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energy and environmental policy

Types of Degrees energy and environmental policy Majors Are Earning

People majoring in energy and environmental policy may pursue degrees at several award levels.

Award Level	Graduates
Bachelor’s Degree	13
Master’s Degree	69
Doctor’s Degree	1

What energy and environmental policy Majors Need to Know

Studies in energy and environmental policy emphasize a specific mix of knowledge, skills, and abilities — derived from O*NET surveys of workers in occupations that energy and environmental policy graduates commonly enter.

Knowledge Areas

This major prepares you for careers needing energy and environmental policy emphasizes the following knowledge areas:

• English Language — Importance 4.2 / 5; level 4.4 / 7.
• Law and Government — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Customer and Personal Service — Importance 3.7 / 5; level 4.7 / 7.
• Computers and Electronics — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.0 / 7.
• Administrative — Importance 3.3 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

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

Skills

The skill set emphasized by a energy and environmental policy program reflects the day-to-day work of related occupations:

• Active Listening — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Reading Comprehension — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Speaking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.
• Critical Thinking — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.
• Writing — Importance 3.8 / 5; level 4.1 / 7.

Abilities

The cognitive and physical abilities most relevant to energy and environmental policy careers — again drawn from O*NET surveys of related occupations:

• Written Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Oral Comprehension — Importance 4.1 / 5; level 4.6 / 7.
• Oral Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.5 / 7.
• Written Expression — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.3 / 7.
• Deductive Reasoning — Importance 4.0 / 5; level 4.2 / 7.

Common Job Activities

Day-to-day, energy and environmental policy graduates report doing:

Activity	Frequency / Importance
Getting Information	4.5 / 7
Evaluating Information to Determine Compliance with Standards	4.5 / 7
Communicating with Supervisors, Peers, or Subordinates	4.4 / 7
Communicating with People Outside the Organization	4.3 / 7
Working with Computers	4.3 / 7
Documenting/Recording Information	4.2 / 7
Making Decisions and Solving Problems	4.2 / 7
Identifying Objects, Actions, and Events	4.1 / 7
Establishing and Maintaining Interpersonal Relationships	4.1 / 7
Processing Information	4.0 / 7

Technology Skills Used on the Job

Most frequently-cited tools used by energy and environmental policy professionals:

Tool / Software	Category	In-Demand
Microsoft Word	Word processing software	✓
Microsoft Excel	Spreadsheet software	✓
Microsoft PowerPoint	Presentation software	✓
Microsoft Office software	Office suite software	✓
Microsoft Access	Data base user interface and query software	✓
Microsoft Outlook	Electronic mail software	✓
Word processing software	Word processing software	—
Database software	Data base user interface and query software	—
Microsoft SharePoint	Document management software	—
SAP software	Enterprise resource planning ERP software	—
Adobe Acrobat	Document management software	—
Corel WordPerfect Office Suite	Office suite software	—

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

Sample Job Titles

Real job postings for energy and environmental policy graduates include:

• Compliance Analyst
• Compliance Coordinator
• Regulatory Compliance Specialist
• Regulatory Analyst
• Environmental Compliance Inspector
• Compliance Investigator
• Equal Employment Opportunity Officer (EEO Officer)
• Human Rights Officer
• Affirmative Action Officer (AA Officer)
• Appeals Coordinator
• Equal Employment Opportunity Representative (EEO Representative)
• Complaint Investigations Officer
• Action Officer
• Civil Rights Representative
• Civil Rights Specialist

Education Typically Required

Across the occupations open to energy and environmental policy graduates, the typical level of education actually held by current workers is distributed as:

Education Level	Share of Workers
Bachelor’s degree	56.3%
Associate’s degree (or other 2-year)	10.0%
High school diploma or equivalent	9.0%
Some college courses	6.8%
Master’s degree	6.7%
Postsecondary certificate	4.7%
Post-baccalaureate certificate	4.5%
First professional degree	0.7%
Post-doctoral training	0.6%
Less than a high school diploma	0.4%
Post-master’s certificate	0.3%

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

Who Is Earning a Degree in energy and environmental policy?

Gender Distribution

This field skews predominantly female, with women earning 61.4% of energy and environmental policy degrees.

Gender	Graduates	Share
Women	51	61.4%
Men	32	38.6%

Racial-Ethnic Diversity

At the national level, the racial-ethnic distribution of energy and environmental policy graduates is as follows:

Race / Ethnicity	Graduates	Share
White	45	54.2%
Asian	4	4.8%
Hispanic or Latino	6	7.2%
Black or African American	1	1.2%
Two or More Races	6	7.2%
Race Unknown	4	4.8%
International Students	17	20.5%

^{See minority definition below.}

How Much Do energy and environmental policy Graduates Earn?

Federal data tracks median earnings of energy and environmental policy graduates 1, 4, and 5 years after completion. Wages typically rise steadily as graduates gain experience and move into mid-career roles.

Years Out	Median Earnings
1 year	$42,496
4 years	$52,434
5 years	$59,221

By year 5 out, median earnings rise to $59,221 — roughly 39% above the 1-year mark.

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

Is a Degree in energy and environmental policy Worth It?

On the earnings side, the federal earnings tracker, energy and environmental policy graduates earn a median of $52,434 four years after completion — roughly 38% 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/Natural Resources Management and Policy	03.02
Bioenergy	03.0210
Environmental/Natural Resource Economics	03.0204
Environmental/Natural Resource Recreation and Tourism	03.0207
Environmental/Natural Resources Law Enforcement and Protective Services	03.0208
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, General	03.0201
Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy, Other	03.0299
Land Use Planning and Management/Development	03.0206
Water, Wetlands, and Marine Resources Management	03.0205

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.