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Staff environmental scientist education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a staff environmental scientist. Staff environmental scientists usually study environmental science, biology, or geology. 81% of staff environmental scientists hold a bachelor's degree, and 9% hold an master's degree. We analyzed 292 real staff environmental scientist resumes to see exactly what staff environmental scientist education sections show.

The most common colleges for staff environmental scientists are the Temple University and the Temple University.

There are also many online staff environmental scientist courses to help get the education required to be a staff environmental scientist.

What education do you need to become a staff environmental scientist?

What degree do you need to be a staff environmental scientist?

The most common degree for staff environmental scientists is bachelor's degree, with 81% of staff environmental scientists earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are master's degree degree at 9% and master's degree degree at 4%.
  • Bachelor's, 81%
  • Master's, 9%
  • Associate, 4%
  • Diploma, 3%
  • Other Degrees, 3%

What should I major in to become a staff environmental scientist?

You should major in environmental science to become a staff environmental scientist. 35% of staff environmental scientists major in environmental science. Other common majors for a staff environmental scientist include biology and geology.

Most common colleges for staff environmental scientists

Staff environmental scientists often get their degrees at Temple University, Pennsylvania State University, and University of California, Santa Barbara. Here are the most common colleges for staff environmental scientists in the US based on their resumes.
Staff environmental scientist common collegePercentages
Temple University6.67%
Pennsylvania State University6.67%
University of California, Santa Barbara6.67%
San Diego State University6.67%
University of California - Davis6.67%

Best majors for staff environmental scientists

Best colleges for staff environmental scientists

The best colleges for staff environmental scientists are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.

A staff environmental scientist with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for staff environmental scientists. 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 staff environmental scientists.

1. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

In-state tuition

$55,584

Enrollment

10,764

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

4. University of California, Berkeley

Berkeley, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,184

Enrollment

30,845

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$55,695

Enrollment

6,596

6. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$59,430

Enrollment

8,216

7. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

8. SUNY Stony Brook

Stony Brook, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$9,625

Enrollment

17,407

9. University of Michigan - Ann Arbor

Ann Arbor, MI • Private

In-state tuition

$15,262

Enrollment

30,079

10. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$51,354

Enrollment

7,083

20 best online courses for staff environmental scientists

Advertising disclosure

1. Environmental Science

coursera

The Introduction to Environmental Science course explores the field of environmental science and encourages participants to understand how environmental scientists think. It addresses some important questions such as: 1. What is the difference between environmental science and environmental studies? 2. How do both differ from environmentalism? 3. Why is energy so important in environmental science? 4. What do you mean by biodiversity? You will also explore what global cycles are and how they...

2. Introduction to Environmental Science

coursera

To understand current environmental problems, we need to consider physical, biological & chemical processes that are often the basis of those problems. This course will give you the skills necessary to address the environmental issues we are facing today by examining scientific principles and the application of those principles to natural systems. This course surveys some of the many environmental science topics at an introductory level, ultimately considering the sustainability of human...

3. Air Dispersion Modeling for Environmental Management

udemy
4.4
(267)

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

4. ISO 14001:2015 Environmental management system

udemy
4.4
(4,224)

Understand the requirements for an environmental management system according to ISO 14001:2015...

5. Geospatial and Environmental Analysis

coursera

Apply your GIS knowledge in this course on geospatial analysis, focusing on analysis tools, 3D data, working with rasters, projections, and environment variables. Through all four weeks of this course, we'll work through a project together - something unique to this course - from project conception, through data retrieval, initial data management and processing, and finally to our analysis products. In this class you will learn the fundamentals of geospatial and environmental analysis during...

6. Human Health Risks, Health Equity, and Environmental Justice

coursera

The fourth and final course of the Impacts of the Environment on Global Public Health specialization will cover two topics. The first is environmental justice – that is, avoiding an inequitable distribution of environmental health threats in our population, and ensuring a healthy and safe environment and health equity for all. The second is risk assessment and management, a framework that can be utilized to assess and quantify human health risks, and to identify appropriate approaches to...

7. Mastering Construction/Project Management

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4.2
(659)

Mastering Construction-Project Management in less than 10 Hours...

8. The A to Z of ESG - Environmental & Social Governance

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4.2
(1,318)

A Perspective for Businesses on How to Manage ESG - Why it matters to Financial Performance and to the Economy...

9. Women in environmental biology

coursera

Have you ever wondered how humans relate to other living beings and what do you need to know to be able to understand current environmental problems? Do you know that many of these researches and knowledge have been described by women? This course gives answers to these questions and it is addressed to anyone interested in the relationship between humans and other living beings, as well as all those concerned about the global change situation that the planet is suffering. We will learn key...

10. Natural Attenuation of Groundwater Contaminants: New Paradigms, Technologies, and Applications

coursera

Cleaning up the large number of groundwater contamination sites is a significant and complex environmental challenge. The environmental industry is continuously looking for remediation methods that are both effective and cost-efficient. Over the past 10 years there have been amazing, important developments in our understanding of key attenuation processes and technologies for evaluating natural attenuation processes, and a changing institutional perspective on when and where Monitored Natural...

11. Environmental sustainability in Maritime transport Industry

udemy
4.7
(312)

A course dedicated to Marine life and Marine Ecosystem...

12. SQL Server Reporting Services Part 2 (SSRS)

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4.5
(956)

SQL Server Reporting Services Part 2 (SSRS): Deployment, Security, Report Builder, Mobile Report Publisher...

13. Analyzing Macro-Environmental Factors Using Creately

coursera

By the end of this 2 hour-long guided project, you will be fluent in identifying and analyzing business markets and how to discover their attractiveness to new products and services. This project is designed to engage and harness your visionary and exploratory abilities. You will be using proven models in competitive strategy and the program Creately to explore and analyze these models. This is an important step for individuals or companies wanting to explore new markets for products or...

14. Construction Procurement Management

udemy
4.5
(300)

A course on procurement designed for engineers new to the infrastructure/construction industry...

15. Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): 2022 edition

udemy
4.6
(4,019)

Build reports in MS SQL Server Reporting Services (SSRS): Implement report layouts, add interactivity...

16. Sustainability Reporting with GRI Standards

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4.3
(694)

GRI Sustainability Reporting - Understanding the Standards...

17. The Complete Guide to Construction Management

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4.2
(692)

The Most Essential Course for EVERY Construction Project!...

18. Certified Global ESG Professional (Associate Level)

udemy
4.3
(773)

Learn Environmental Social Governance (ESG) Fundamentals, ESG Factors , Reporting and Valuation of ESG & Initiatives...

19. Essential Non Technical Skills of Effective Data Scientists

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4.4
(1,019)

Boost your Data Science Career by developing these crucial Non Technical Skills & become a Successful Data Scientist...

20. Construction Project Scheduling

udemy
4.5
(346)

Learn the tools and techniques used by construction management professionals to ensure projects finish on time...

Top 10 most affordable universities for staff environmental scientists

The most affordable schools for staff environmental scientists are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brooklyn college of the city university of new york.

If the best universities for staff environmental scientists 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 staff environmental scientists.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. Brooklyn College of the City University of New York

Brooklyn, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,240

Cost of attendance

13,991

4. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

5. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

6. California State University - Los Angeles

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,749

Cost of attendance

14,823

7. City College of New York of the City University of New York, The

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,140

Cost of attendance

14,430

8. Queens College of the City University of New York

Queens, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,338

Cost of attendance

14,281

9. Lehman College of the City University of New York

Bronx, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,210

Cost of attendance

14,359

10. Florida State University

Tallahassee, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$5,656

Cost of attendance

21,623

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for staff environmental scientists

The hardest universities for staff environmental scientists to get into are University of Pennsylvania, Columbia University in the City of New York, and Duke University.

Some great schools for staff environmental scientists 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 staff environmental scientists 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. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

2. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

3. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

4. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

5. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

6. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

7. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

8. Yale University

New Haven, CT • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,517

9. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

10. Dartmouth College

Hanover, NH • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,488

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for staff environmental scientists

The easiest schools for staff environmental scientists to get into are Wayland Baptist University, barry university, and d'youville college.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a staff environmental scientist 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 staff environmental scientists.

1. Wayland Baptist University

Plainview, TX • Private

Admissions rate

98%

SAT average

1,003

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

4. University of the Incarnate Word

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

88%

SAT average

1,044

5. Curry College

Milton, MA • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,026

6. University of Houston - Downtown

Houston, TX • Private

Admissions rate

83%

SAT average

1,012

7. Kean University

Union, NJ • Private

Admissions rate

86%

SAT average

991

8. San Francisco State University

San Francisco, CA • Private

Admissions rate

72%

SAT average

1,054

9. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

10. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

Average staff environmental scientist salary by education level

According to our data, staff environmental scientists with a Master's degree earn the highest average salary, at $69,072 annually. Staff environmental scientists with a Bachelor's degree earn an average annual salary of $63,250.
Staff environmental scientist education levelStaff environmental scientist salary
Master's Degree$69,072
Bachelor's Degree$63,250

Staff environmental scientist 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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