020 to SOC 2018 crosswalk. Occupation descriptions, tasks, skills and tools are O*NET 30.3 (CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor/ETA).
BLS Occupational Employment & Wage Statistics
May 2025Wages, employment counts, location quotients and metro breakdowns.
BLS Employment Projections
2024–34Projected growth, annual openings and typical entry-level education.
IPEDS Completions
2024-25 (provisional)Graduates per year by program and institution — the ranking metric.
College Scorecard, Field of Study
2020-21 cohortsMedian graduate earnings one year after completion, and median debt.
Census Post-Secondary Employment Outcomes
latest availableGraduate earnings 1/5/10 years out, where the state participates.
NCES CIP 2020 and the CIP-to-SOC 2018 crosswalk
CIP 2020 / SOC 2018Which college programs officially lead to this occupation.
O*NET Database 30.3
30.3Tasks, skills, knowledge, tools, job zone and alternate job titles.
Official source →CC BY 4.0, U.S. Department of Labor / ETA
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