Sustainability Studies
Interdisciplinary Studies
Median earnings by degree level
| Degree | Median earnings | Typical range | Schools | Clear the bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | $56,806 | $41,846 to $61,232 | 24 | 83% |
| Master's Degree | $75,703 | $65,764 to $80,935 | 17 | 100% |
"Clear the bar" is the share of programs whose graduates out-earn a typical high-school graduate (the federal earnings-premium test). Typical range is the 25th to 75th percentile of program medians.
Job outlook
Projected employment growth +5% (2025 to 2035), about 42,900 openings a year across the occupations this field commonly leads to.
| Occupation | Median pay | Growth | Openings/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postsecondary Teachers, All Other | $77,640 | +2% | 12,500 |
| Natural Sciences Managers | $167,220 | +8.2% | 9,200 |
| Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health | $82,220 | +6.1% | 7,300 |
| Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health | $55,090 | +6.9% | 5,300 |
| Urban and Regional Planners | $89,320 | +3.9% | 3,200 |
| Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other | $101,110 | -0.2% | 2,700 |
Occupation pay and outlook: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OEWS wages, Employment Projections). A field maps to several occupations, and the same occupations serve many majors, so these are the jobs this major commonly leads to, not positions reserved for its graduates; the openings should not be added up across majors.
Where this is studied
The 8 colleges where the most students complete a sustainability studies program, of 219 that report one. Ordered by number of completions only: this is where people study it, not a judgement about where to.
- Columbia University in the City of New York
- Harvard University
- University of Wisconsin-Madison
- University of Utah
- University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
- University of Illinois Chicago
- University of Florida
- The University of Texas at Austin
Earnings source: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (release 2026-06-10), median earnings of graduates measured up to four years after completing. Figures describe past graduates and are never a promise. Method: methodology. Report an error.