There are
many careers available to those with an environmental science background.
Some are clearly identified as “environmental” and others have
titles that are related (such as biological, behavioral, or physical scientists,
or engineers). All of these have in common the activity of “understanding”
our environment, to prevent pollution or mediate pollution effects or
to educate others about environmental issues.
Those related more specifically to pollution control include: air and
water quality, sampling and analytical laboratories, engineering services
and problem resolution, environmental consulting and problem identification,
environmental site assessment and remediation, hazardous waste disposal
and transportation, pollution control and safety protective equipment,
soil remediation, environmental planning and design, solid or hazardous
waste management, resource recovery or recycling, environmental economics,
training, and regulatory management or enforcement.
Some titles that are typical for these jobs are:
Environmental Scientist, Environmental Engineer, Industrial Hygienist
or Health Physicist or Environmental Health Specialist, Earth Scientist,
Ecologist, Forester, Environmental Chemist, Environmental Microbiologist,
Meteorologist, Soil Scientist, Environmental Lawyer, and Natural Resources
Manager.
Most careers
can be categorized into four major areas:
Education
and training. university or
college. Further specializations may be combined with environmental
science. The range of activities include public/private schools and
universities, public and private training institutes, and non-profit
institutes.
Government. Federal, state, and local for environmental, natural resource, or health
agencies, including developing risk assessments, policy analysis, regulatory
development and enforcement, and basic scientific studies.Industry/Business.
Developing environmental technology products, serving as internal environmental
control officers or consultants, or supplying specific business services
to identify or solve environmental problems.Consulting.
Opportunities exist for environmental science graduates to participate
in the solution of a wide range of technical problems with multidisciplinary
teams of scientists and engineers
Other
career opportunities are included in the specific Focal
Areas.
updated 08/2012