Also called: Army 72B, Navy Medical Entomologist
Insect scientist in uniform who protects troops from mosquito-, tick-, and fly-borne diseases like malaria and dengue.
Military entomologists trap and identify mosquitoes at bases worldwide, test them for disease, plan spraying, and research new repellents. Some work in labs in Thailand, Peru, or Kenya.
RMC (base pay + housing/food allowances + tax advantage) for officers O-1 (2nd Lieutenant/Ensign) to O-5 (Lieutenant Colonel/Commander), 2026 estimate. A 20-year career also earns a lifetime pension starting right after retirement.
Approximate: anchored on Bureau of Labor Statistics data for a broader job group.
Master's degree, about 6 years after high school. Bachelor's or master's in entomology or biology, then a direct commission. Free-college benefits: Tuition Assistance (up to $4,500/yr) while serving, the Post-9/11 GI Bill (36 months of tuition + housing stipend) afterward, and SkillBridge internships before separating.
Ways in: Military, 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: Entomology, Biology, Public Health.
Growing about average. Military specialties are not in BLS projections. The services recruit for this job every year and openings track force size and retention rather than market growth.
Low risk for 10 years. AI identifies insect photos; field trapping and disease control stay human.
Classes: AP Biology, Chemistry, AP Environmental Science.
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.