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Job Market Research›United States›Sustainable Development & Climate Change

Sustainable Development & Climate Change jobs in the US for international graduates

Check the job market before you choose the course.Real jobs and pay for your field, and how to stay on to work.

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Sustainable Development & Climate ChangeEnvironment, Sustainability & Agriculture · United States
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Job market at a glance

The jobs Sustainable Development & Climate Change leads to, added together. Each label compares Sustainable Development & Climate Change with the other US fields.

Jobs / month vs last year-11.1% WeakNLx
Jobs / month2,333 ModerateNLx
Average payUS$95,500 ModerateBLS
Entry-level payUS$73,300 ModerateBLS
Growth to 2035+5.3% ModerateBLS
Change since 2024+4.1% StrongBLS
People in these jobs145,415 ModerateBLS

Job postings data: NLx Research Hub, a partnership of NASWA and DirectEmployers Association.

Jobs this degree leads to

The jobs Sustainable Development & Climate Change courses most often lead to in the US, and how each one is doing.

JobShareAverage pay BLSEntry pay BLSGrowth to 2035 BLSJobs / month NLxvs last yearH-1B job filings last year
1.Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including HealthUS$82,220US$64,490+6.2%2,735-8.5%485
2.Managers, All OtherUS$141,900US$102,880+4.9%4,927-15.2%482
3.Urban and Regional PlannersUS$89,320US$72,020+3.9%652-38.9%235
4.EconomistsUS$124,720US$89,330+4.8%276+78.8%903
5.Conservation ScientistsUS$73,010US$57,700+5.4%396-1.5%27
6.Social Scientists and Related Workers, All OtherUS$101,110US$80,860-0.2%105+423.3%215

Share: how common each job is among Sustainable Development & Climate Change destinations. Entry pay: lower-quartile pay, a guide to starting salaries. Jobs / month: new job adverts over the last three months of NLx data. Swipe the table sideways for more.

What graduates like you earned

Master's graduates who studied Sustainable Development & Climate Change or a related Sustainability Studies / Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy / Natural Resources Conservation and Research subject, four years after finishing, working in the US. Earnings are published for Sustainability Studies / Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy / Natural Resources Conservation and Research as a whole.

US graduates earnedaverage, four years after finishing · middle half US$57,800–US$100,400US$75,800 College Scorecard

Few international Sustainability Studies / Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy / Natural Resources Conservation and Research graduates each year, so this figure combines three years. Based on 4,117 US master's graduates who received federal student aid, four years after finishing. International students are not included in this data.

Staying to work after you graduate

How international students stay to work in the US after studying Sustainable Development & Climate Change.

1
Finish your course

A master's or a PhD from a US university, on an F-1 student visa.

2
Optional Practical Training (OPT)
12 months USCIS

to work in the US in a job related to your field of study. If your degree is on the government's STEM list, you can extend it by 24 months (36 months in total).

3
H-1B work visa

To stay after OPT, an employer sponsors you for an H-1B visa. There are 65,000 a year, plus 20,000 for people with a US master's degree or higher, chosen by lottery. The lottery is weighted by salary: a job offer at the highest wage level gets 4 entries, the lowest gets 1.

H-1B job filings last year for the jobs Sustainable Development & Climate Change leads to 2,347

Most filed: Economists (903).

Sustainable Development & Climate Change in other countries

Typical pay for the same jobs (in US dollars in brackets, at June 2026 exchange rates), projected growth, and post-study work after a master's.

United States$95,500Growth +5.3% (2025–35) · OPT 12 months, 36 with the STEM extensionUnited Kingdom£46,300 ($62,400)Growth +11.5% (2025–35) · Graduate visa 18 monthsCanadaCA$88,400 ($63,700)Growth +16.5% (2023–33) · PGWP up to 36 monthsAustraliaAU$127,400 ($91,000)Growth +19.6% (2025–35) · 24 monthsIreland€47,700 ($55,500)Growth +5.1% (2025–28) · Stamp 1G 24 monthsGermany€71,400 ($83,100)Growth +4.9% (2023–40) · 18 months

Questions students ask

How much do Sustainable Development & Climate Change graduates earn in the US?

US graduates who finished a master's in Sustainability Studies / Environmental/Natural Resources Management and Policy / Natural Resources Conservation and Research earned a median US$75,800 four years after finishing. Across all workers in these jobs, typical pay is US$95,500 and starting pay about US$73,300.

Is Sustainable Development & Climate Change in demand in the US?

Employers posted about 2,333 job ads a month for these jobs between July and September 2026, 11.1% fewer than a year earlier. Employment in these jobs is projected to grow 5.3% from 2025 to 2035.

Can I stay and work in the US after a Sustainable Development & Climate Change master's?

Yes, for 12 months on OPT, or 36 months if your degree is on the government's STEM list. To stay longer, an employer sponsors you for an H-1B visa: 65,000 a year, plus 20,000 for people with a US master's degree or higher, chosen by lottery. Employers filed 2,347 H-1B applications last year for the jobs Sustainable Development & Climate Change leads to.

Where these numbers come from

Every figure comes from an official US source. Tap a source tag next to any number for its details.

Employment Projections — occupational projections and worker characteristics (Table 1.2)U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Public domain (U.S. government work) · loaded 27 Sept 2026
NLx Research Hub ON DEMAND — job postings by occupation, monthly (national)NLx Research Hub — National Labor Exchange (NASWA and DirectEmployers Association) · Credit: NLx Research Hub (NASWA and DirectEmployers Association) · loaded 12 Oct 2026
Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national, cross-industry, by SOCU.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics · Public domain (U.S. government work) · loaded 27 Sept 2026
College Scorecard — Field of Study, national earnings of master's completers (4 years after completion)U.S. Department of Education · Public domain (U.S. government work) · loaded 27 Sept 2026
US post-study work (OPT) and H-1B rules (manually verified)U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services; Federal Register — transcribed and verified by UNIFER · Public domain (U.S. government work) · loaded 27 Sept 2026

Indicative figures from official US sources. They describe groups of graduates and workers, not what any individual will earn or be offered. Visa rules change — check uscis.gov before you decide.