Also called: ESTH Officer, Science Attaché
A U.S. diplomat posted abroad who works on science, health, oceans and climate issues between America and another country.
In Nairobi you meet health ministry officials about a disease outbreak, visit a university to plan a research exchange, and write a cable to Washington explaining a new fishing agreement. Every two or three years you pack up and move to a new country.
Foreign Service pay plus housing abroad.
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 any field (science helps), then pass the Foreign Service exam.
Ways in: 4-year college, Graduate school. Training cost: $15k – $60k.
Majors to look at: International Relations, Environmental Science, Biology, Public Health.
Growing slowly. State Department hiring shrank after 2025 cuts; may recover.
Low risk for 10 years. AI drafts reports and translations; building trust with foreign officials and negotiating face to face stay human.
Classes: A world language, AP Environmental Science, AP Government.
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.