Sustainability Studies Degree
22 schools compared · Average earnings $37,053/yr
Schools Offering
22
Avg Grad Earnings
$37,053/yr
Avg DegreeWorth Score
38/100
AI Automation Risk
High
49% task exposure
Best Schools for Sustainability Studies
Top 22 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score. Click any row for full AI scenario analysis and earnings projections.
| # | School | DW Score | Earnings | AI Risk | ROI |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Wisconsin-Platteville Platteville, WI |
68 64–69 |
$59,089/yr | High | 16.8x |
| 2 | University of Florida Gainesville, FL |
61 55–64 |
$39,261/yr | High | 23.5x |
| 3 | Miami University-Hamilton Hamilton, OH |
58 52–62 |
$37,223/yr | High | 21.0x |
| 4 | Western Washington University Bellingham, WA |
56 53–56 |
$41,600/yr | High | 10.2x |
| 5 | Colorado Mountain College Glenwood Springs, CO |
56 51–59 |
$31,734/yr | High | 34.2x |
| 6 | University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign Champaign, IL |
55 52–56 |
$50,678/yr | High | 6.9x |
| 7 | Utah State University Logan, UT |
54 51–54 |
$39,679/yr | High | 9.7x |
| 8 | University of Northern Colorado Greeley, CO |
53 50–55 |
$42,076/yr | High | 10.3x |
| 9 | George Mason University Fairfax, VA |
50 45–54 |
$39,329/yr | High | 10.4x |
| 10 | Montclair State University Montclair, NJ |
49 46–50 |
$41,445/yr | High | 6.0x |
| 11 | University of New Hampshire-Main Campus Durham, NH |
48 45–50 |
$43,090/yr | High | 4.6x |
| 12 | Columbia University in the City of New York New York, NY |
47 42–50 |
$53,957/yr | High | 2.1x |
| 13 | Florida International University Miami, FL |
47 43–46 |
$28,997/yr | High | 10.0x |
| 14 | Miami University-Oxford Oxford, OH |
46 40–50 |
$37,223/yr | High | 8.0x |
| 15 | The University of Texas at Austin Austin, TX |
46 43–46 |
$35,255/yr | High | 6.5x |
| 16 | SUNY Oneonta Oneonta, NY |
46 43–46 |
$32,409/yr | High | 8.2x |
| 17 | University of Utah Salt Lake City, UT |
43 40–43 |
$30,229/yr | High | 7.1x |
| 18 | University of California-Riverside Riverside, CA |
39 35–41 |
$30,698/yr | High | 4.4x |
| 19 | University of Illinois Chicago Chicago, IL |
39 35–41 |
$30,548/yr | High | 4.3x |
| 20 | Montana State University Bozeman, MT |
37 34–38 |
$22,296/yr | High | 5.9x |
| 21 | Aquinas College Grand Rapids, MI |
34 28–40 |
$29,399/yr | High | 3.5x |
| 22 | Chatham University Pittsburgh, PA |
26 22–29 |
$18,954/yr | High | 0.1x |
Highest Earning Sustainability Studies Programs
Schools where Sustainability Studies graduates earn the most in their first year after graduation.
| School | 1-Year Earnings | DW Score | AI Risk |
|---|---|---|---|
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville | $59,089/yr | 68 | High |
| Columbia University in the City of New York | $53,957/yr | 47 | High |
| University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign | $50,678/yr | 55 | High |
| University of New Hampshire-Main Campus | $43,090/yr | 48 | High |
| University of Northern Colorado | $42,076/yr | 53 | High |
| Western Washington University | $41,600/yr | 56 | High |
| Montclair State University | $41,445/yr | 49 | High |
| Utah State University | $39,679/yr | 54 | High |
| George Mason University | $39,329/yr | 50 | High |
| University of Florida | $39,261/yr | 61 | High |
Best ROI for Sustainability Studies
Schools with the highest earnings-to-tuition ratio for Sustainability Studies.
| School | ROI Multiple | Earnings | DW Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Mountain College | 34.2x | $31,734/yr | 56 |
| University of Florida | 23.5x | $39,261/yr | 61 |
| Miami University-Hamilton | 21.0x | $37,223/yr | 58 |
| University of Wisconsin-Platteville | 16.8x | $59,089/yr | 68 |
| George Mason University | 10.4x | $39,329/yr | 50 |
| University of Northern Colorado | 10.3x | $42,076/yr | 53 |
| Western Washington University | 10.2x | $41,600/yr | 56 |
| Florida International University | 10.0x | $28,997/yr | 47 |
| Utah State University | 9.7x | $39,679/yr | 54 |
| SUNY Oneonta | 8.2x | $32,409/yr | 46 |
Related Majors
Explore similar fields of study.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much do Sustainability Studies graduates earn?
Across 22 schools, Sustainability Studies graduates earn an average of $37,053 per year in their first year after graduation. Earnings range from $18,954 to $59,089 depending on the school.
What is the AI automation risk for Sustainability Studies?
Sustainability Studies is rated "High" for AI automation risk, with an average of 49% of job tasks exposed to large language models and AI tools. This means some career tasks in this field could be augmented or replaced by AI over the next decade.
Which school has the best Sustainability Studies program?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score (combining earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and ROI), University of Wisconsin-Platteville ranks #1 for Sustainability Studies with a score of 68/100 and graduate earnings of $59,089/yr.
Is a Sustainability Studies degree worth it?
On average, Sustainability Studies graduates earn 9.7x their in-state tuition over 10 years. This is a moderate return — school choice matters significantly.
About This Data
This page aggregates Sustainability Studies programs across 22 schools using earnings data from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, employment projections from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (2024–2034), and AI automation risk research from OpenAI and academic institutions.
The DegreeWorth Score (0–100) combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings, AI resilience, job market size, and return on investment. Each school's program page includes three AI scenarios (optimistic, base case, pessimistic) showing how automation could affect 10-year earnings.
Data: U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard (earnings, debt), Bureau of Labor Statistics 2024–2034
(employment projections), OpenAI GPTs-are-GPTs research (AI task exposure), Felten et al. AIOE.
Last updated 2025.