Environmental engineers use principles of chemistry and biology to prevent or solve environmental problems. Environmental engineers possess a strong commitment to the environment and they enjoy a career that allows them to improve it. The most successful environmental engineers have backgrounds in math and science and are detail-oriented.
Professionals in this field work on issues like wastewater treatment, toxic materials control, and air quality control. Duties vary by project and can include collecting and analyzing data, performing quality control checks, and evaluating and devising solutions for environmental hazards.
A bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering is required to gain employment as an environmental engineer. The bachelor’s degree emphasizes math and science courses as well as classes specific to the environmental engineering field. Examples of these courses are air pollution engineering, environmental risk assessment, and principles of environmental engineering.
What kind of jobs can you apply with your bachelor Environmental Engineer degree?
Here are some examples for jobs that require environmental engineering qualifications:
Environmental Engineer: Environmental engineers resolve and help prevent environmental problems. They work in many areas, including air pollution control, industrial hygiene, toxic materials control, and land management. The duties of an environmental engineer range from planning and designing an effective waste treatment plant to studying the effects of acid rain on a particular area. An environmental engineer is sometimes required to work outdoors, though most of her work is done in a laboratory or office setting. Career opportunities for environmental engineers exist in consulting, research, corporate, and government positions.
Engineering Technician: An engineering technician is an assistant to an engineer or scientist. In the environmental engineering field, he is often responsible for assisting in research, collecting data, maintaining equipment, and assisting in the planning and execution of projects. Engineering technicians usually have an associate degree in engineering technology and are not required to have a license. An engineering technician may be required to work in a hazardous environment, such as dealing with nuclear waste removal or waste treatments.
Engineering Manager: Engineering managers supervise engineers and support staff. They typically begin their careers as engineers and advance to the managerial level. Engineering managers are responsible for administrative work in addition to supervising staff and engineering projects; these tasks often involve budgeting, creation of policies and procedures, and the hiring and training of staff members. In the field of environmental engineering, most managers hold office jobs, though some may work in a laboratory setting.
Environmental Sales Engineer: Environmental sales engineers are responsible for selling equipment and/or services related to the environmental engineering field. For example, a sales engineer in the environmental engineering field may be responsible for the sale of air pollution control products to factories. In addition to sales, they often assist with the design and modification of their products based on customer feedback.
Environmental Consultant: This expert provides support services to ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and standard industry practices to minimize the risk of pollution or actions that would result in legal action. They are hired to ensure a company’s practices do not leave the environment at risk of pollution. They assess and interpret data while pairing it with extensive knowledge in state and federal guidelines.
Environmental Surveyors: Land surveyors apply knowledge from different disciplines to determine the environmental impact of real estate processes such as construction developments. They perform a number of assessments including flood risk assessment, environmental screening, fire risk assessment, and contaminated land assessment.
Environmental Compliance Specialist: Environmental compliance specialists are well versed in federal and state environmental law and use this knowledge to inspect sites to ensure compliance. They also work for the private sector to ensure company actions do not jeopardize the environment, which can leave room for legal action.
Environmental Research and Developer: Environmental researchers collect environmental data from a wide variety of samples including water, soil, air, and food for scientific analysis. They also prepare technical reports and presentations to explain the results to stakeholders. Most of these professionals are employed in federal government agencies, engineering, technical consulting, and management.
Air Pollution Control Engineer: These professionals apply both theoretical and practical knowledge to provide solutions to air pollution-related problems. They address problems such as vehicle pollution, global warming, greenhouse gases, and other emissions causing harm to the ozone.
Water and Wastewater Treatment Plant and System Operator: Water and wastewater treatment plant and system operators apply a wide range of techniques and methodologies to manage systems that treat wastewater to usable water. Other duties of these professionals include adding chemicals to disinfect water, operating machinery or equipment, collecting water samples, and ensuring safety standards have been met.
Wastewater engineer: A wastewater engineer develops designs for sewage ways, water treatment plants and man-made waterways like canals, reservoirs and dams. They oversee the construction process and consult with construction crews to establish a reasonable timeframe to build structures. Wastewater engineers also monitor daily operations at water treatment plants and complete routine repairs. To qualify for a position, individuals earn a bachelor’s degree in environmental engineering, civil engineering or mechanical engineering.
Environmental scientist: An environmental scientist conduct field tests and analyze lab samples to determine pollution levels, bacterial problems and other environmental factors that could affect the health of local communities or ecosystems. Based on their findings, the draft scientific reports and make appeals to industrial sites and local governments to adjust operations to improve environmental conditions.
Geotechnical engineer: A geotechnical engineer uses their understanding of soil types, waterways and other natural elements to determine how they interact with man-made systems. They typically help with construction projects to determine what types of man-made materials to use based on the local environment.