Environmental Science Degree | Degrees in Environmental Science

Environmental Science Degree | Our TOP Recommendations
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Environmental scientists use their understanding of the history and physical makeup of the Earth to study the properties of underground and surface waters, locate water and energy resources, predict water-related geologic hazards, protect the environment, and provide environmental site evaluations and advice on the quality of indoor air and provide hazardous-waste-site remediation.

• Nature of the Work - Environmental scientists research ways to identify, abate, and eliminate hazards that affect wildlife, people, and their environments. These individuals examine observations or measurements of water, air, food, and soil to establish a way to preserve and clean up the environment.
  
  
• Environmental Science Degree - Education - A bachelor’s degree in an earth science is sufficient for a few starting positions, but environmental scientists really need a master’s degree in hydrology, environmental science, or a related natural science field.
  
  
• Other Qualifications - Computer skills are crucial for future hydrologists and environmental scientists. Students who have some computer modeling experience, data analysis and integration, remote sensing, digital mapping, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) experience will be best poised to enter the field. Understanding of the Global Positioning System (GPS), which is a locator system that uses satellites, is crucial.

Environmental Science Degree | Degrees in Environmental Science

Many environmental scientists have training and do work that is comparable to other life or physical scientists, but they concentrate on environmental matters. Several focus on subfields such as environmental conservation and ecology, environmental biology, environmental chemistry, or the science of fisheries.

Specialties influence certain duties that environmental scientists perform, although the current knowledge of how life processes are so intertwined have distorted some conventional classifications. For instance, environmental ecologists examine the relationships between organisms and their environments and how the factors such as rainfall, population size, pollutants, altitude, and temperature influence both. They may collect, study, and report data on water, air, and soil, using their understanding of different scientific disciplines.


Environmental Science Degree Graduate - Job Outlook

Employment of environmental scientists is predicted to rise by 25 percent between 2006 and 2016, far quicker than the average for all careers. Over the same time period, employment of hydrologists should rise by 24 percent, also much quicker than the average. Employment growth for hydrologists and environmental scientists should be solid in private-sector consulting companies. Job growth for hydrologists and environmental scientists will be influenced mainly by the rising demands placed on the water resources and the environment by population growth. More demand should culminate in the need to abide by complex environmental regulations and laws, especially those pertaining to flood control, ground-water decontamination, and clean air.

Much employment growth will arise from an increased need to closely examine the quality of the environment, to unravel the impact of human actions on aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and to develop approaches for repairing ecosystems. Also, environmental scientists will be in demand to assist planners in the development and construction of utilities, buildings, and transportation corridors that protect aquatic resources and manifest in beneficial and efficient land use.

In addition to employment openings as a result of growth, there will be increased demand for new hydrologists and environmental scientists to take over for those who retire, move into management positions, or switch careers. Employment prospects for hydrologists should be good, especially for those with experience in the field. The need for hydrologists who have experience with both the engineering and scientific aspects of waste remediation should be very good. Not many colleges and universities provide programs in hydrology, so the number of qualified people may be small.


Environmental Science Degree - Salary Statistics for Graduates

In May 2006, the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average annual incomes of environmental scientists were $56,100. The middle 50 percent made between $42,840 and $74,480. The bottom 10 percent made less than $34,590, and the top 10 percent made more than $94,670.

Related Occupations: Hydrologists and environmental scientists conduct studies for the purpose of decreasing or eliminating hazards or pollutants that disturb the environment or humans, animals, and plants. Several other careers involve preserving or researching the natural environment, including atmospheric scientists, science technicians, and some biological scientists, conservation scientists and foresters, and engineering technicians. Hydrologists and environmental scientists have far-reaching training in physical sciences, and many apply their understanding of physics, mathematics, chemistry, and biology to the study of the Earth, and work closely with geoscientists.

Environmental Science Degree | Degrees in Environmental Science - Colleges and Universities

There are an excellent number of choices for an online Environmental Science Degree. Online colleges and universities now provide the same curriculum as the traditional education. Learning online provides you with so much more flexibility to suit your lifestyle and current employment. We include our top recommendations for an environmental science degree.

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