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Best Schools for Sustainability Studies in 2026

22 schools ranked by DegreeWorth Score · Updated 2026

These are the top schools offering Sustainability Studies, ranked by DegreeWorth Score. The score combines graduate earnings, AI automation resilience, job market demand, and return on tuition investment. The average Sustainability Studies graduate earns $37,053/yr across 22 schools.

Programs Ranked
22
Avg Earnings
$37,053/yr
Avg DW Score
36/100
AI Risk
High
49% task exposure

All Sustainability Studies Programs Ranked

Click any row for full AI scenario analysis, earnings projections, and career path breakdown.

# School DW Score Earnings ROI
1 University of Florida
Gainesville, FL · Public 		52
49–53 		$39,261/yr 23.5x
2 University of Wisconsin-Platteville
Platteville, WI · Public 		52
48–53 		$59,089/yr 16.8x
3 Miami University-Hamilton
Hamilton, OH · Public 		50
48–51 		$37,223/yr 21.0x
4 Columbia University in the City of New York
New York, NY · Private nonprofit 		45
40–45 		$53,957/yr 2.1x
5 George Mason University
Fairfax, VA · Public 		45
42–45 		$39,329/yr 10.4x
6 University of Northern Colorado
Greeley, CO · Public 		44
40–44 		$42,076/yr 10.3x
7 University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
Champaign, IL · Public 		42
38–43 		$50,678/yr 6.9x
8 Western Washington University
Bellingham, WA · Public 		41
37–41 		$41,600/yr 10.2x
9 Miami University-Oxford
Oxford, OH · Public 		40
38–41 		$37,223/yr 8.0x
10 Utah State University
Logan, UT · Public 		39
36–39 		$39,679/yr 9.7x
11 Colorado Mountain College
Glenwood Springs, CO · Public 		37
36–37 		$31,734/yr 34.2x
12 University of New Hampshire-Main Campus
Durham, NH · Public 		37
34–38 		$43,090/yr 4.6x
13 Montclair State University
Montclair, NJ · Public 		37
34–38 		$41,445/yr 6.0x
14 The University of Texas at Austin
Austin, TX · Public 		32
30–33 		$35,255/yr 6.5x
15 SUNY Oneonta
Oneonta, NY · Public 		31
30–31 		$32,409/yr 8.2x
16 Florida International University
Miami, FL · Public 		29
29–30 		$28,997/yr 10.0x
17 Aquinas College
Grand Rapids, MI · Private nonprofit 		29
28–29 		$29,399/yr 3.5x
18 University of Utah
Salt Lake City, UT · Public 		28
27–28 		$30,229/yr 7.1x
19 University of California-Riverside
Riverside, CA · Public 		27
26–27 		$30,698/yr 4.4x
20 University of Illinois Chicago
Chicago, IL · Public 		26
25–27 		$30,548/yr 4.3x
21 Montana State University
Bozeman, MT · Public 		22
21–23 		$22,296/yr 5.9x
22 Chatham University
Pittsburgh, PA · Private nonprofit 		15
14–16 		$18,954/yr 0.1x

Methodology

Programs are ranked by DegreeWorth Score, which combines four equally weighted factors: graduate earnings (Year 1 after graduation), AI automation resilience (based on OpenAI and academic research), job market size (BLS annual openings), and earnings-to-tuition multiple (10-year projected earnings vs. 4-year tuition).

Earnings data comes from the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard, which reports actual median earnings of graduates — not self-reported surveys.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the best school for Sustainability Studies?
Based on our DegreeWorth Score, University of Florida ranks #1 for Sustainability Studies with a score of 52/100 and graduate earnings of $39,261/yr.
How much do Sustainability Studies graduates earn?
Across 22 schools, Sustainability Studies graduates earn an average of $37,053/yr in their first year. The highest-earning program reports $59,089/yr.
Is Sustainability Studies a good major for AI resistance?
Sustainability Studies has an average AI task exposure of 49%, rated "High". This field has moderate AI exposure — some career paths are more resilient than others.
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.