Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health
Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.
- Median pay
- $82,220
- Doing it now
- 93,400
- By 2035
- Up 6.1%
- Usually needs
- Bachelor's degree
a year
across the country
7,300 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
- Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
- Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
- Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
- Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.
- Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.
- Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- Public HealthSee 543 colleges that teach it
- Geography and Environmental StudiesSee 39 colleges that teach it
- Environmental GeosciencesSee 9 colleges that teach it
- ChemistrySee 1,170 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Analytical and curious
Hands-on and practical
Leading and persuading
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $82,220 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.