MASTER'S DEGREE · NATIONAL DEGREE OUTCOMES
Is a master's degree in Sustainability Studies worth it?
Compare cost, debt and earnings across 14 college programs with reportable data.
Personal baseline needed
$79,893 in median year-4 earnings
A credible return for this credential must start with what the student would otherwise earn. The federal data does not provide that personal baseline.
$79,893Median year-4 earnings
$21,383Average institution net-price context
Not availableMedian federal debt
Start with your decision
What do you need to compare?
Outcomes at a glance
$79,893Typical earnings four years after completion
$85,580Average earnings five years after completion
Not availableTypical federal student debt
53thEarnings percentile among the same degree level
3Degrees awarded in 2024–25
14College programs reporting earnings
Degree counts come from the IPEDS Fall 2025 provisional release and cover 1 matched college records. Colleges without a match are not estimated.
Four useful answers about Sustainability Studies
How much do Sustainability Studies master's degree graduates earn?
The national median is $79,893 four years after completion across reportable master's degree programs in this federal field.
How much federal debt do graduates have?
A national median federal-debt figure is not reportable for this degree in the current release.
Does the college matter for Sustainability Studies?
Yes. The middle half of reporting programs ranges from $71,970 to $81,457 in observed year-4 earnings.
What careers are related to Sustainability Studies?
DegreeVerdict links this field to 8 displayed occupations using the official federal CIP–SOC crosswalk. Occupational wages are career context, not graduate salary promises.
More schooling changes both the cost and the outcome.
Compare the same field at each degree level with reportable data. These are separate groups of graduates, so the differences do not prove that an additional degree caused higher earnings.
OPEN PROFILE
Undergraduate Certificate or Diploma
- Year-4 earnings
- $59,417
- Federal debt
- $23,463
- Programs in the comparison
- 4
Bachelor's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $59,660
- Federal debt
- $20,510
- Programs in the comparison
- 21
Master's Degree
- Year-4 earnings
- $79,893
- Federal debt
- Not available
- Programs in the comparison
- 14
Where the middle half of programs lands
Year‑4 earnings differ by college. This band shows the 25th percentile, national median and 75th percentile among reporting programs.
Median
25th percentile$71,970National median$79,89375th percentile$81,457
14 programs report year‑4 earnings.BEFORE YOU CHOOSE
Compare price, debt and earnings together
SHORTLIST BY QUESTION
Three useful places to start
Each choice answers a different question. These are observed signals, not an overall winner.
PRICE × EARNINGS MAP
Where colleges sit for this exact degree
Move left for a lower annual college-wide net price and up for higher observed year-4 earnings.
$123,641Observed year-4 earnings$64,880
University of Redlands$30,031 price · $128,897 earningsColumbia University in the City of New York$21,590 price · $123,641 earningsThe New School$58,741 price · $81,540 earningsDePaul University$30,902 price · $81,457 earningsUniversity of Wisconsin-Green Bay$13,369 price · $80,935 earningsRutgers University-New Brunswick$24,406 price · $80,622 earningsCUNY City College$3,776 price · $79,163 earningsUniversity of Michigan-Ann Arbor$13,138 price · $76,776 earningsUniversity of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$14,355 price · $72,499 earningsUniversity of Washington-Seattle Campus$14,091 price · $71,970 earningsUniversity of Massachusetts-Amherst$22,383 price · $68,841 earningsUniversity of South Florida$9,812 price · $64,880 earnings
$3,776Annual college-wide average net price$30,902
Choose colleges offering this exact degree
Start with the highest-earning reported programs below, or open the full directory to search every college.
13 shortlist matchesSelect up to four · 13 shown
Search every reporting program →
See the spread, not just the national number.
1University of Redlands$128,8972Columbia University in the City of New York$123,6413The New School$81,5404DePaul University$81,4575University of Wisconsin-Green Bay$80,9356Rutgers University-New Brunswick$80,6227CUNY City College$79,1638University of Michigan-Ann Arbor$76,7769University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign$72,49910University of Washington-Seattle Campus$71,970Observed year-4 earnings · top displayed records are not a universal ranking
Jobs this degree may lead to
Federal education-to-career links identify related occupations. They do not imply that every graduate enters the same job.
Pay and projected demand
Related careers do not share one outlook
Bubble size = annual openings2025–35 national projection
Higher median wage ↑
-7%Projected employment growth →12%
Occupation wages describe workers in these jobs, not graduates of this degree. BLS projections are national estimates and do not guarantee hiring.
Natural Sciences Managers$167,220 median wage108,690 jobs nationwide+8.2% projected growth through 2035 · 9,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$79,710–$316,850 typical wage rangeSocial Scientists and Related Workers, All Other$101,110 median wage37,100 jobs nationwide-0.2% projected growth through 2035 · 2,700 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$66,120–$160,300 typical wage rangeEnvironmental Science Teachers, Postsecondary$94,980 median wage6,690 jobs nationwide+2.7% projected growth through 2035 · 600 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$57,780–$164,190 typical wage rangeUrban and Regional Planners$89,320 median wage44,230 jobs nationwide+3.9% projected growth through 2035 · 3,200 openings a yearTypical entry education: Master's degree$60,010–$134,490 typical wage rangeEnvironmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health$82,220 median wage89,250 jobs nationwide+6.1% projected growth through 2035 · 7,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$52,520–$140,010 typical wage rangePostsecondary Teachers, All Other$77,640 median wage149,840 jobs nationwide+2.0% projected growth through 2035 · 12,500 openings a yearTypical entry education: Doctoral or professional degree$44,300–$160,700 typical wage rangeConservation Scientists$73,010 median wage25,950 jobs nationwide+5.3% projected growth through 2035 · 2,100 openings a yearTypical entry education: Bachelor's degree$47,550–$110,410 typical wage rangeEnvironmental Science and Protection Technicians, Including Health$55,090 median wage34,670 jobs nationwide+6.9% projected growth through 2035 · 5,300 openings a yearTypical entry education: Associate's degree$38,170–$94,160 typical wage range
BLS May 2025 wages and 2025–35 projections. Career figures describe occupations, not graduates of a specific college.
This page keeps the field and credential level fixed. Federal categories can still combine multiple catalog programs or concentrations. Automated ROI is limited to associate and bachelor’s degrees because institution-wide annual net price is not a reliable proxy for short certificate prices. ROI is an illustrative scenario, not a federal determination.