Best programs to become an environmental engineering technologist
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for environmental engineering technologists and technicians. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician; Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician; and Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions).
4 college programs at 110 schools train environmental engineering technologists and technicians, graduating 1,301 people a year (IPEDS completions). The job pays a median of $59,920 (BLS OEWS May 2025).
About environmental engineering technologists and technicians
Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.
Best programs to study to become an environmental engineering technologist
Ranked by graduates per year (IPEDS completions). Graduate earnings and debt are College Scorecard figures for people who finished the program, reported at the 4-digit CIP level, so specializations within one field share a figure. That is a different measurement from the occupation-wide wages further down this page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 15.0506 | 860 | 66.1% | 56 | $36,407 | $10,250 |
| 2 | CIP 15.0507 | 254 | 19.5% | 32 | $36,407 | $10,250 |
| 3 | CIP 15.0508 | 118 | 9.1% | 14 | $36,407 | $10,250 |
| 4 | CIP 26.1006 | 69 | 5.3% | 12 | $39,202 | $18,000 |
Top 50 schools by graduates into this job
Counting every feeder program a school offers, not just its largest one.
Fields of study that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level, the tier our program pages are built on. Numbers are graduates per year.
What environmental engineering technologists and technicians earn
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
Top-paying states
Top-paying metro areas
Job outlook
Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections, 2024 to 2034.
Where the jobs are, state by state
Pick a state for in-state pay, the schools there, and the programs they run.
| State | Median pay | Jobs | Concentration | Schools | Graduates / yr |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| California | $60,010 | 2,060 | 1.44× | 33 | 558 |
| Ohio | $51,830 | 630 | 1.45× | 7 | 106 |
| Floridalimited | $51,970 | 420 | 0.54× | 2 | 77 |
| Iowamoderate | $58,690 | 80 | 0.68× | 3 | 72 |
| North Carolinamoderate | $53,660 | 120 | 0.31× | 3 | 71 |
| Oregonlimited | $80,770 | 140 | 0.90× | 2 | 46 |
| New Yorkmoderate | $62,540 | 470 | 0.62× | 4 | 35 |
| New Jerseylimited | $60,740 | 400 | 1.19× | 1 | 34 |
| Wisconsin | $49,190 | 310 | 1.36× | 5 | 34 |
| Kentuckylimited | $61,470 | 200 | 1.29× | 2 | 27 |
| Coloradomoderate | $60,740 | — | — | 3 | 26 |
| Connecticutlimited | — | 80 | 0.62× | 1 | 26 |
| Arizonalimited | $65,420 | 190 | 0.74× | 1 | 24 |
| Texasmoderate | $57,150 | 1,240 | 1.13× | 4 | 20 |
| Michigan | $50,800 | 220 | 0.64× | 6 | 19 |
| South Carolinalimited | $63,200 | 220 | 1.20× | 1 | 15 |
| Kansasmoderate | $59,420 | — | — | 3 | 14 |
| Pennsylvanialimited | $59,920 | 250 | 0.52× | 2 | 11 |
| Washingtonlimited | $100,050 | 270 | 0.97× | 2 | 9 |
| Minnesotalimited | $60,110 | 50 | 0.23× | 2 | 8 |
| New Mexicolimited | $61,170 | 130 | 1.90× | 2 | 8 |
| Utahlimited | $60,410 | 120 | 0.86× | 1 | 7 |
| Delawarelimited | — | 80 | 2.16× | 2 | 6 |
| Idaholimited | $62,240 | 80 | 1.22× | 1 | 4 |
| Indianalimited | $53,110 | 130 | 0.53× | 1 | 4 |
| West Virginialimited | $47,650 | 40 | 0.67× | 1 | 4 |
| Arkansaslimited | $45,290 | 200 | 1.99× | 1 | 3 |
| Louisianalimited | $60,840 | 100 | 0.65× | 1 | 3 |
| Marylandlimited | $67,510 | 250 | 1.16× | 1 | 3 |
| Mainelimited | $64,660 | — | — | 1 | 3 |
| Mississippilimited | $36,680 | 100 | 1.07× | 1 | 3 |
| South Dakotalimited | $53,960 | 40 | 1.01× | 1 | 3 |
| Tennesseelimited | $80,100 | 450 | 1.77× | 1 | 3 |
| Massachusettslimited | $66,860 | 320 | 1.12× | 1 | 2 |
| Alabamalimited | $60,170 | 230 | 1.38× | 1 | 1 |
| Georgialimited | $60,500 | 670 | 1.76× | 1 | 1 |
Skills and knowledge
From O*NET, the U.S. Department of Labor's occupational database. Importance is a 1 to 5 scale.
What they do day to day
- Maintain project logbook records or computer program files.
- Record laboratory or field data, including numerical data, test results, photographs, or summaries of visual observations.
- Perform environmental quality work in field or office settings.
- Produce environmental assessment reports, tabulating data and preparing charts, graphs, or sketches.
- Collect and analyze pollution samples, such as air or ground water.
- Decontaminate or test field equipment used to clean or test pollutants from soil, air, or water.
- Prepare and package environmental samples for shipping or testing.
- Maintain process parameters and evaluate process anomalies.
Skills
- Active Listening3.9
- Critical Thinking3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.9
- Active Learning3.8
- Monitoring3.4
- Science3.4
- Speaking3.4
- Writing3.1
Knowledge areas
- Engineering and Technology3.7
- Mathematics3.6
- Customer and Personal Service3.5
- English Language3.4
- Chemistry3.4
- Mechanical3.2
Abilities
- Written Comprehension4.0
- Deductive Reasoning4.0
- Inductive Reasoning4.0
- Oral Expression3.9
- Oral Comprehension3.9
- Information Ordering3.9
Core activities
- Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates4.1
- Getting Information4.0
- Documenting/Recording Information3.9
- Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards3.9
- Inspecting Equipment, Structures, or Materials3.8
- Working with Computers3.8
How to get in
How to become an environmental engineering technologist
- 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.
Every major mapped to this job
The official federal mapping behind the rankings above.
All 5 majors mapped to Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians4 of them graduated someone in the latest IPEDS year. NCES CIP 2020 → SOC 2018 crosswalk.+
- 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
- 15.0704Hazardous Materials Information Systems Technology/Technician(no graduates reported)
- 26.1006Environmental Toxicology
Related careers
Jobs O*NET identifies as close to this one, with their own pay and outlook.
Common questions
What degree do you need to become an environmental engineering technologist?+
BLS lists an associate's degree as the typical entry-level education for environmental engineering technologists and technicians. The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician; Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician; and Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions).
Which college majors lead to becoming an environmental engineering technologist?+
The fields of study that lead most directly to this job are Water Quality and Wastewater Treatment Management and Recycling Technology/Technician; Environmental/Environmental Engineering Technology/Technician; and Hazardous Materials Management and Waste Technology/Technician (IPEDS completions). In all, the NCES CIP-to-SOC crosswalk maps 4 programs to this job, which together graduate about 1,301 people a year.
How much do environmental engineering technologists and technicians earn?+
The median is $59,920 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). The middle range runs from $39,910 at the 10th percentile to $96,660 at the 90th. 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 engineering technologists and technicians growing?+
BLS projects a +1.2% change in employment between 2024 and 2034, little or no change, with roughly 1,100 openings a year nationally once retirements and job changes are counted.
How many schools offer programs for this career?+
110 institutions reported graduates from at least one of the 4 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 engineering technologists and technicians work under?+
Employers advertise this work under many names. O*NET records Environmental Technician, Environmental Field Technician, Haz Tech (Hazardous Technician), Air Quality Instrument Specialist among the most commonly reported, all mapping to SOC 17-3025.
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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