Environmental Engineers

Research, design, plan, or perform engineering duties in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental hazards using various engineering disciplines. Work may include waste treatment, site remediation, or pollution control technology.

Most important skills

Reading Comprehension
Active Listening
Writing
Speaking
Critical Thinking
Monitoring
Complex Problem Solving
Judgment and Decision Making

Key knowledge

Engineering and Technology
Design
Chemistry
Mathematics
Building and Construction
English Language
Physics
Customer and Personal Service

What the work involves

Prepare, review, or update environmental investigation or recommendation reports.
Obtain, update, or maintain plans, permits, or standard operating procedures.
Provide technical support for environmental remediation or litigation projects, including remediation system design or determination of regulatory applicability.
Monitor progress of environmental improvement programs.
Inspect industrial or municipal facilities or programs to evaluate operational effectiveness or ensure compliance with environmental regulations.
Provide administrative support for projects by collecting data, providing project documentation, training staff, or performing other general administrative duties.
Develop proposed project objectives and targets and report to management on progress in attaining them.
Advise corporations or government agencies of procedures to follow in cleaning up contaminated sites to protect people and the environment.

Strongest interest areas (O*NET): Investigative, Realistic, Conventional.

Qualifications and licensing

Most common education: Bachelor's Degree (61.9% of respondents)
Related experience: None (42.9%)
On-the-job training: None or short demonstration (19.1%)
Preparation level: O*NET job zone 4: Job Zone Four: Considerable Preparation Needed
Licensing: Not yet verified. Check your state licensing board.

Check before planning

Licensing for Environmental Engineers is not yet verified for any state: check the state licensing board before planning.

Limits

Distributions show what current workers or occupational experts report, not legal minimums.
Requirements vary by employer and state; time to qualify is not estimated.

Source: O*NET 31.0 Database (USDOL/ETA, CC BY 4.0); BLS Employment Projections · dataset 2026.10.8 · method e3-qualification-1.0.0

Work environment

How the typical conditions of this occupation compare with 911 occupations in O*NET (very low = the lowest fifth).

Levels are relative. Most occupations involve a lot of contact with people, for example, so “very low” can still mean regular contact; the last column shows what workers actually reported.

Rankings compare typical U.S. occupation-level work conditions; individual jobs and employers vary. Data: O*NET 31.0 Work Context and BLS wages (May 2025).
Condition	Level	Compared with other occupations	Most common answer (O*NET survey)
Contact with others	Low	Lower on contact with others than 72% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Contact with others most of the time”
Dealing with the public	High	Higher on dealing with the public than 73% of occupations compared	38% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Teamwork	High	Higher on teamwork than 61% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Very important”
Freedom to make decisions	Low	Lower on freedom to make decisions than 75% of occupations compared	62% of surveyed respondents chose “Some freedom”
Time pressure	Moderate	Lower on time pressure than 54% of occupations compared	52% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a week or more but not every day”
Conflict situations	Low	Lower on conflict situations than 64% of occupations compared	43% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a year or more but not every month”
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people	Low	Lower on dealing with unpleasant or angry people than 69% of occupations compared	50% of surveyed respondents chose “Once a month or more but not every week”
Consequence of error	High	Higher on consequence of error than 60% of occupations compared	30% of surveyed respondents chose “Serious”

Work-pressure profile

Time pressure: moderate
Conflict situations: low
Dealing with unpleasant or angry people: low
Consequence of error: high

Each part is shown on its own. There is no combined stress score, and conditions vary by employer and role.

Full answer distributions