Environmental Designat University of Hawaii at Manoa
Graduates earn $37,849/yr in their first year — about 7.0% below the national Environmental Design average. Base-case 10-year earnings $669K; scenarios range from $603K to $689K depending on AI disruption.
What this degree looks like at University of Hawaii at Manoa
While the initial earnings might seem modest for such a specialized field, it's crucial to understand the unique context of practicing in Hawaii. Your career path here is deeply tied to the islands' specific challenges and opportunities—think sustainable resort development, resilient infrastructure to combat sea-level rise, and culturally informed public spaces. You won't be competing for jobs at massive mainland firms; instead, you'll be building relationships within a tight-knit professional community at companies like AHL Design or with government agencies. The lower starting figures reflect this smaller, more isolated market, not a lack of opportunity.
Your key advantage is a portfolio hyper-relevant to tropical and coastal environments. To maximize your value, aggressively pursue internships with local Honolulu firms that focus on sustainability and hospitality projects, building a network that will be essential for your long-term career success on the islands.
Three scenarios, ten years out
Each scenario is a different assumption about how AI reshapes the career paths this major feeds into. Earnings projections stack the full 10-year cumulative trajectory; scores use the same 0–100 metric as the hero, recomputed under that scenario's assumptions.
10 year projection
Year-by-year earnings under each scenario. Base case reflects BLS growth patterns applied to University of Hawaii at Manoa's starting earnings; optimistic and pessimistic adjust for AI's effect on each career path this major feeds into.
Common career destinations for this program's graduates, weighted by the school's specific occupation mix. Salary is BLS national median; AI risk is per-role task-exposure research.
Peer schools offering Environmental Design
How University of Hawaii at Manoa stacks up against other schools offering this major.
Other top programs at University of Hawaii at Manoa
Other highest-scoring programs offered at University of Hawaii at Manoa, ranked by DegreeOutlook Score.
Frequently asked about Environmental Design at University of Hawaii at Manoa
What is the DegreeOutlook Score for Environmental Design at University of Hawaii at Manoa?
A score of 46/100 indicates below-average financial outcomes for Environmental Design. Earnings, ROI, or AI risk factors are pulling the score down.
Will AI replace Environmental Design careers?
With 46% of typical job tasks exposed to AI, this is one of the higher-risk fields. Our pessimistic scenario projects $603,320 in decade earnings vs $688,980 in the optimistic case — a meaningful gap.