Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering at Florida Gulf Coast University

Florida Gulf Coast's environmental engineering program shows modest first-year earnings of $60,797—landing below both national and state benchmarks for this field. While that's only about $800 less than Florida's median, it trails programs at UF and FIU by several thousand dollars. For a moderately selective engineering program, these starting salaries suggest graduates may be finding positions in lower-paying environmental sectors rather than traditional engineering roles that typically command higher compensation.

The bright spot here is debt: at $19,929, graduates are borrowing about $3,000 less than both state and national medians, creating a manageable debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.33. This means the typical graduate can tackle their student loans in under four months of pre-tax income, which provides breathing room for career development in a field often associated with public sector or nonprofit work where salaries grow more slowly.

The major caveat is sample size—with fewer than 30 graduates, a few data points heavily influence these numbers. If your child is seriously considering this program, dig deeper into whether graduates are actually working as licensed engineers (which requires specific accreditation) or in adjacent environmental science roles. The earnings gap matters more if they're pursuing traditional engineering careers; it's less concerning if they're headed toward conservation or environmental policy work where passion often outweighs pay.