Environment Design

Types of Degrees Environment Design Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many environmental design graduations there were for each degree level during the last year for which data was available.

Education Level	Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree	551
Graduate Certificate	111
Master’s Degree	32
Doctor’s Degree	19
Associate Degree	6

What Environment Design Majors Need to Know

O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to environment design and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.

Knowledge Areas for Environment Design Majors

Environment Design majors often go into careers in which the following knowledge areas are important:

• Design - Knowledge of design techniques, tools, and principles involved in production of precision technical plans, blueprints, drawings, and models.
• English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
• Engineering and Technology - Knowledge of the practical application of engineering science and technology. This includes applying principles, techniques, procedures, and equipment to the design and production of various goods and services.
• Building and Construction - Knowledge of materials, methods, and the tools involved in the construction or repair of houses, buildings, or other structures such as highways and roads.
• Mathematics - Knowledge of arithmetic, algebra, geometry, calculus, statistics, and their applications.

Skills for Environment Design Majors

A major in environment design prepares you for careers in which the following skill-sets are crucial:

• Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
• Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
• Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
• Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
• Judgment and Decision Making - Considering the relative costs and benefits of potential actions to choose the most appropriate one.

Abilities for Environment Design Majors

As a environment design major, you will find yourself needing the following abilities:

• Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
• Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
• Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
• Deductive Reasoning - The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense.
• Written Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in writing so others will understand.

What Can You Do With a Environment Design Major?

Below is a list of occupations associated with environment design:

Job Title	Job Growth Rate	Median Salary
Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	4.2%	$79,380
Architectural and Engineering Managers	5.5%	$140,760
Architecture Professors	10.5%	$86,980
Landscape Architects	6.5%	$68,230

Who Is Getting a Bachelor’s Degree in Environment Design?

This is a less frequently chosen undergraduate major. Only 616 students graduated with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design in 2021, making it rank #191 in popularity. Roughly 52% of the graduates are women, and 48% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of environment design majors is as follows:

Race/Ethnicity	Number of Grads
Asian	61
Black or African American	23
Hispanic or Latino	99
White	286
International Students	35
Other Races/Ethnicities	47

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Environment Design, too. About 6.4% of those with this major are international students.

Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Environment Design

Some degrees associated with environment design may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. In general, the more advanced your degree the more career options will open up to you. However, there is significant time and money that needs to be invested into your education so weigh the pros and cons.

How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to environment design have obtained the following education levels.

Education Level	Percentage of Workers
Some College Courses	0.9%
Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree)	2.2%
Bachelor’s Degree	55.8%
Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master.	6.1%
Master’s Degree	18.5%
Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level.	0.9%
First Professional Degree - awarded for completion of a program that: requires at least 2 years of college work before entrance into the program, includes a total of at least 6 academic years of work to complete, and provides all remaining academic requirements to begin practice in a profession.	8.6%
Doctoral Degree	7.7%

Online Environment Design Programs

The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.

Degree Level	Colleges Offering Programs	Colleges Offering Online Classes
Certificate (Less Than 1 Year)	0	0
Certificate (1-2 years)	1	0
Certificate (2-4 Years)	0	0
Associate’s Degree	5	0
Bachelor’s Degree	11	2
Post-Baccalaureate	0	0
Master’s Degree	10	2
Post-Master’s	3	0
Doctor’s Degree (Research)	8	0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice)	1	1
Doctor’s Degree (Other)	0	0

Majors Related to Environment Design

You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to environment design.

Major	Number of Grads
Architectural Sciences & Technology	9,033
General Architecture	4,794
Urban & Regional Planning	2,481
Landscape Architecture	926
Interior Architecture	850
Real Estate Development	549
Architecture (Other)	206
Architectural History	158

References

*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• College Scorecard
• National Center for Education Statistics
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
• Image Credit: By Stan9999 under License

More about our data sources and methodologies.