Also called: Registered Patent Practitioner
A scientist or engineer licensed to write and file patents without going to law school.
Patent agents pass the USPTO's patent bar but never get a law degree. They spend their days talking with inventors, studying technical drawings, and writing patent applications. It is a little-known way for an engineer to move into law.
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 science or engineering plus passing the USPTO registration exam (patent bar).
Ways in: 4-year college, Certification, On-the-job training. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, Computer Science.
Growing about average (about 3% over 10 years). No separate BLS projection; patent filing demand is steady.
Medium risk in 5 years, high in 10. AI drafts patent applications and responses quickly, so fewer agents are needed; deep technical judgment with inventors stays human.
Classes: AP Physics or Chemistry, AP Calculus, Computer science, AP English Language.
Official data: O*NET occupation 23-2099.
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.