Also called: Natural Resources Professor, Wildlife Science Professor
Teaches and researches forests, wildlife, and land management at a university.
Mornings can be lectures on forest ecology; afternoons are in the woods teaching students to measure trees or track wildlife with radio collars. Research often focuses on wildfire, invasive species, or sustainable logging.
Estimate based on BLS forestry and conservation science teachers.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Doctorate (PhD), about 10 years after high school. Ph.D. in the field for tenure-track jobs; a master's can be enough at community colleges.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Forestry, Wildlife Biology, Natural Resources Management.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). BLS projects about-average growth for postsecondary teachers in this field.
Low risk in 5 years, medium in 10. Drones and AI map forests faster; field teaching and research in the woods stay human, but jobs are few.
Classes: AP Environmental Science, AP Biology, Agriscience CTE.
Official data: O*NET occupation 25-1043.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.