Best Environmental Science programs in New Jersey, ranked by enrollment
Perform laboratory and field tests to monitor the environment and investigate sources of pollution, including those that affect health, under the direction of an environmental scientist, engineer, or other specialist.
20 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 397 people a year. The job pays a median of $52,190 in New Jersey across about 830 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in New Jersey that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
5 programs in New Jersey that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in New Jersey (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 New Jersey page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 03.0104In New Jersey → | 188 | 47.4% | 16 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 30.3301In New Jersey → | 117 | 29.5% | 8 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 3 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Othermain feeder CIP 41.9999In New Jersey → | 53 | 13.4% | 1 | $49,936 | $22,636 |
| 4 | CIP 15.0506In New Jersey → | 34 | 8.6% | 1 | $36,407 | $10,250 |
| 5 | CIP 30.4401In New Jersey → | 5 | 1.3% | 1 | — | — |
Top 20 schools in New Jersey
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 20 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rutgers University - New Brunswick New Brunswick, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 86 | Sustainability Studies | — | 84% | — | 58% |
| 2 | Kean University Union, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 71 | Science Technologies/Technicians, Other | — | 47% | — | 76% |
| 3 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 44 | Sustainability Studies | $41,445 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 4 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 37 | Environmental Science | $29,306 | 67% | — | 78% |
| 5 | Burlington County Institute of Technology - Adult Education Westampton, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 34 | Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician | — | 84% | — | — |
| 6 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Environmental Science | — | 73% | — | 65% |
| 7 | Stockton University Galloway, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 19 | Sustainability Studies | — | 69% | — | 89% |
| 8 | Ocean County College Toms River, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 16 | Environmental Science | — | 42% | — | — |
| 9 | Rutgers University - Newark Newark, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 13 | Environmental Science | $43,223 | 64% | — | 71% |
| 10 | Brookdale Community College Lincroft, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Environmental Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 11 | Stevens Institute of Technology Hoboken, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 11 | Sustainability Studies | — | 87% | $34,827 | 48% |
| 12 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Environmental Science | $22,629 | 70% | — | 71% |
| 13 | Drew University Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Environmental Science | — | 70% | $23,094 | 68% |
| 14 | Atlantic Cape Community College Mays Landing, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Environmental Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 15 | New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Sustainability Studies | — | 34% | — | 98% |
| 16 | Essex County College Newark, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 20% | — | — |
| 17 | Middlesex College Edison, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sustainability Studies | — | 33% | — | — |
| 18 | Passaic County Community College Paterson, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Environmental Science | — | 19% | — | — |
| 19 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Environmental Science | — | 61% | $23,844 | 79% |
| 20 | Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Science | — | 56% | $17,490 | 83% |
All 20 schools in New Jersey
Every school in New Jersey 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rutgers University - New Brunswick | New Brunswick | Public | 86 | 3 |
| Kean University | Union | Public | 71 | 3 |
| Montclair State University | Montclair | Public | 44 | 2 |
| Rowan University | Glassboro | Public | 37 | 1 |
| Burlington County Institute of Technology - Adult Education | Westampton | Public | 34 | 1 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark | Public | 20 | 2 |
| Stockton University | Galloway | Public | 19 | 2 |
| Ocean County College | Toms River | Public | 16 | 1 |
| Rutgers University - Newark | Newark | Public | 13 | 1 |
| Brookdale Community College | Lincroft | Public | 11 | 1 |
| Stevens Institute of Technology | Hoboken | Private not-for-profit | 11 | 1 |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah | Public | 10 | 1 |
| Drew University | Madison | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Atlantic Cape Community College | Mays Landing | Public | 5 | 1 |
| New Jersey City University | Jersey City | Public | 4 | 1 |
What environmental science and protection technicians, including health earn in New Jersey
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,090. New Jersey pays below the national figure.
1.00× means the state has its expected share of these jobs.
Metro areas in New Jersey
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 Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health page.
How to become a Environmental Science
Job zone 4 of 5 · SVP 7.0 to < 8.0- Typical entry education
- Associate'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 New Jersey
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 11 majors mapped to Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health11 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 03.0104Environmental Science
- 15.0506Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician
- 15.0507Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician
- 15.0508Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician
- 26.1006Environmental Toxicology
- 30.3301Sustainability Studies
- 30.4101Environmental Geosciences
- 30.4401Geography and Environmental Studies
- 40.0509Environmental Chemistry
- 41.0399Physical Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
- 41.9999Science Technologies/Technicians, Other
Common questions
Answers for people weighing environmental science and protection technicians, including health programs in New Jersey.
What degree do you need to become an Environmental Science?+
Associate'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 188 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 47.4% of everyone graduating from a program that feeds this career.
Which college majors lead to becoming an Environmental Science?+
The NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 5 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Sustainability Studies, Science Technologies/Technicians, Environmental Control Technologies/Technicians, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 397 people a year in New Jersey.
How much do environmental science and protection technicians, including health earn in New Jersey?+
The median is $52,190 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 5.3% below the U.S. median of $55,090. 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 science and protection technicians, including health growing?+
BLS projects a +4.0% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, about as fast as average, with roughly 5,600 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career in New Jersey?+
20 institutions in New Jersey reported graduates from at least one of the 5 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 science and protection technicians, including health work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Sanitarian, Environmental Health Officer (EHO), Environmental Technician (Environmental Tech), Soil Lab Technician (Soil Laboratory Technician) among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 19-4042.
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
Explore every U.S. college in one conversation
Clema turns plain-language questions into sourced answers across every U.S. institution — earnings, aid, acceptance, graduation, safety, and athletics from IPEDS, College Scorecard, and 10+ federal datasets, built in.
Free for teams up to 3 · No credit card