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Engineering

Environmental Engineers

Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.

Median salary (BLS)

$107,110

10th–90th percentile (BLS)

$70k – $162k

Job outlook

+4% (faster than average)

AI exposure

Early-career check: graduates of the matching programs below typically earn $99,000 ten years after starting college — an early-career figure, vs. the all-experience BLS median above. Source: U.S. Dept. of Education College Scorecard.

Plan a path to Environmental Engineers

Qualification costsStack incomeBest cities/statesSchool ROIJob-posting fitTailored resume

Education

Typical entry: Bachelor's degree

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How to qualify

Estimate

Cost to qualify

$40,175–$150,500

Time to qualify

4.2 yr

Renewal

—

  1. 1

    Bachelor's degree

    Degree

    Four years at public in-state rates — average published tuition & fees ≈ $11,610/yr, plus books. Private and out-of-state run higher; grant aid lowers most students' actual net price.

    $40,000–$150,000 · 4 years source

  2. 2

    FE exam (optional — PE track)

    Certification

    The Fundamentals of Engineering exam is the first step toward a PE license; many engineering roles never need it.

    $175–$500 · 2 months source

Estimated typical U.S. route for "Environmental Engineers" — built from BLS education requirements and College Board 2024–25 average published prices (public, in-state tuition + fees + books). Not yet verified against a specific state's licensing rules — confirm with your state licensing board or program.

Typical progression

  1. Environmental Engineers Intern

    Internship

    $36,000

    ~4 mos to advance

  2. Junior Environmental Engineers

    Entry / Junior

    $69,990

    ~2 yrs to advance

  3. Environmental Engineers

    Established

    $107,110

    ~3 yrs to advance

  4. Senior Environmental Engineers

    Senior

    $134,665

Internships are a common on-ramp here — they speed up landing that first role and improve your odds, which is why the Safe and High-ceiling plans build one in.

Key skills

A typical day

  • •Design, or supervise the design of, systems, processes, or equipment for control, management, or remediation of water, air, or soil quality.
  • •Assess the existing or potential environmental impact of land use projects on air, water, or land.
  • •Collaborate with environmental scientists, planners, hazardous waste technicians, engineers, experts in law or business, or other specialists to address environmental problems.
  • •Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.
  • •Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.

Fields of study

Any field

Top colleges for Engineering

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Reputation-based selection; stats shown are outcome data per school.