Also called: Field Ecologist
Studies how plants, animals, and their environment interact—and how ecosystems respond to change.
Hikes into a prairie at dawn to count plants in marked squares, then spends the afternoon entering data and comparing it to 20 years of records to see how drought is changing things.
Estimate within biological scientists.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's in ecology or biology; master's for lead roles, PhD for research.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Ecology, Biology, Environmental Science.
Growing about average (about 4% over 10 years). Estimate.
Low risk for 10 years. AI sorts field data and long-term records quickly; hiking plots, judging what changed and why stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, AP Environmental Science, Statistics.
Official data: O*NET occupation 19-1029.
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.