Educational Requirements

Nick D’Amato of Ubiquity Environmental Careers Page offers some helpful tips.

If you have not yet
graduated, you should be thinking about the career path that you want
to pursue. You may be asking yourself: “How do I decide what I want
do?” Or you may have your own idea of what an environmental career is.
With today’s technology, it is possible to hunt for jobs all over the
country or the world. Take some time to look on the Internet or in a
newspaper for jobs that interest you. Pay special attention to the
educational requirements listed in the job postings, and make a list of
the various types of degrees and certifications that are required for different jobs.

After you have investigated several different jobs that appeal to
you, take a look at your tally of education requirements. If most of
the jobs require a master’s degree, you should probably consider
pursuing one. If most require a bachelor’s, you should count on getting
one.

If you are already looking for jobs, you can also keep track of job
titles. This allows you to search for jobs that meet your educational
requirements without wasting time on jobs that require more education
than you have.

Suggested Educational Minimums:

{A.S. = Associate of Science, AAS = Associate of Applied Science, B.S.
= Bachelor of Science, M.S. = Master of Science, C.E. = Continuing
Education (following a B.S. but before an M.S.), Ph.D. = doctoral, * =
strongly preferred}

• Environmental, health, and safety: technician, A.S. or AAS; Manager, A.S., B.S., or M.S.
• Environmental regulation: B.S., M.S.*
• Nonprofit/environmental issues: A.S., B.S.*
• Nonprofit direction/strategy: M.S. or Ph.D.
• Research with animals or plants: M.S., Ph.D.*
• Environmental management systems: M.S. or B.S.+C.E.
• GIS Technology: B.S.+C.E., M.S.*
• Environmental engineering: B.S. or M.S.
• Parks and recreation: B.S.
• Environmental education: M.S. or Ph.D.
• Public education: B.S., M.S.*
• Wildlife management: B.S. (highly competitive)
• Forestry: B.S., M.S.*

Many environmental jobs require degrees beyond a bachelor’s. If you
plan to finish your education with a four-year degree in environmental
science, make sure you know what you want to do with the degree — and
that you have researched potential jobs.