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Job Market Research›United States›Water & Environmental Engineering

Water & Environmental Engineering 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.

How it works

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Water & Environmental EngineeringEnvironment, Sustainability & Agriculture · United States
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Job market at a glance

The jobs Water & Environmental Engineering leads to, added together. Each label compares Water & Environmental Engineering with the other US fields.

Jobs / month vs last year-7.9% WeakNLx
Jobs / month8,215 StrongNLx
Average payUS$107,100 ModerateBLS
Entry-level payUS$84,400 ModerateBLS
Growth to 2035+5.7% ModerateBLS
Change since 2024+1.6% ModerateBLS
People in these jobs130,571 ModerateBLS

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

Jobs this degree leads to

The jobs Water & Environmental Engineering 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 EngineersUS$107,110US$83,570+6.4%4,666-33.3%422
2.Civil EngineersUS$100,840US$79,930+6.4%22,678+2.3%5,768
3.HydrologistsUS$96,600US$77,210+1.6%130-11%104
4.Architectural and Engineering ManagersUS$171,270US$139,360+5.5%15,255+21.6%2,299
5.Health and Safety Engineers, Except Mining Safety Engineers and InspectorsUS$115,160US$90,930+5.4%6,127+28%137
6.Compliance OfficersUS$80,730US$61,280+3.8%4,528+12%1,105
7.Conservation ScientistsUS$73,010US$57,700+5.4%396-1.5%27

Share: how common each job is among Water & Environmental Engineering 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 Water & Environmental Engineering or a related Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering subject, four years after finishing, working in the US. Earnings are published for Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering as a whole.

US graduates earnedaverage, four years after finishing · middle half US$80,400–US$116,000US$92,600 College Scorecard

Few international Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering graduates each year, so this figure combines three years. Based on 536 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 Water & Environmental Engineering.

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 Water & Environmental Engineering leads to 9,862

Most filed: Civil Engineers (5,768).

Water & Environmental Engineering 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$107,100Growth +5.7% (2025–35) · OPT 12 months, 36 with the STEM extensionUnited Kingdom£46,700 ($62,900)Growth +11.8% (2025–35) · Graduate visa 18 monthsCanadaCA$101,600 ($73,200)Growth +11.1% (2023–33) · PGWP up to 36 monthsAustraliaAU$125,700 ($89,800)Growth +19.3% (2025–35) · 24 monthsIreland€49,100 ($57,200)Growth +5.1% (2025–28) · Stamp 1G 24 monthsGermany€70,100 ($81,600)Growth +5.1% (2023–40) · 18 months

Questions students ask

How much do Water & Environmental Engineering graduates earn in the US?

US graduates who finished a master's in Environmental/Environmental Health Engineering earned a median US$92,600 four years after finishing. Across all workers in these jobs, typical pay is US$107,100 and starting pay about US$84,400.

Is Water & Environmental Engineering in demand in the US?

Employers posted about 8,215 job ads a month for these jobs between July and September 2026, 7.9% fewer than a year earlier. Employment in these jobs is projected to grow 5.7% from 2025 to 2035.

Can I stay and work in the US after a Water & Environmental Engineering 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 9,862 H-1B applications last year for the jobs Water & Environmental Engineering 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.