2022 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

When it comes to choosing a college, students have a lot of options - but not all of them are good. At College Factual, we’re committed to helping you make that decision by providing information such as that found in our “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking.

In 2019-2020, 9,869 people earned their degree in environmental studies, making the major the 85th most popular in the United States.

Across California, there were 1,707 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $0 and $0 respectively. At the master’s degree level specifically, there were 147 environmental studies graduates with average earnings and debt of $60,281 and $50,119 respectively.

This year’s “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking analyzed 5 colleges that offered a degree in environmental studies. The schools that top this list are recognized because they have great environmental studies programs and cost less that schools of similar quality.

Some of the factors we look at when determining these rankings are overall quality of the environmental studies program at the school and the cost of the school after aid is awarded among other things. For more information, check out our ranking methodology.

One Size Does Not Fit All

Since picking the right college can be one of the most important decisions of your life, we’ve developed the “Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k” ranking, along with many other major-related rankings, to help you make that decision.

You can create your own custom comparison that focuses on the factors most important to you using our tool, College Combat. If you’re torn between two schools, you can use it to help you see how they stack up against one another. Bookmark it so you can compare any new schools that might interest you.

Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k

The colleges and universities below are the best for california master’s degree ecosystem studies students whose families make $0-$30k.

Top 5 Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in California

#1

University of California - Berkeley

Berkeley, California

#1 in overall quality

$29,347 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll be in good company if you decide to attend University of California - Berkeley. It ranked #1 on our 2022 Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k list. This large school is located in Berkeley, California, and it awarded 42 masters’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

UC Berkeley not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #1 on our “Best Environmental Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Berkeley are $29,347, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at UC Berkeley

#2

University of California - Davis

Davis, California

#3 in overall quality

$28,700 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of California - Davis. The school came in at #2 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Davis, California is the setting for this large institution of higher learning. The public school handed out masters’s ecosystem studies degrees to 20 students in 2019-2020.

UC Davis did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #3 on our “Best Environmental Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Although you might pay more or less depending on your area of study, average graduate tuition and fees at UC Davis are $28,700.

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of California - Davis

#3

University of Southern California

Los Angeles, California

#2 in overall quality

$48,715 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of Southern California. The school came in at #3 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. This large school is located in Los Angeles, California, and it awarded 22 masters’s ecosystem studies degrees in 2019-2020.

USC did well in our major quality rankings, too. It placed #2 on our “Best Environmental Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of Southern California are $48,715, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read more about Environmental Studies at University of Southern California

#4

University of California - Santa Cruz

Santa Cruz, California

$28,952 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

Out of the 5 schools in the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k that were part of this year’s ranking, University of California - Santa Cruz landed the #4 spot on the list. UC Santa Cruz is located in Santa Cruz, California and, has a fairly large student population. In 2019-2020, this school awarded 3 masters’s ecosystem studies degrees to qualified students.

UC Santa Cruz not only placed well in this ranking. It is also #0 on our “Best Environmental Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list. Average graduate tuition and fees at University of California - Santa Cruz are $28,952, but some majors have different tuition rates.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at UC Santa Cruz

#5

University of San Francisco

San Francisco, California

#4 in overall quality

$26,710 Avg Grad Tuition & Fees

You’ll join some of the best and brightest minds around if you attend University of San Francisco. The school came in at #5 for the Best Value Ecosystem Studies Schools for a Master’s in California For Those Making $0-$30k. Located in San Francisco, California, this fairly large private not-for-profit school handed out 31 degrees to qualified masters’s ecosystem studies students in 2019-2020.

USFCA also made our “Best Environmental Studies Master’s Degree Schools in California” list, coming in at #4. Average graduate tuition and fees at USFCA are $26,710, but you may pay more or less depending on your major.

Read full report on Environmental Studies at USFCA

• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k) in the Far Western US Region
• Best Value Master’s Degree Colleges for Environmental Studies (Income $0-$30k)

Notes and References

References

• 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 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).
• Information about the national average student loan default rate is from the U.S. Department of Education and refers to data about the 2016 borrower cohort tracking period for which the cohort default rate (CDR) was 10.1%.

Read more about our data sources and methodologies

Footnotes

• *Average salary, average net price, and average tuition and fees are for the top schools only.
• Some schools otherwise deserving of recognition may have been removed from this ranking in the event that new data identified post-publication warranted it, or at the request of the school.

Credits

• Credit for the banner image above goes to Lynn Betts.

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