Home › University of Colorado Boulder › Environmental Design

Environmental Design at University of Colorado Boulder

Boulder, CO · Public · Bachelor's Degree
50 /100
DegreeWorth Score (Base Case)
54
Optimistic
50
Base Case
44
Pessimistic
Earnings $42,401/yr (4% 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 $764K $496K $320K
Earnings Multiple (In-State) 11.6x 7.5x 4.9x
Earnings Multiple (Out-of-State) 4.6x 3.0x 1.9x
Viable Career Paths 6 of 6 6 of 6 6 of 6
DegreeWorth Score 54 50 44

10-Year Earnings Projection

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

4-Year Tuition (In-State)
$65,720
Out-of-state: $167,772
Median Debt at Graduation
$22,497
6.4 months of Year 1 earnings
Reported Earnings (5 Year)
$68,017
60% 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 at Buffalo ($37,952) University of Hawaii at Manoa ($37,849) Arizona State University Campus Immersion ($37,226)

Other Majors at University of Colorado Boulder

Electrical, Electronics and Communications Engineering ($88,957) Computer Engineering ($86,211) Aerospace, Aeronautical and Astronautical Engineering ($81,835) Computer Science ($77,385) Civil Engineering ($73,033) Architectural Engineering ($72,567) Biochemical Engineering ($70,668) Chemical Engineering ($70,359)

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the DegreeWorth Score for Environmental Design at University of Colorado Boulder?
This program scores 50/100 in the Base Case scenario, factoring in earnings, AI disruption risk, job market size, and earnings multiple. The score ranges from 54 (optimistic) to 44 (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 $319,775 (pessimistic) to $763,822 (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 of Colorado Boulder worth it?
In the Base Case, this degree earns 7.5x its in-state tuition over 10 years. Even in the Pessimistic scenario, the multiple is 4.9x. 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.