2021 Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering
Approximately 2,822 environmental engineering degrees were granted to students last year in the United States. With so many options it can be a daunting task finding the best choice. This year's Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering ranking analyzed 23 colleges and universities that offer a bachelor's degree in environmental engineering. We look at over 20 factors to determine the top 15% of schools for Environmental Engineering students.
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Choosing a Great Environmental Engineering School
Your choice of environmental engineering school matters. Important measures of a quality environmental engineering program can vary widely even among the top schools. When choosing a school we recommend considering some of the following factors:
A Great Overall School
A school that excels in educating for a particular major must be a great school overall as well. To make it into this list a school must rank well in our overall Best Colleges ranking. This ranking considered factors such as graduation rates, overall graduate earnings and other educational resources to identify great colleges and universities.
Over 80% of the schools in this list are in the top 12% of our overall quality ranking while the lowest ranked school on the list is still in the top 12%.
Above Average Earnings After Graduation
A environmental engineering degree from schools on this list usually results in above average salaries after graduation. Recent environmental engineering graduates from U.S. colleges with a bachelors degree earned an average of $50,467 in 2017-2018.
Other Factors We Consider
In addition to the above, you should consider some of the following factors:
- Major Focus - How much a school focuses on Environmental Engineering students vs. other majors.
- Major Popularity - How many other environmental engineering students choose this school.
- Accreditation - Whether a school is regionally accredited and/or a recognized environmental engineering related accrediting body.
Our full ranking methodology documents in more detail how we consider these factors to identify the best colleges for Environmental Engineering students.
Best Schools to Study Environmental Engineering in the United States
Learn about the top ranked colleges and universities for environmental engineering majors.
Top 10 Best Environmental Engineering Colleges
It's difficult to beat Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus if you wish to study environmental engineering. Georgia Tech is a fairly large public school located in the city of Atlanta. A Best Colleges rank of 82 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means Georgia Tech is a great school overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, Georgia Tech also offers 2 different higher degree levels in environmental engineering, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Graduates from the environmental engineering program at Georgia Institute of Technology - Main Campus make $4,083 more than the standard graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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Clarkson University is a good choice for students pursuing a Environmental Engineering major. Clarkson is a small private not-for-profit school located in the town of Potsdam. This college ranks 146th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of New York.
Clarkson University is a fairly popular college to study environmental engineering in United States with more than 31 graduates last year. Students from the environmental engineering degree program at Clarkson University earn $2,383 more than the average college grad in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Every student who is interested in environmental engineering needs to take a look at Michigan Technological University. Michigan Tech is a medium-sized public school located in the town of Houghton. This college ranks 205th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Michigan.
There are roughly 57 environmental engineering undergrads enrolled in this degree at Michigan Tech. Grads of the environmental engineering program report average early career income of $48,800.
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Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute is among your best bets if you're planning on studying environmental engineering. Located in the small city Troy, RPI is a private not-for-profit college with a medium-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of 58 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means RPI is a great college overall.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, RPI also offers a Master's Degree in environmental engineering. Students from the environmental engineering degree program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute make $7,283 more than the typical college graduate in this field when they enter the workforce.
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Located in the small suburb San Luis Obispo, Cal Poly San Luis Obispo is a public college with a very large student population. This school ranks 155th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of California.
With 48 undergraduates, California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo is one of most popular schools to study environmental engineering in United States. Graduates from the environmental engineering program at California Polytechnic State University - San Luis Obispo earn $12,483 above the typical graduate with the same degree when they enter the workforce.
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U of F is a very large public school located in the medium-sized city of Gainesville. A Best Colleges rank of 85 out of 1,715 schools nationwide means U of F is a great college overall.
For those interested in something more advanced, U of F also offers 2 different higher degree levels in environmental engineering, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Students who complete this degree report average early career earnings of $45,900.
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Located in the large city Philadelphia, Drexel is a private not-for-profit school with a very large student population. This college ranks 186th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Pennsylvania.
A preferred choice for environmental engineering undergraduates, there are about 37 individuals enrolled in this degree at Drexel. Students from the environmental engineering major at Drexel University make $5,383 more than the standard college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.
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Located in the town Rolla, Missouri University of Science and Technology is a public college with a moderately-sized student population. This school ranks 257th out of 1,715 schools for overall quality in the state of Missouri.
For those interested in pursuing a higher degree, Missouri University of Science and Technology also offers a Master's Degree in environmental engineering. Students who graduate from the environmental engineering program make around $51,400 in the first couple years of their career.
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CU - Boulder is a fairly large public school located in the city of Boulder. This college ranks 227th out of 1,715 colleges for overall quality in the state of Colorado.
For those interested in something more advanced, CU - Boulder also offers 2 different higher degree levels in environmental engineering, the most popular of which is a Master's Degree. Students who graduate from the environmental engineering program make around $46,400 in the first couple years of working.
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Located in the midsize city Ann Arbor, U of Michigan is a public college with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of 38 out of 1,715 colleges nationwide means U of Michigan is a great school overall.
A preferred choice for environmental engineering undergrads, there are approximately 50 learners studying this degree at U of Michigan. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor environmental engineering majors receive $8,083 more than the average environmental engineering graduate.
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View the Best Colleges for Environmental Engineering for a specific region near you.
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New England |
Rocky Mountains |
Plains States |
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Environmental Engineering Related Rankings by Major
One of 38 majors within the Engineering area of study, Environmental Engineering has other similar majors worth exploring.
Most Popular Related Majors
Related Major | Annual Graduates |
---|---|
Mechanical Engineering | 47,405 |
Electrical Engineering | 31,384 |
Civil Engineering | 21,938 |
Computer Engineering | 15,891 |
Chemical Engineering | 14,406 |
View All Environmental Engineering Related Majors >
Notes and References
- The bars on the spread charts above show the distribution of the schools on this list +/- one standard deviation from the mean.
- The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), a branch of the U.S. Department of Education (DOE) serves as the core of the rest of our data about colleges.
- Some other college data, including much of the graduate earnings data, comes from the U.S. Department of Education’s (College Scorecard).
- Credit for the banner image above goes to U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Alesia Goosic. More about our data sources and methodologies.
Featured Schools
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Southern New Hampshire University
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Purdue University
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Grand Canyon University (GCU)
With a spotlight on intellectual creativity and innovation for the 21stcentury, the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at GCU provides a job focused education. It blends the study of traditional humanities in a modern context. Through academic inquiry and beyond the box thinking, the college advances our society and its accomplishments ... Learn More > |
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Northcentral University
Northcentral University (NCU) was founded to provide accessible, high-quality, online graduate degrees to working professionals. As a regionally accredited, online university, NCU serves students worldwide, focusing on Doctoral and Master's degree programs in the Schools of Business and Technology Management, Education, Psychology, and Marriage and Family Sciences ... Learn More > |
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Colorado Technical University (CTU)
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