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Environmental Design Major

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Environmental Design

616 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
38 Master's Degrees Annually
#191 in Popularity
$88,860 Median Salary

Types of Degrees Environmental Design Majors Are Getting

The following table lists how many environmental design graduations there were in 2020-2021 for each degree level.

Education Level Number of Grads
Bachelor’s Degree 616
Graduate Certificate 49
Master’s Degree 38
Doctor’s Degree 27
Associate Degree 10
Basic Certificate 1

What Environmental Design Majors Need to Know

People with careers related to environment design were asked what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. They weighted these areas on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the highest.

Knowledge Areas for Environment Design Majors

This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:

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  • 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

environment design majors are found most commonly in careers in which the following skills are important:

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  • 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

A major in environment design will prepare for your careers in which the following abilities are important:

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  • 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 Environmental Design Major?

People with a environment design degree often go into the following careers:

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 Environmental Design?

616 Bachelor's Degrees Annually
48% Percent Women
39% Percent Racial-Ethnic Minorities*
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 48% of the graduates are women, and 52% are men.

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

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

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Race/Ethnicity Number of Grads
Asian 70
Black or African American 24
Hispanic or Latino 114
White 297
International Students 64
Other Races/Ethnicities 47

Geographic Diversity

Students from other countries are interested in Environment Design, too. About 10.4% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:

  • China
  • India
  • South Korea
  • Canada
  • Saudi Arabia

How Much Do Environmental Design Majors Make?

Bachelor’s Degree Starting Salary

The U.S. Department of Education found that students who graduated in 2017-2019 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design made a median starting salary of $35,204 per year. During this timeframe, most salaries fell between $32,606 (25th percentile) and $41,714 (75th percentile).

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We don’t know for sure if all of these people took jobs related to environment design so take that into consideration.

Salaries According to BLS

Average salaries range from $73,160 to $99,320 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to environment design. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.

To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.

Median Salary for an Environmental Design Major  ( 73160 to 99320 )
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250K
Median Salary for a High School Graduate  ( 30000 to 57900 )
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250K
Median Salary for a Bachelor's Degree Holder  ( 45600 to 99000 )
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250K
Median Salary for an Advanced Degree Holder  ( 55600 to 125400 )
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250K

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.

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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 Environmental Design Programs

In 2020-2021, 57 schools offered a environment design program of some type. 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 3 0
Bachelor’s Degree 7 0
Post-Baccalaureate 0 0
Master’s Degree 10 0
Post-Master’s 2 0
Doctor’s Degree (Research) 8 0
Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) 1 1
Doctor’s Degree (Other) 0 0

Is a Degree in Environmental Design Worth It?

The median salary for a environment design grad is $88,860 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.

This is 123% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $979,200 after 20 years!

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

Major Number of Grads
Architectural Sciences & Technology 6,781
General Architecture 4,982
Urban & Regional Planning 2,419
Landscape Architecture 905
Interior Architecture 728
Real Estate Development 420
Architecture (Other) 202
Architectural History 147

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.

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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