Environmental Design at North Carolina State University at Raleigh

North Carolina State's Environmental Design program produces debt levels that sit comfortably below the national median for this specialized field, with graduates leaving with $25,759 compared to a typical $22,844 elsewhere—a modest difference of about $3,000. Based on comparable Environmental Design programs nationally, first-year earnings hover around $40,000, yielding a debt-to-earnings ratio of 0.64. This means graduates would dedicate roughly 8 months of their first year's salary to clearing debt, assuming full dedication of income—a reasonable position for a bachelor's degree in a design field.

The challenge here is the limited transparency: only 38 schools nationally offer this program, and NC State is currently the only one in North Carolina, which makes peer comparison difficult. The estimated $40,000 starting salary places graduates at the national median for this credential, neither notably high nor concerning. For a selective institution (40% admission rate, 1380 average SAT), these outcomes seem modest but sustainable.

The real question is whether environmental design aligns with your child's career goals strongly enough to justify starting at this salary level. The debt is manageable, and NC State's reputation adds value beyond the numbers. If your student is passionate about sustainable design or landscape architecture and views this as groundwork for graduate study or specialized work, the fundamentals work. If they're uncertain about the field, the limited earning potential early on makes exploration costly.