Best Environmental Scientist programs in New Jersey, 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.
26 schools in New Jersey run programs that feed this job, graduating 461 people a year. The job pays a median of $79,210 in New Jersey across about 3,150 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.
6 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 | 40.8% | 16 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 03.0103In New Jersey → | 139 | 30.2% | 13 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 3 | Sustainability Studiesmain feeder CIP 30.3301In New Jersey → | 117 | 25.4% | 8 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 4 | CIP 26.1004In New Jersey → | 9 | 2.0% | 1 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
| 5 | CIP 30.4401In New Jersey → | 5 | 1.1% | 1 | — | — |
| 6 | Marine Sciencesmain feeder CIP 30.3201In New Jersey → | 3 | 0.7% | 1 | $27,337 | $22,400 |
Top 25 schools in New Jersey
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 6 of the 26 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 · 5 feeder programs | 107 | Sustainability Studies | — | 84% | — | 58% |
| 2 | Stockton University Galloway, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 80 | Environmental Studies | $33,224 | 69% | — | 89% |
| 3 | Rowan University Glassboro, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 60 | Environmental Science | $29,306 | 67% | — | 78% |
| 4 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ Public · 3 feeder programs | 51 | Sustainability Studies | $41,445 | 65% | — | 88% |
| 5 | Ramapo College of New Jersey Mahwah, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 21 | Environmental Studies | $22,629 | 70% | — | 71% |
| 6 | New Jersey Institute of Technology Newark, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 20 | Environmental Science | — | 73% | — | 65% |
| 7 | Kean University Union, NJ Public · 2 feeder programs | 18 | Environmental Science | — | 47% | — | 76% |
| 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 | Drew University Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 2 feeder programs | 9 | Environmental Science | — | 70% | $23,094 | 68% |
| 13 | William Paterson University of New Jersey Wayne, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 9 | Environmental Studies | $40,613 | 44% | — | 90% |
| 14 | Atlantic Cape Community College Mays Landing, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Environmental Science | — | 30% | — | — |
| 15 | Hudson County Community College Jersey City, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Environmental Studies | — | 26% | — | — |
| 16 | New Jersey City University Jersey City, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Sustainability Studies | — | 34% | — | 98% |
| 17 | Seton Hall University South Orange, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Environmental Studies | — | 69% | $27,376 | 73% |
| 18 | Sussex County Community College Newton, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Environmental Studies | — | 37% | — | — |
| 19 | Essex County College Newark, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 20% | — | — |
| 20 | Middlesex College Edison, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sustainability Studies | — | 33% | — | — |
| 21 | Passaic County Community College Paterson, NJ Public · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Environmental Science | — | 19% | — | — |
| 22 | Rider University Lawrenceville, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Environmental Science | — | 61% | $23,844 | 79% |
| 23 | Centenary University Hackettstown, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Science | — | 56% | $17,490 | 83% |
| 24 | Fairleigh Dickinson University - Florham Campus Madison, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Studies | — | 67% | $23,573 | 95% |
| 25 | Princeton University Princeton, NJ Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Studies | — | 98% | $13,729 | 5% |
All 26 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 | 107 | 5 |
| Stockton University | Galloway | Public | 80 | 3 |
| Rowan University | Glassboro | Public | 60 | 3 |
| Montclair State University | Montclair | Public | 51 | 3 |
| Ramapo College of New Jersey | Mahwah | Public | 21 | 2 |
| New Jersey Institute of Technology | Newark | Public | 20 | 2 |
| Kean University | Union | Public | 18 | 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 |
| Drew University | Madison | Private not-for-profit | 9 | 2 |
| William Paterson University of New Jersey | Wayne | Public | 9 | 1 |
| Atlantic Cape Community College | Mays Landing | Public | 5 | 1 |
| Hudson County Community College | Jersey City | Public | 5 | 1 |
What environmental scientists and specialists, including health earn in New Jersey
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $82,220. New Jersey pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: New Jersey employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
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 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 New Jersey
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 New Jersey.
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 188 degrees in New Jersey in 2024-25, 40.8% 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, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Geography and Environmental Studies, plus 1 more. Together they graduate about 461 people a year in New Jersey.
How much do environmental scientists and specialists, including health earn in New Jersey?+
The median is $79,210 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 3.7% 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 New Jersey?+
26 institutions in New Jersey 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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