# Sustainability Studies

> A program that focuses on the concept of sustainability from an interdisciplinary perspective. Includes instruction in sustainable development, environmental policies, ethics, ecology, landscape architecture, city and regional planning, economics, natural resources, sociology, and anthropology.

- Edition: Data verified Nov 2026 · CollegesRef 2026–27 edition
- Page: https://www.collegesref.com/programs/sustainability-studies
- CIP code: 30.33 (Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies)
- Colleges offering it: 150 at its most common degree level

## Outcomes by degree level (College Scorecard, 2025)

| Degree level | Colleges | Median earnings 1 yr | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median federal debt |
| --- | ---: | ---: | ---: | ---: |
| Certificate | 51 | $46,667 | $59,417 | $22,250 |
| Associate's | 18 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Bachelor's | 150 | $44,704 | $59,660 | $20,000 |
| Master's | 103 | $65,811 | $79,163 | $41,000 |
| Post-baccalaureate certificate | 5 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Doctoral | 17 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| First professional | 1 | not reported | not reported | not reported |
| Graduate/professional certificate | 59 | not reported | not reported | not reported |

## Colleges whose graduates earn the most (Bachelor's)

Only programs with at least 10 graduates are listed.

| College | Location | Median earnings 4 yrs | Median debt |
| --- | --- | ---: | ---: |
| [Columbia University in the City of New York](https://www.collegesref.com/college/columbia-university-in-the-city-of-new-york-656) | New York, NY | $85,545 | $27,000 |
| [University of Wisconsin-Platteville](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-wisconsin-platteville-3088) | Platteville, WI | $73,238 | not reported |
| [Western Washington University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/western-washington-university-3243) | Bellingham, WA | $70,793 | $17,212 |
| [University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-illinois-at-urbana-champaign-main-campus-2927) | Champaign, IL | $63,604 | $16,533 |
| [University of New Hampshire](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-new-hampshire-main-campus-2980) | Durham, NH | $62,388 | $27,000 |
| [University of Florida](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-florida-2910) | Gainesville, FL | $61,281 | $11,875 |
| [George Mason University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/george-mason-university-1065) | Fairfax, VA | $61,216 | $17,375 |
| [Stockton University](https://www.collegesref.com/college/stockton-university-2608) | Galloway, NJ | $59,472 | not reported |
| [University of California-Riverside](https://www.collegesref.com/college/university-of-california-riverside-2886) | Riverside, CA | $58,463 | $21,500 |
| [The University of Texas at Austin](https://www.collegesref.com/college/the-university-of-texas-at-austin-main-campus-2764) | Austin, TX | $54,430 | $15,000 |

## Related careers (NCES CIP–SOC crosswalk)

- [Clinical Research Coordinators](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/clinical-research-coordinators): $167,220 median pay
- [Natural Sciences Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/natural-sciences-managers): $167,220 median pay
- [Water Resource Specialists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/water-resource-specialists): $167,220 median pay
- [Social Scientists and Related Workers, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/social-scientists-and-related-workers-all-other): $101,110 median pay
- [Transportation Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/transportation-planners): $101,110 median pay
- [Environmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-science-teachers-postsecondary): $94,980 median pay
- [Urban and Regional Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/urban-and-regional-planners): $89,320 median pay
- [Climate Change Policy Analysts](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/climate-change-policy-analysts): $82,220 median pay
- [Environmental Restoration Planners](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-restoration-planners): $82,220 median pay
- [Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-scientists-and-specialists-including-health): $82,220 median pay
- [Industrial Ecologists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/industrial-ecologists): $82,220 median pay
- [Postsecondary Teachers, All Other](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/postsecondary-teachers-all-other): $77,640 median pay
- [Conservation Scientists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/conservation-scientists): $73,010 median pay
- [Park Naturalists](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/park-naturalists): $73,010 median pay
- [Range Managers](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/range-managers): $73,010 median pay
- [Environmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health](https://www.collegesref.com/careers/environmental-science-and-protection-technicians-including-health): $55,090 median pay

## More in Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies

- [Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies, Other](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/multi-interdisciplinary-studies-other): 612 colleges
- [International/Globalization Studies](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/international-globalization-studies): 360 colleges
- [Multi-/Interdisciplinary Studies, General](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/multi-interdisciplinary-studies-general): 350 colleges
- [Biological and Physical Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/biological-and-physical-sciences): 202 colleges
- [Data Science](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/data-science): 194 colleges
- [Data Analytics](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/data-analytics): 175 colleges
- [Nutrition Sciences](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/nutrition-sciences): 119 colleges
- [Gerontology](https://www.collegesref.com/programs/gerontology): 90 colleges

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Education, College Scorecard field-of-study data, 2025: https://collegescorecard.ed.gov/data/
- NCES Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) 2020: https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/cipcode/