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Environmental Design at University at Buffalo

Buffalo, NY · Public · Bachelor's Degree
52 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
57
Optimistic
52
Base Case
46
Pessimistic
Earnings $37,952/yr (-7% vs median)
AI Risk High (46% exposed)
Job Market Large (36,100 openings/yr)

How AI Changes the Outlook

Three scenarios based on how aggressively AI disrupts the career paths available to Environmental Design graduates.

Optimistic
No Disruption		 Base Case
Gradual AI		 Pessimistic
Aggressive AI
10-Year Earnings $705K $450K $286K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 16.4x 10.4x 6.6x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 5.8x 3.7x 2.3x
Viable Career Paths 6 of 6 6 of 6 6 of 6
DegreeWorth Score 57 52 46

10-Year Earnings Projection

*Year 1 uses actual reported earnings. Scenarios diverge as AI impact compounds over time.

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$43,128
Out-of-state: $122,288
Median Debt at Graduation
$17,500
5.5 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$62,289
64% growth from Year 1

Career Paths

Where Environmental Design graduates typically work. Raw data — no blending. The scenarios above model how these factors interact. This field has roughly 36,100 combined openings per year.

Career Path Wage Openings/yr Growth AI Risk
Architectural and engineering managers $167,740 14,500 +3.8% 41%
Architecture teachers, postsecondary $101,480 900 +2.0% 49%
Architects, except landscape and naval $96,690 7,800 +3.9% 49%
Urban and regional planners $83,720 3,400 +3.4% 48%
Landscape architects $79,660 1,700 +3.5% 42%
Interior designers $63,490 7,800 +3.2% 50%

Compare & Explore

Environmental Design at Other Schools

Auburn University ($44,929) Bowling Green State University-Main Campus ($43,843) University of Colorado Boulder ($42,401) University of Hawaii at Manoa ($37,849) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($37,226)

Other Majors at University at Buffalo

Registered Nursing, Nursing Administration, Nursing Research and Clinical Nursing ($78,621) Computer Engineering ($74,753) Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($74,205) Computer Science ($72,283) Clinical/Medical Laboratory Science/Research and Allied Professions ($70,264) Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering ($69,716) Chemical Engineering ($67,873) Mechanical Engineering ($65,094)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Environmental Design at University at Buffalo?
This program scores 52/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 57 (optimistic) to 46 (pessimistic) depending on AI's impact.
How does AI affect Environmental Design career prospects?
We model three scenarios: Optimistic (no disruption), Base Case (gradual AI adoption), and Pessimistic (aggressive AI displacement). In the base case, Environmental Design graduates retain 6 of 6 viable career paths. 10-year earnings range from $286,220 (pessimistic) to $705,419 (optimistic).
How many job openings are there for Environmental Design graduates?
The career paths mapped to Environmental Design have roughly 36,100 combined job openings per year nationally, making this a large job market.
Is Environmental Design at University at Buffalo worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 10.4x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 6.6x. The spread between scenarios tells you how sensitive this degree is to AI disruption.
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. Scenarios use a continuous weighting function combining AI exposure and BLS job growth projections. "Earnings Multiple" is total 10-year projected earnings divided by tuition — not a discounted financial ROI. Last updated 2025.