Geography and Environmental Studies Degrees (2026 stats)

Last updated: April 29, 2026 Source: College Scorecard

TL;DR

Geography and Environmental Studies maps to BLS occupations averaging about $121,196, with roughly 21,700 workers nationwide in those roles. About 1,008 degrees completed in recent IPEDS counts; median program completion runs near 59%.

Key Statistics

1,008
Total Degrees Awarded (2023)
$6,178
Median In-State Public Tuition
$26,338
Median Out-of-State Private Tuition
$121,196
Avg. Wage (related occupations)
21,700
Workers (related occupations)
59.4%
Median Graduation Rate (4-yr schools)

Geography and Environmental Studies: what the data shows

Common questions about geography and environmental studies degrees, answered from IPEDS, College Scorecard, BLS OEWS, and O*NET in this repository—not program marketing copy.

What is a geography and environmental studies degree?

A Geography and Environmental Studies program is classified under NCES CIP 00.3044 in the 00.0030 field family (00.30).

IPEDS counted 1,008 completions for this CIP in the survey year in our extract.

Types of geography and environmental studies degrees and related programs

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 family with pages on EDsmart Data:

How long does it take to get a geography and environmental studies degree?

Award levels reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3044 in our file:

  • 2 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)—one to two years beyond a bachelor's

Time to completion depends on enrollment intensity and transfer credits; figures above describe credential type, not calendar time for every student.

What do you learn in geography and environmental studies?

O*NET skill ratings for occupations mapped to this major emphasize Writing, Instructing, Speaking, Reading Comprehension, Active Listening, Learning Strategies, and related competencies. See the Skills section for the full list in our extract.

What degree do you need?

For Geography Teachers, Postsecondary (top mapped occupation), O*NET incumbent surveys in our career profile report these education credentials most often: Some college (29%), High School or Equivalent (27%), Bachelors Degree (22%).

O*NET education distributions describe incumbent workers, not minimum legal or employer requirements.

What jobs can you get with a geography and environmental studies degree?

Our degree→occupation mapping links Geography and Environmental Studies to the BLS roles below. Employment is U.S. OEWS; median wage is national May 2024 where published in our extract.

OccupationU.S. employmentMedian annual wage
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary3,290$86,730
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary7,130$87,710
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary11,430$84,290
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health84,930$80,060
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary12,680$75,890
Environmental Engineers37,950$104,170

See Careers & Jobs for mean wages and industry context.

Is a geography and environmental studies degree worth it?

Among schools reporting in our Scorecard extract, median published in-state tuition is $6,178 and median net price is $11,800.

We do not score "worth" on opinion—compare debt, earnings, wages for mapped occupations, and completion data above against your cost and career target.

Institutions

Information about the types of higher education institutions that grant degrees in Geography and Environmental Studies and the types of students that study this field.

Tuition Costs for Common Institutions

$6,178 Median In-State Public

$26,338 Median Out of State Private

Tuition costs for Geography and Environmental Studies majors are, on average, $6,178 for in-state public colleges, and $26,338 for out of state private colleges.

Tuition costs comparison for Geography and Environmental Studies programs.

Degrees Awarded Over Time

1,008 Total Degrees Awarded in 2023

This chart shows the number of degrees awarded in Geography and Environmental Studies from 2015 to 2023.

Historical trend of degrees awarded in Geography and Environmental Studies.

Top 5 Schools by Enrollment

# School State Enrollment
1 Brigham Young University UT 32,221
2 Ohio University-Main Campus OH 18,456
3 Modesto Junior College CA 14,714
4 Western Washington University WA 13,574
5 University of Maryland-Baltimore County MD 10,434

Schools with the largest enrollment offering Geography and Environmental Studies programs.

Top 5 Most Affordable Tuition

# School State Tuition
1 Modesto Junior College CA $1,270
2 Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH $6,178
3 Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus OH $6,178
4 Ohio University-Southern Campus OH $6,178
5 Ohio University-Lancaster Campus OH $6,178

Schools with the lowest tuition costs for Geography and Environmental Studies programs.

Top 5 Lowest Net Price

# School State Net Price
1 Ohio University-Eastern Campus OH $4,503
2 Ohio University-Southern Campus OH $5,328
3 Ohio University-Zanesville Campus OH $5,971
4 Ohio University-Lancaster Campus OH $6,133
5 Ohio University-Chillicothe Campus OH $6,483

Schools with the lowest average net price for Geography and Environmental Studies programs.

Graduation Rates

59.36% Median Graduation Rate (150% of normal time)

57.43% Average Graduation Rate

144 Institutions Reporting

43.88% - 71.16% Interquartile Range

Graduation/completion rates for Geography and Environmental Studies programs across institutions.

Related specializations

Other NCES program codes in the 00.30 CIP family with dedicated pages on EDsmart Data.

Degree Levels (IPEDS)

Completions reported to IPEDS for CIP 00.3044 in the survey year used in our extract (2 total across levels below).

  • 2 Master's (100.0% of IPEDS total)

Source: IPEDS Completions (c2024_a), summed by award level for this CIP.

Careers & Jobs

Occupations linked to this major in our degree→career mapping, with wages and employment from processed BLS career profiles in this repo.

Across these BLS occupations, employment-weighted mean pay is about $121,196. Figures are national OEWS estimates for the occupation—not earnings of Geography and Environmental Studies graduates alone.

Related occupations (BLS OEWS)

Occupation Mean annual wage U.S. employment
Geography Teachers, Postsecondary$164,7593,290
Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary$127,9257,130
Area, Ethnic, and Cultural Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$129,63011,430
Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$110,33984,930
Recreation and Fitness Studies Teachers, Postsecondary$141,27812,680
Environmental Engineers$131,20137,950

Open each occupation for full career profile charts and industry breakdowns on EDsmart Data.

Employment

Wages and industry mix below use BLS OEWS data for occupations linked to this major in our mapping—not a graduate earnings survey.

Yearly Income for Common Jobs

$119,758 Average Wage in Workforce

The average salary for Geography and Environmental Studies majors is $119,758.

Average annual salaries of the most common occupations for Geography and Environmental Studies majors.

Occupations by Share

21,700 2023 Workforce

The number of Geography and Environmental Studies graduates in the workforce has been growing.

Various jobs filled by those with a major in Geography and Environmental Studies by share of the total number of graduates.

Diversity

Demographic information for those who earn a degree in Geography and Environmental Studies in the United States.

Workforce Age

N/A Average Age in 2023

This chart shows distribution of ages for employees with a degree in Geography and Environmental Studies.

Age distribution for Geography and Environmental Studies degree holders in the workforce.

Gender Distribution

Gender distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Gender distribution of Geography and Environmental Studies degree recipients.

Race and Ethnicity Distribution

Race and ethnicity distribution data is not available for this degree program.

Racial and ethnic distribution of Geography and Environmental Studies degree recipients.

Degrees Awarded

The most common degree types awarded to students graduating in Geography and Environmental Studies are Bachelors Degree, Masters Degree, and Associates Degree.

Distribution of degree types awarded in Geography and Environmental Studies.

Skills

Data on the critical and distinctive skills necessary for those working in the Geography and Environmental Studies field from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Required Skills

Geography and Environmental Studies majors need many skills, but most especially Critical Thinking, Active Listening, and Reading Comprehension.

Rating of how necessary various skills are for Geography and Environmental Studies majors.

Skills Bar Chart

This bar chart shows the same information as the radar chart, displaying the importance of each skill.

Skill importance ratings for Geography and Environmental Studies majors.

About

Geography and Environmental Studies

In 2023, 1,008 degrees were awarded across all undergraduate and graduate programs in Geography and Environmental Studies.

CIP Code

00.3044 - Geography and Environmental Studies

What the data shows

Mapped BLS occupations show employment-weighted mean pay of about $121,196. The largest mapped role by headcount is Geography Teachers, Postsecondary (3,290 U.S. jobs in OEWS).

Published tuition medians in College Scorecard land at $6,178 in-state at public colleges and $26,338 at private institutions for programs in this field.

Data Sources

This page uses data from the following sources:

  • College Scorecard - U.S. Department of Education
    • Institutional characteristics, costs, completion rates, and earnings data
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: collegescorecard.ed.gov
  • Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS)
    • Employment and wage data by occupation
    • Latest data: May 2024
    • Source: bls.gov/oes
  • O*NET Online - U.S. Department of Labor
    • Occupational skills, knowledge, abilities, and work activities
    • Database version: 28.0 (August 2023)
    • Source: onetcenter.org
  • IPEDS (Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System) - National Center for Education Statistics
    • Institutional data, completions, enrollment, and financial aid
    • Data years: 2015-2024
    • Source: nces.ed.gov/ipeds
  • Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS)
    • Demographic and workforce data
    • Latest data: 2023 ACS 5-Year Estimates
    • Source: census.gov/acs

Data Processing: All data has been processed, cleaned, and aggregated for presentation. Where specific data points are unavailable, estimates are based on available data and clearly marked.

Last Updated: Data reflects the most recent available information as of January 2025.

Methodology

Data for this profile is sourced from the U.S. Department of Education's College Scorecard dataset, IPEDS completion data, and Bureau of Labor Statistics employment data.

All financial figures are adjusted for inflation and represent the most recent available data. Employment and wage data are from the most recent Census Bureau ACS PUMS estimates.