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Air pollution inspector education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become an air pollution inspector. Air pollution inspectors usually study environmental science, biology, or business. 66% of air pollution inspectors hold a bachelor's degree, and 20% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 50 real air pollution inspector resumes to see exactly what air pollution inspector education sections show.

The most common colleges for air pollution inspectors are the Southern Illinois University Carbondale and the Southern Illinois University Carbondale.

There are also many online air pollution inspector courses to help get the education required to be an air pollution inspector.

What education do you need to become an air pollution inspector?

What degree do you need to be an air pollution inspector?

The most common degree for air pollution inspectors is bachelor's degree, with 66% of air pollution inspectors earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 20% and associate degree degree at 9%.
  • Bachelor's, 66%
  • Associate, 20%
  • High School Diploma, 9%
  • Master's, 6%

What should I major in to become an air pollution inspector?

You should major in environmental science to become an air pollution inspector. 18% of air pollution inspectors major in environmental science. Other common majors for an air pollution inspector include biology and business.

Most common colleges for air pollution inspectors

Air pollution inspectors often get their degrees at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, Western Kentucky University, and Kean University. Here are the most common colleges for air pollution inspectors in the US based on their resumes.
Air pollution inspector common collegePercentages
Southern Illinois University Carbondale15.00%
Western Kentucky University10.00%
Kean University5.00%
Missouri State University5.00%
Temple University5.00%

Best majors for air pollution inspectors

RankMajorPercentages
1Environmental Science18.2%
2Biology9.1%
3Business9.1%
4Geology6.1%
5Pharmacy6.1%

Best colleges for air pollution inspectors

The best colleges for air pollution inspectors are Duke University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

An air pollution inspector with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for air pollution inspectors. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become air pollution inspectors.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

2. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

3. SUNY at Binghamton

Vestal, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,808

Enrollment

13,990

4. Colby College

Waterville, ME • Private

In-state tuition

$55,210

Enrollment

2,000

5. North Carolina State University

Raleigh, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$9,101

Enrollment

23,708

6. University of Washington

Seattle, WA • Private

In-state tuition

$11,207

Enrollment

30,905

7. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

8. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

9. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

10. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$50,420

Enrollment

7,582

20 best online courses for air pollution inspectors

Advertising disclosure

1. Air Pollution – a Global Threat to our Health

coursera

We all have to breathe to live. But the air we breathe is polluted both outdoors and indoors. Each year, this pollution costs 7 million lives across the globe – and a lot of suffering. 1 in 8 deaths is due to air pollution. This course will provide you with an introduction to the most recent research in the field of health effects of air pollution as well as a broader understanding of sources and spread of air pollution and what we should do about it. What is air pollution? What are the...

2. Introduction to Indoor Air Quality

coursera

Course Overview: https://youtu.be/LLVb4FOn4uU This course provides a basic knowledge of an emerging area – Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) in buildings. Learners will realize the importance of maintaining proper IAQ. Characteristics associated with indoor air contaminants (IAC) are demonstrated, such as • Particulate matters (PM2.5, PM10) • Radon • Volatile organic compounds (VOCs) • Asbestos • Bio-aerosols, and more Safe exposure levels, resulting health effects, measurement techniques, mitigate and...

3. Air Dispersion Modeling for Environmental Management

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4.4
(267)

Environmental management with AERMOD Air Pollution Model by EPA...

4. Air Insulated Electrical Substation Design

udemy
4.5
(437)

This course will give you a great appreciation of Air Insulated Substations and how all of the equipments fit together...

5. Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health

coursera

In this specialization, you will explore how many public health outcomes are directly influenced by human contact with the environment. The four courses in this series will introduce you to the environmental health sciences (EHS) discipline; you'll examine the hazards of air pollution, water pollution, solid and hazardous waste, radon, and noise; identify the major challenges posed by climate change and unsustainable practices; and use risk assessment to evaluate the health of population,...

6. Urbanisation and Health - Promoting Sustainable Solutions

coursera

More than half of world’s population lives in cities while only 5% did so in the 18th century. The rapid urbanisation has resulted in for example inadequate infrastructure, physical inactivity, gentrification, air pollution, and growing numbers of slum dwellers. All factors challenging health and wellbeing of the people living in the cities. In addition, when addressing climate change it has become of paramount importance to look at mitigation and adaptation investments tailored to the urban...

7. Global Air Logistics Management in Supply Chain Management

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4.7
(496)

2021 Air Logistics Management, Logistics Document, Logistics & Supply Chain Management, Logistics & Supply Chain Costing...

8. HVAC Psychrometry, Air Handling System and Duct Selection

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4.5
(517)

Build your knowledge systematically, from building cooling load estimation, to sizing and selection of AHU and ductings...

9. U.S. Federal Taxation

coursera

This Specialization introduces the U.S. federal tax system via conceptual and applied material. Learners will be able to apply basic principles to settings involving individuals, corporations, and other business entities, complete key components of major, individual U.S. federal tax returns, and identify tax-related strategies and implications of structuring transactions and organizations...

10. What is Compliance?

coursera

Compliance isn’t only about preventing problems and ensuring that everyone is abiding by laws, rules, and regulations. It’s also about the positive impact a robust and ethical compliance program can have on a business or organization. In this course we will discuss why compliance is important – from the needs facing businesses in highly regulated industries to avoiding fines and penalties to preventing reputational and economic nightmares. We’ll examine real-world examples of compliance and...

11. Refrigeration & Air conditioning - Design and calculation

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4.4
(285)

Refrigeration and HVAC fundamentals, design and calculation for commercial and industrial application...

12. Learn Federal Government Contracting From An Expert

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4
(443)

A comprehensive guide to Register, Search Opportunities, GSA, Certifications, Accounting, Marketing& Bidding to the feds...

13. HR 101: Compliance Made Easy - U.S. Employers Must Have

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4.6
(1,606)

Streamline the most critical human resource (HR) processes and be in compliance with U.S. employment regulations...

14. Learn AWS Identity Management with AWS IAM, SSO & Federation

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4.6
(2,200)

Deep dive into AWS Identity Access Management [AWS IAM], AWS Organizations, Directory Service, SSO & Federation [2023]...

15. Identity Federation using Microsoft ADFS And Azure AD

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4.5
(921)

Learn about federation using ADFS, Azure Active Directory, Open ID, SAML, OAuth, Azure B2B, Azure B2C with hands On....

16. Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA) Compliance

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4.2
(266)

This course offers guidelines to recognizing, understanding and dealing with bribery, corruption and compliance...

17. Introduction to Compliance Risk Management CRM

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4.1
(300)

Compliance risk management CRM for Compliance, Risk Management, Internal Audit and IS Security Professionals...

18. Build Powerful Compliance Programs & Prevent Corporate Fraud

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4.4
(289)

Learn everything you need to know to build an effective and powerful compliance culture and prevent corporate fraud...

19. Compliance Training for Employees

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4.6
(5,050)

Compliance: a simple, comprehensive and effective way to protect your company!...

20. HIPAA Compliance Complete Course

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4.4
(3,483)

Protecting Patients and Practices...

Top 10 most affordable universities for air pollution inspectors

The most affordable schools for air pollution inspectors are University of Florida, brooklyn college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for air pollution inspectors are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for air pollution inspectors.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. New Mexico Institute of Mining and Technology

Socorro, NM • Private

In-state tuition

$7,770

Cost of attendance

21,244

6. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

7. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

8. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

9. Minot State University

Minot, ND • Private

In-state tuition

$7,064

Cost of attendance

15,576

10. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for air pollution inspectors

The hardest universities for air pollution inspectors to get into are Duke University, Stanford University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for air pollution inspectors are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for air pollution inspectors based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

2. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,448

5. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

6. Amherst College

Amherst, MA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,449

7. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

8. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

9. Colby College

Waterville, ME • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,437

10. Tufts University

Medford, MA • Private

Admissions rate

15%

SAT average

1,461

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for air pollution inspectors

The easiest schools for air pollution inspectors to get into are Wayland Baptist University, william paterson university of new jersey, and midwestern state university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as an air pollution inspector without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for air pollution inspectors.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. William Paterson University of New Jersey

Wayne, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

994

3. Midwestern State University

Wichita Falls, TX • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,033

4. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

5. Central Washington University

Ellensburg, WA • Private

Admissions rate

78%

SAT average

1,062

6. Sonoma State University

Rohnert Park, CA • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

1,072

7. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

8. Saint Cloud State University

Saint Cloud, MN • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

1,086

9. Hardin-Simmons University

Abilene, TX • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,085

10. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

Average air pollution inspector salary by education level

Air pollution inspectors with a Doctorate degree earn more than those without, at $76,074 annually. With a Master's degree, air pollution inspectors earn a median annual income of $62,925 compared to $53,101 for air pollution inspectors with an Bachelor's degree.
Air pollution inspector education levelAir pollution inspector salary
Master's Degree$62,925
High School Diploma or Less$38,714
Bachelor's Degree$53,101
Doctorate Degree$76,074
Some College/ Associate Degree$42,308

Air pollution inspector education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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