About Environmental Science (bs) in University of Pittsburgh

Environmental science is a multidisciplinary field that focuses on documenting the impacts that people have on our environment, on reducing the harmful effects of these impacts, and on restoring aspects of the environment to benefit both nature and people.  This program focuses on air, water, and the Earth’s solid surface, and it includes an emphasis on their interactions with life.

One goal of this program is to give you the skills and know-how to actually fix things.  Careers range from the assessment, remediation, and protection of air and water resources to the restoration of disturbed landscapes to helping to ensure that major industries comply with environmental regulations (either by working for the industry itself or a government agency).  In addition, this program provides fine intellectual training in the tradition of a liberal arts education, which means that you will also be well-qualified to get the jobs on offer at Pitt’s career fairs.

There is considerable potential overlap with a geology degree.  In short, if you like rocks, mountains, and the Earth’s long history, do geology and pick classes with an environmental focus.  If you don’t like rocks, pick environmental science!

• Self-Reported Academic Record (SRAR). We encourage you to complete the SRAR rather than sending a transcript to improve application processing time. Please note that we will compare your SRAR to your official high school transcript if you enroll at Pitt. Accuracy in completing the SRAR is very important. Discrepancies and misrepresentations could result in the Admissions Committee revoking your admissions decision.
• Original or certified, official secondary school records from grades 9-11 (transcripts, marksheets, certificates, examination results, etc.) and any national/state examination results required in your country. You will also need to send literal translations of your records if they are not in English. If your secondary record only includes grades 10-12, please submit the third year of your middle school transcript. Note: Students may be required to complete a transcript evaluation.
  • If you have a General Education Diploma (GED) email the Admissions Office pitt.admissions@pitt.edu about your options. In some cases the GED is not accepted.

English Language Requirements

• For the Pittsburgh campus, a 100 or higher TOEFL composite score with subscores of 21 or higher is considered competitive, a 7.0 IELTS with subscores of 6.0 or higher, or a 120 or higher Duolingo score.

  Applicants are reviewed holistically, however, and those with a 95-99 TOEFL and a solid academic record will be given strong consideration in the admissions process for the Pittsburgh campus. Applicants with TOEFL scores between 80-94 (6.5 IELTS) will most often be considered for admission to a regional campus at Bradford, Greensburg or Johnstown. We recommend that students rank the campuses on their admission application in order of preference.

University of Pittsburgh Cost of Attendance

The cost of attendance varies depending on whether the candidate has applied to graduate or undergraduate programmes, as well as the necessary fees that must be paid. The tuition charge varies according to the programme to which one has applied. The following is a breakdown of expenses in the form of an expected budget for international students interested in studying in the United States.

Undergraduate Cost of living (Per year)

Graduate students Cost of Attendance (Per year)