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College research / Rankings

Best Environmental Programs in the South (2026)

Updated

Part of Best Engineering Colleges in the South

This page ranks the 11 Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering programs in the South by median earnings of Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Texas Tech University leads the list with median earnings of $90,143 four years after completing, followed by North Carolina State University at Raleigh at $85,808 and Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus at $81,818.

Across the listed schools, the median figure is $80,650, with a spread of $36,785 from $90,143 to $53,358. For 1 of the 11 programs the earnings figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one.

Every program on the list is at a public institution. Florida International University ranks 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions.

University of Florida posts the lowest average net price, at $6,541, while Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College reports the highest admission rate, admitting 73% of applicants.

The ranked list

11 schools in list order
RankSchoolProgram EarningsAverage net priceNet price, families under $30KAdmission rate
1Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX$90,143$19,070$12,45772.7%
Texas Tech University ranks 1st on this list, with median earnings of $90,143 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing.
2North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC$85,808$17,303$6,38241.7%
North Carolina State University at Raleigh reports an average net price of $17,303 alongside median earnings of $85,808 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing.
3Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA$81,818$12,116$7,66614.1%
Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus admits 14% of applicants and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates posted median earnings of $81,818 four years after completing.
4Clemson University · Clemson, SC$81,714$22,253$13,60738.3%
Clemson University ranks 232nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,500 in federal loans.
5University of Georgia · Athens, GA$81,604$13,936$8,08537.7%
University of Georgia reports median earnings of $81,604 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $8,085 for families earning under $30,000.
6Florida International University · Miami, FL$80,650$9,288$7,00354.7%
Florida International University ranks 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $16,500 in federal loans.
7University of Florida · Gainesville, FL$80,635$6,541$1,98224.2%
University of Florida reports median earnings of $80,635 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $6,541.
8Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College · Baton Rouge, LA$80,129$19,151$13,05673.3%
Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College admits 73% of applicants and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering completers who borrowed left with a median of $23,718 in federal loans.
9Florida Gulf Coast University · Fort Myers, FL$78,238$12,568$8,22063.4%
Florida Gulf Coast University reports median earnings of $78,238 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $8,220 for families earning under $30,000.
10University of Delaware · Newark, DE$76,631$17,799$10,90170.6%
University of Delaware ranks 242nd on Azimuth's composite ranking among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates posted median earnings of $76,631 four years after completing.
11University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL$53,358$10,411$5,81640.1%
An average net price of $10,411 coincides with median earnings of $53,358 for Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates of University of Central Florida four years after completing.

How this list is ordered

Programs are ordered by the median earnings of their Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, highest first. Only programs with a reported earnings cohort in the South appear. The figure captures federally aided completers who were working and not enrolled, measured four years after finishing. For 1 of the 11 listed programs the figure is the two-year completion median rather than the four-year one. The metric does not adjust for graduate school enrollment, cost, or who enrolls, and it is not a measure of teaching quality. The gap between Texas Tech University and North Carolina State University at Raleigh is $4,335, and the spread from the top of the list to the bottom reaches $36,785.

Job market context in the South

Graduates of Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering programs in the South enter occupations such as Environmental Engineers and Engineering Teachers, Postsecondary. The median annual wage across those occupations is $111,160, and a quarter of workers in those occupations earn less than $79,752. Projections for 2024 to 2034 put employment in those occupations about 9.1% higher, with about 1,374 openings a year for every hundred graduates, more projected openings than graduates. Wages and top occupations exclude management occupations; openings include them. The ranking above uses graduate earnings four years after completing, not the occupation-wide wage figures shown here.

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