Best Environmental Science programs in Virginia, 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.
17 schools in Virginia run programs that feed this job, graduating 409 people a year. The job pays a median of $49,430 in Virginia across about 1,450 jobs (BLS OEWS May 2025).
Fields of study in Virginia that lead to this job
Grouped at the 4-digit CIP level. Numbers are graduates per year in this state.
3 programs in Virginia that lead to this job
Ranked by graduates per year in Virginia (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 Virginia page.
| # | Program | Graduates / yr | Share of pipeline | Schools | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Median debt |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CIP 03.0104In Virginia → | 256 | 62.6% | 12 | $34,020 | $23,032 |
| 2 | CIP 30.3301In Virginia → | 111 | 27.1% | 6 | $37,223 | $20,968 |
| 3 | CIP 30.4401In Virginia → | 42 | 10.3% | 3 | — | — |
Top 17 schools in Virginia
Ranked by graduates per year into this job. Graduate earnings are reported for 4 of the 17 schools in this state.
| # | School | Graduates / yr | Top feeder program | Grad earnings (1 yr) | Grad rate | Net price | Acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA Public · 3 feeder programs | 133 | Sustainability Studies | — | 86% | — | 55% |
| 2 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 107 | Environmental Science | $43,038 | 68% | — | 87% |
| 3 | University of Virginia - Main Campus Charlottesville, VA Public · 2 feeder programs | 86 | Environmental Science | $41,790 | 96% | — | 17% |
| 4 | Old Dominion University Norfolk, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 21 | Geography and Environmental Studies | — | 46% | — | 90% |
| 5 | Longwood University Farmville, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 12 | Environmental Science | $39,391 | 61% | — | 90% |
| 6 | Emory & Henry University Emory, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 10 | Environmental Science | — | 56% | $20,446 | 84% |
| 7 | Bridgewater College Bridgewater, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Environmental Science | $38,838 | 53% | $19,485 | 92% |
| 8 | University of Richmond University of Richmond, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 7 | Geography and Environmental Studies | — | 85% | $24,049 | 22% |
| 9 | University of Lynchburg Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 6 | Environmental Science | — | 57% | $19,488 | 43% |
| 10 | Ferrum College Ferrum, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 5 | Environmental Science | — | 32% | $22,258 | 89% |
| 11 | Eastern Mennonite University Harrisonburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 4 | Environmental Science | — | 67% | $21,933 | 100% |
| 12 | Patrick Henry College Purcellville, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 74% | — | 77% |
| 13 | Sweet Briar College Sweet Briar, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 3 | Environmental Science | — | 52% | $22,704 | 76% |
| 14 | Shenandoah University Winchester, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 2 | Sustainability Studies | — | 67% | $27,455 | 77% |
| 15 | Randolph College Lynchburg, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Environmental Science | — | 46% | $18,525 | 94% |
| 16 | Virginia Commonwealth University Richmond, VA Public · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Sustainability Studies | — | 63% | — | 93% |
| 17 | Virginia Wesleyan University Virginia Beach, VA Private not-for-profit · 1 feeder programs | 1 | Sustainability Studies | — | 42% | $20,171 | 73% |
All 17 schools in Virginia
Every school in Virginia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | Blacksburg | Public | 133 | 3 |
| George Mason University | Fairfax | Public | 107 | 2 |
| University of Virginia - Main Campus | Charlottesville | Public | 86 | 2 |
| Old Dominion University | Norfolk | Public | 21 | 1 |
| Longwood University | Farmville | Public | 12 | 1 |
| Emory & Henry University | Emory | Private not-for-profit | 10 | 1 |
| Bridgewater College | Bridgewater | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| University of Richmond | University of Richmond | Private not-for-profit | 7 | 1 |
| University of Lynchburg | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 6 | 1 |
| Ferrum College | Ferrum | Private not-for-profit | 5 | 1 |
| Eastern Mennonite University | Harrisonburg | Private not-for-profit | 4 | 1 |
| Patrick Henry College | Purcellville | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Sweet Briar College | Sweet Briar | Private not-for-profit | 3 | 1 |
| Shenandoah University | Winchester | Private not-for-profit | 2 | 1 |
| Randolph College | Lynchburg | Private not-for-profit | 1 | 1 |
What environmental science and protection technicians, including health earn in Virginia
What people already working in this job earn (BLS OEWS May 2025). Not graduate earnings.
U.S. median $55,090. Virginia pays below the national figure.
Concentrated here: Virginia employs more of this job per worker than the U.S. average.
Metro areas in Virginia
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 Virginia
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 Virginia.
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 256 degrees in Virginia in 2024-25, 62.6% 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 3 programs to this occupation. The largest are Natural Resources Conservation and Research, Sustainability Studies, Geography and Environmental Studies. Together they graduate about 409 people a year in Virginia.
How much do environmental science and protection technicians, including health earn in Virginia?+
The median is $49,430 a year (BLS OEWS May 2025). That is 10.3% 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 Virginia?+
17 institutions in Virginia reported graduates from at least one of the 3 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
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