2020 Most Affordable Online Master's in Environmental Science
These 25 colleges offer the most affordable online master's in environmental science programs. At #1, Texas Tech University offers an online Professional Science Master's in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management for only $5,295 per year. Classes for this program include Current Perspectives in Microbial Ecology, Ecology of Renewable Natural Resources, Natural Resource Biopolitics, Population Estimation and Dynamics, and Wildlife Conservation and Management. Ranked #2, the East Central University offers a Master of Science in Water Resource Policy and Management at a tuition rate of $5,357 annually.
You can read more about our ranked schools below or browse our rankings of the most affordable online bachelor's in environmental science degrees. View our methodology or learn more about OnlineU.
All tuition numbers were manually collected and verified
| Rank | School | Annual Tuition |
|---|---|---|
| Texas Tech University | $5,295 | |
| East Central University | $5,357 | |
| American Public University System | $6,300 | |
| Colorado State University-Fort Collins | $7,050 | |
| University of Illinois at Springfield | $8,145 | |
| Utah State University | $8,281 | |
| University of Florida | $8,475 | |
| Troy University | $8,892 | |
| Montclair State University | $9,872 | |
| University of Idaho | $9,876 | |
| Black Hills State University | $10,767 | |
| University of Illinois Urbana - Champaign | $11,200 | |
| University of South Florida Online | $11,586 | |
| University of Maryland Global Campus | $11,862 | |
| University of Connecticut | $12,375 | |
| Oregon State University | $12,880 | |
| Prescott College | $13,050 | |
| Lipscomb University | $13,485 | |
| Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University | $13,500 | |
| The University of West Florida | $13,853 | |
| California State University-Fresno | $13,963 | |
| Webster University | $15,600 | |
| Texas A&M University-College Station | $16,526 | |
| University of Wisconsin-Parkside | $16,605 | |
| North Carolina State University | $19,425 |
- Annual Tuition: $5,295
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 6,252
- Example Classes: Current Perspectives in Microbial Ecology; Ecology of Renewable Natural Resources; Natural Resource Biopolitics; Population Estimation and Dynamics; Wetland; Wildlife Conservation and Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Plant and Soil Science
- Professional Science Master's in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management
- Professional Science Master's in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management - Ecology and Environmental Sustainability
- Professional Science Master's in Environmental Sustainability and Natural Resource Management - Natural Resources Management
- Annual Tuition: $5,357
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 635
- Example Classes: Advanced Watershed Management; Hydrogeology; Native American Water Rights; Studies in Environmental Toxicology; Water Law; Water Resource Policy Analysis
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Water Resource Policy and Management
- Annual Tuition: $6,300
- School Type: For-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,342
- Example Classes: Conservation Biology; Energy Policy and Sustainability; Environmental Policy, Regulation, and Law; Environmental Toxicology; Global Environmental Change; Restoration Ecology
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Administration - Environmental Policy
- Master of Public Policy - Environmental Policy
- Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management
- Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management - Environmental Planning
- Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management - Environmental Sustainability
- Master of Science in Environmental Policy and Management - Fish and Wildlife Management
- Annual Tuition: $7,050
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 7,516
- Example Classes: Design and Data Analysis for Researchers; Energetics for Science Educators; Evolutionary Biology for Educators; Myth Busters: Science/Controversy/Evaluation; Pollution and Environmental Biology for Educators
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology
- Master of Natural Resource Stewardship
- Master of Natural Resource Stewardship - Ecological Restoration
- Master of Natural Resource Stewardship - Forest Sciences
- Master of Natural Resource Stewardship - Rangeland Ecology and Management
- Master of Natural Sciences Education
- Annual Tuition: $8,145
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,761
- Example Classes: Environmental Natural Sciences; Environmental Social Sciences and the Humanities; Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems; Land Use and Environmental Planning; Research Methods in Environmental Studies
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Public Health - Environmental Health
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies - Environmental Planning and Management
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies - General Environmental Science
- Master of Science in Environmental Studies - Sustainable Development and Policy
- Annual Tuition: $8,281
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: NWCCU
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,052
- Example Classes: Ecology of Animal Population; Forestry & Watershed Management; Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management; Human Dimensions of Wildlife Management; Introduction to Environmental Federal Laws and Policy; Wetland Ecology and Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Natural Resources
- Master of Professional Studies in Horticulture
- Annual Tuition: $8,475
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 16,727
- Example Classes: Aquatic Toxicology: Science and Applications; Biodegradation and Bioremediation; Environmental Biogeochemistry; Nanotechnology in Food, Agriculture, and Environment; Soil-Landscape Modeling; Wetlands and Water Quality
Online Master's Degrees
- MS in Agronomy
- MS in Agronomy - Agroecology
- MS in Fisheries and Aquatic Science
- MS in Forest Resources and Conservation
- MS in Forest Resources and Conservation - Ecological Restoration
- MS in Forest Resources and Conservation - Geomatics
- Annual Tuition: $8,892
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,529
- Example Classes: Environmental and Biological Ethics; Environmental History of the U.S.; Global Pollution and International Environmental Policy; Land Use Planning; Pollution Science; Public Health
Online Master's Degrees
- MS in Environmental and Biological Science - Environmental Policy (Non-Thesis Option)
- MS in Environmental and Biological Science (Non-Thesis Option)
- Annual Tuition: $9,872
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 4,127
- Example Classes: Colloquium in Environmental Management; Energy and the Environment; Environmental Change and Communication; Urban Contamination
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Sustainability Science - Sustainability Leadership
- Annual Tuition: $9,876
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: NWCCU
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 2,273
- Example Classes: Drinking Water and Human Health; Energy Efficiency and Conservation; Environmental Lifecycle Assessment; Environmental Philosophy; History of Energy; Sampling and Analysis of Environmental Contaminants
Online Master's Degrees
- M.Engr. in Civil Engineering - Environmental Engineering (Non-Thesis Option)
- M.N.R. (Non-Thesis Option)
- M.N.R. in Fire Ecology and Management (Non-Thesis Option)
- M.N.R. in Integrated Natural Resources (Non-Thesis Option)
- M.S. in Environmental Science (Non-Thesis Option)
- M.S. in Environmental Science (Thesis Option)
- Annual Tuition: $10,767
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 290
- Example Classes: Communication and Change; Environmental Economics; Environmental Law & Policy; Human Dimensions of Sustainability; Quantitative Methods in Sustainability; Science of Sustainability
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Sustainability
- Annual Tuition: $11,200
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 15,787
- Example Classes: Advance Geographical Information System for Natural Resourses Planning; Environmental Psychology; Nature and American Culture; Principles of Applied Ecology; Restoration Ecology; Watersheds and Water Quality
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Crop Sciences
- Master of Science in Environmental Engineering
- Master of Science in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences
- Annual Tuition: $11,586
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 11,606
- Example Classes: Energy Resources: Policy, Society and Innovation; Navigating The Sustainable Food Energy Water Nexus; Policy for Sustainability; Renewable Power Portfolio; Renewable Transportation Fuels; Solar Energy and Applications
Online Master's Degrees
- M.A. in Global Sustainability
- M.A. in Global Sustainability - Climate Change & Sustainability
- M.A. in Global Sustainability - Food Sustainability & Security
- M.A. in Global Sustainability - Sustainability Policy
- M.A. in Global Sustainability - Sustainable Energy
- M.A. in Global Sustainability - Sustainable Tourism
- Annual Tuition: $11,862
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: MSCHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 13,350
- Example Classes: Environmental and Natural Resources Economics; Environmental Auditing; Environmental Risk Assessment; Land Use Management; Principles of Air Quality Management; Principles of Waste Management and Pollution Control
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Environmental Management
- Annual Tuition: $12,375
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: NECHE
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,279
- Example Classes: Decision Methods in Natural Resources and the Environment; Environmental Planning for Sustainable Communities and Regions; Geospatial Data Processing Technique; Geospatial Techniques for Environmental Management
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Energy and Environmental Management (Internship Option)
- Master of Energy and Environmental Management (Practicum Option)
- Master of Engineering in Environmental Engineering
- Annual Tuition: $12,880
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: NWCCU
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 5,287
- Example Classes: Ecological Policy; Environmental Perspectives and Methods; Environmental Water Transactions; Global and Environmental Change, Using Spacial Data to Inform Decisions; Physical Hydrology; Remote Sensing
Online Master's Degrees
- Executive Master of Public Policy in Energy Policy
- Executive Master of Public Policy in Environmental Policy
- Executive Master of Public Policy in Forests and Climate Change
- Executive Master of Public Policy in Sustainable Natural Resources
- Executive Master of Public Policy in Water Conflict Management and Transformation
- Master of Natural Resources
#17 Prescott College
- Annual Tuition: $13,050
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 371
- Example Classes: Climate Justice and Climate Consequences; Ecogender for the 21st Century; Ecopsychology; Engaging in Place: An Active Introduction to Civic Ecology; The Spiritual Components of Adventure and Environmental Education; Worldviews and Sustainability
Online Master's Degrees
- MA in Adventure Education
- MFA in Social and Environmental Arts Practice
- MS in Environmental Studies
- MS in Resilient and Sustainable Communities
- Annual Tuition: $13,485
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 1,682
- Example Classes: Green Building Design, Construction & Operation; Renewable Energy Options and Design Applications; Sustainable Earth Systems; Sustainable Enterprise; Sustainable Food Practice; Water Management for Sustainability and Resilience
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Sustainability
- Master of Science in Sustainability / Master of Business Administration Dual Degree
- Annual Tuition: $13,500
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 6,872
- Example Classes: Advanced Wetland Soils and Mitigation; Agricultural Nonpoint Source Pollution; Environmental Science Concepts for Professionals; Reclamation of Disturbed Lands; Soils for Professionals; Water Quality for Professionals
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Education
- Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Environmental Science
- Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Food Safety and Biosecurity
- Master of Agricultural and Life Sciences - Leadership Studies
- Master of Natural Resources
- Annual Tuition: $13,853
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,114
- Example Classes: Advanced Climatology and Climate Change; Coastal & Marine Environments; Environmental Aspects of Urban Growth; Environmental Soil Science; Geography of Soils; Weather and Climate
Online Master's Degrees
- MS in Environmental Science
- MS in Environmental Science - Non-thesis
- MS in Environmental Science - Thesis
- Annual Tuition: $13,963
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: WSCUC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 3,012
- Example Classes: Global Paleoclimates; Mineralogy; National Parks of the Sierra Nevada; Natural Disasters and Earth Resources; Oceans and Atmosphere and Climate; Soil and Water Sciences
Online Master's Degrees
- M.S. in Water Resource Management
- Annual Tuition: $15,600
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 8,348
- Example Classes: Environmental Accounting; Environmental Risk Management and Strategies; Environmental Science; Management of Air Quality; Management of Land and Water Resources; Waste Management and Pollution Control
Online Master's Degrees
- MS in Environmental Management
- MS in Environmental Management - Environmental Sustainability
- Annual Tuition: $16,526
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 14,936
- Example Classes: Geographic Information Systems; Grazing Management and Range Nutrition; Landscape Analysis and Modeling; Natural Resources Policy; Wetland Delineation
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Agriculture in Agricultural Development (Non-Thesis Option)
- Master of Geoscience - Ocean Data Science (Non-Thesis Option)
- Master of Jurisprudence - Energy, Oil, & Gas Law
- Master of Natural Resource Development (Non-Thesis Option)
- Master of Recreation and Youth Development
- Master of Science in Energy - Energy Digitization (Non-Thesis Option)
- Annual Tuition: $16,605
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: HLC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 235
- Example Classes: Applied Research and the Triple Bottom Line; Cultural and Historical Foundations of Sustainability; Sustainable Water Management; The Built Environment; The Natural Environment; Waste Management and Resource Recovery
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Science in Sustainable Management
- Annual Tuition: $19,425
- School Type: Non-Profit
- School Accreditation: SACS COC
- Total Graduate Enrollment: 10,280
- Example Classes: Environmental Exposure Assessment; Environmental Monitoring and Analysis; Environmental Stressors; Global Environmental Law and Policy; Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
Online Master's Degrees
- Master of Biological and Agricultural Engineering
- Master of Environmental Assessment
- Master of Environmental Engineering
- Master of Forest Biomaterials
- Master of Geospatial Information Science and Technology
- Master of Horticultural Science