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General Environmental Engineering

Types of Degrees General Environmental Engineering Majors Are Earning

Those studying General Environmental Engineering can earn degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Associate’s Degree	1
Bachelor’s Degree	1,858
Master’s Degree	831
Doctor’s Degree	154

What General Environmental Engineering Majors Need to Know

Programs in General Environmental Engineering emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that General Environmental Engineering graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing General Environmental Engineering emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• Engineering and Technology — Importance 4.7 / 5; level 6.0 / 7.
• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Mathematics — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.5 / 7.
• Design — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 5.0 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 5.2 / 7.

^{Importance is rated 1–5; level is 1–7. Source: ONET Online — weighted across related occupations.*}

Skills

Skills developed in a General Environmental Engineering program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Active Listening — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to General Environmental Engineering careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Oral Expression — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.9 / 7.
• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.8 / 7.
• Speech Clarity — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 3.9 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, General Environmental Engineering graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Updating and Using Relevant Knowledge	4.4 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.4 / 7
Analyzing Data or Information	4.3 / 7
Thinking Creatively	4.3 / 7
Getting Information	4.3 / 7
Processing Information	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.2 / 7
Training and Teaching Others	4.1 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.1 / 7
Organizing, Planning, and Prioritizing Work	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by General Environmental Engineering professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Project	Project management software	—
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Computer aided design CAD software	Computer aided design CAD software	—
Python	Object or component oriented development software	—
Autodesk AutoCAD	Computer aided design CAD software	✓
Oracle Primavera Enterprise Project Portfolio Management	Project management software	—
Web browser software	Internet browser software	—
Oracle Java	Object or component oriented development software	—
Autodesk Revit	Computer aided design CAD software	✓

^{Source: ONET Online technology skills, weighted across related occupations.*}

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for General Environmental Engineering graduates include:

• Metallurgy Teacher
• Instructor
• Motion and Time Study Teacher
• Electronic Science Teacher
• Engineering Fundamentals Instructor
• Adjunct Professor
• Theoretical Mechanics Teacher
• Mechanical Drawing Teacher
• Radar Engineering Teacher
• Petroleum Engineering Teacher
• Electrical Engineering Professor
• Adjunct Instructor
• Technical Professor
• Marine Engineering Professor
• Chemical Engineering Professor

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to General Environmental Engineering graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Doctoral degree	34.1%
Bachelor’s degree	28.1%
Master’s degree	11.6%
Post-master’s certificate	10.8%
Post-doctoral training	10.1%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	1.8%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	1.5%
First professional degree	1.0%
Postsecondary certificate	0.8%
High school diploma or equivalent	0.2%

^{Source: ONET Online education / training / experience requirements.*}

Who Is Earning a Degree in General Environmental Engineering?

Gender Distribution

This field has a relatively balanced gender distribution: 55% women and 45% men among General Environmental Engineering graduates.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	1,564	55.0%
Men	1,280	45.0%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of General Environmental Engineering graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	1,559	54.8%
Asian	207	7.3%
Hispanic or Latino	360	12.7%
Black or African American	86	3.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native	8	0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander	5	0.2%
Two or More Races	121	4.3%
Race Unknown	66	2.3%
International Students	432	15.2%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do General Environmental Engineering Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of General Environmental Engineering graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. These numbers tend to grow steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$65,973
4 years	$73,709
5 years	$82,616

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $82,616 — roughly 25% above the 1-year mark.

^{Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, field-of-study earnings tracker.}

Online General Environmental Engineering Programs

Online study are documented by IPEDS for General Environmental Engineering. The table below shows how many graduates earned at least some of their coursework online (Distance-Ed Available) versus completing the entire program online (Distance-Ed Only).

Award Level	Distance-Ed Available	Distance-Ed Only
Associate’s	1	0
Bachelor’s	2	2
Master’s	9	8
Doctoral (Research)	1	1

^{Distance-Ed Only = degrees completed entirely online; Distance-Ed Available = degrees including at least some online coursework. Source: IPEDS Completions by Distance Education status.}

Is a Degree in General Environmental Engineering Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, General Environmental Engineering graduates earn a median of $73,709 four years after completion — roughly 94% above the national median for workers with only a high school diploma (~$38,000).

^{ROI estimate compares the program’s 4-yr median earnings against the 2023 BLS CPS median earnings for high-school-only workers. Source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard + BLS Current Population Survey.}

Related Programs

You may also be interested in these closely related fields of study:

Program	CIP Code
Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering	14.14
Engineering, Other	14.9999
Geotechnical and Geoenvironmental Engineering	14.0802
Water Resources Engineering	14.0805
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, General	14.0201
Aerospace, Aeronautical, and Astronautical/Space Engineering, Other	14.0299
Agricultural Engineering	14.0301
Architectural Engineering	14.0401
Astronautical Engineering	14.0202
Biochemical Engineering	14.4301
Bioengineering and Biomedical Engineering	14.0501

References

The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students and international students. This number is then divided by the total number of students to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.

• College Factual
• National Center for Education Statistics (IPEDS)
• O*NET Online
• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
• U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard

More about our data sources and methodologies.