[College research](/) / [Rankings](/rankings/) # Best Environmental Programs in the South (2026) Updated September 30, 2026 Part of [Best Engineering Colleges in the South](/rankings/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](/school/texas-tech-university/majors/) leads the list with median earnings of $90,143 four years after completing, followed by [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) at $85,808 and [Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus](/school/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/majors/) 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 | Rank | School | Program Earnings | Average net price | Net price, families under $30K | Admission rate | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | Texas Tech University · Lubbock, TX | $90,143 | $19,070 | $12,457 | 72.7% | | | [Texas Tech University](/school/texas-tech-university/majors/) ranks 1st on this list, with [median earnings of $90,143](/school/texas-tech-university/outcomes/) for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing. | | 2 | North Carolina State University at Raleigh · Raleigh, NC | $85,808 | $17,303 | $6,382 | 41.7% | | | [North Carolina State University at Raleigh](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/majors/) reports an [average net price of $17,303](/school/north-carolina-state-university-at-raleigh/cost/) alongside median earnings of $85,808 for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing. | | 3 | Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus · Atlanta, GA | $81,818 | $12,116 | $7,666 | 14.1% | | | [Georgia Institute of Technology-Main Campus](/school/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/majors/) [admits 14% of applicants](/school/georgia-institute-of-technology-main-campus/admissions/) and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates posted median earnings of $81,818 four years after completing. | | 4 | Clemson University · Clemson, SC | $81,714 | $22,253 | $13,607 | 38.3% | | | [Clemson University](/school/clemson-university/majors/) [ranks 232nd on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/clemson-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering completers who borrowed left with a median of $20,500 in federal loans. | | 5 | University of Georgia · Athens, GA | $81,604 | $13,936 | $8,085 | 37.7% | | | [University of Georgia](/school/university-of-georgia/majors/) reports [median earnings of $81,604](/school/university-of-georgia/outcomes/) 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. | | 6 | Florida International University · Miami, FL | $80,650 | $9,288 | $7,003 | 54.7% | | | [Florida International University](/school/florida-international-university/majors/) [ranks 14th on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/florida-international-university/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and graduates across all fields who borrowed left with a median of $16,500 in federal loans. | | 7 | University of Florida · Gainesville, FL | $80,635 | $6,541 | $1,982 | 24.2% | | | [University of Florida](/school/university-of-florida/majors/) reports [median earnings of $80,635](/school/university-of-florida/outcomes/) for its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates four years after completing, with an average net price of $6,541. | | 8 | Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College · Baton Rouge, LA | $80,129 | $19,151 | $13,056 | 73.3% | | | [Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College](/school/louisiana-state-university-and-agricultural-mechanical-college/majors/) [admits 73% of applicants](/school/louisiana-state-university-and-agricultural-mechanical-college/admissions/) and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering completers who borrowed left with a median of $23,718 in federal loans. | | 9 | Florida Gulf Coast University · Fort Myers, FL | $78,238 | $12,568 | $8,220 | 63.4% | | | [Florida Gulf Coast University](/school/florida-gulf-coast-university/majors/) reports [median earnings of $78,238](/school/florida-gulf-coast-university/outcomes/) 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. | | 10 | University of Delaware · Newark, DE | $76,631 | $17,799 | $10,901 | 70.6% | | | [University of Delaware](/school/university-of-delaware/majors/) [ranks 242nd on Azimuth's composite ranking](/school/university-of-delaware/) among nonprofit four-year institutions, and its Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates posted median earnings of $76,631 four years after completing. | | 11 | University of Central Florida · Orlando, FL | $53,358 | $10,411 | $5,816 | 40.1% | | | An [average net price of $10,411](/school/university-of-central-florida/cost/) coincides with median earnings of $53,358 for Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates of [University of Central Florida](/school/university-of-central-florida/majors/) 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. ## Related rankings - Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Programs - [Best Colleges in the South](/rankings/best-colleges-in-the-south/) - [Best Environmental Programs in the Midwest](/rankings/best-environmentalenvironmental-health-engineering-programs-in-the-midwest/) - Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Programs in the Northeast - Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering Programs in the West - [Best Engineering Colleges in the South](/rankings/best-engineering-colleges-in-the-south/)