Also called: Air Permit Engineer, Air Quality Scientist
Monitors air pollution and writes or reviews permits that limit what factories and power plants emit.
You review a factory's emissions data, run computer models of how smoke spreads, inspect smokestacks, and maintain monitors that report the air quality index you see on weather apps.
Environmental scientists.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Bachelor's degree (4-year), about 4 years after high school. Bachelor's in environmental science, chemistry, or engineering.
Ways in: 4-year college. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Environmental Science, Atmospheric Science, Chemical Engineering.
Growing faster than average (about 6% over 10 years). Environmental scientists and specialists.
Medium risk for 10 years. AI drafts permits and analyzes sensor data; inspections and expert review stay human, with leaner teams.
Classes: Chemistry, AP Statistics, Earth science.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-2041.
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.