Career Opportunities

The online BS program in astronomical and planetary sciences provides broad training in the scientific foundations required to understand and communicate the fundamentals of space exploration and ongoing advances in the field. The degree program includes groundwork in mathematics and physical sciences, topical courses focused on diverse fields within astronomy and planetary science, and exposure to the engineering and computational tools and techniques used to carry out research.

Graduates pursue careers in astronomy and planetary sciences and in all fields that value the quantitative, technical skills taught as part of an astronomy or planentary sciences education. These include K-12 STEM teaching positions, science and technology journalism and writing careers, and technical careers involving statistical data analysis or computer programming or technical positions supporting space and research industry and policy.

An incomplete list of potential career options is given below. The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

• Astronomer
• Analytical Lab Technician 
• Astronomy/Astrophysics Professor 
• Astronomy/Astrophysics Teacher 
• Data Analyst 
• Educational Advisor
• Field Marketing Specialist 
• Research Scientist 
• Museum Director 
• Science Teacher 
• Science Writer 
• Planetary scientist
• Computer programmer
• Science policy consultant
• Telescope operator
• Lab Director 
• Lab Manager 
• Lab Scientist 

The B.A. in Earth and Environmental Sciences provides broad training in the physical sciences, especially process-oriented geosciences that focus on Earth’s life-sustaining surface environment. Elective tracks allow students to focus their studies on (1) climate and environmental change, (2) environmental policy, (3) sustainability, (4) Earth resources, (5) environmental management, or (6) environmental education. Most tracks are paired with an undergraduate Certificate Program that can be largely satisfied by major electives.

This training establishes a foundational understanding of the evolution of the Earth system with an emphasis on surface environment, oceans and climate and implications for sustainable human societies, empowering graduates to help Arizona and the global community address some of the most pressing challenges of the day in environmental health, climate change, and natural resources. 

Graduates will be prepared well for “green” professional careers in fields such as education, environmental reporting, public planning, environmental consulting, and natural resource management or for graduate school in related disciplines such as natural and environmental sciences or education, communication and science journalism, public policy, and environmental management. The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

Earth and Environmental Sciences Career Outlook

This interdisciplinary degree will prepare students for both technical and public policy, communication, or educational career paths helping Arizona and the global community address some of the most pressing challenges of the day in environmental health, climate change, and natural resources. Graduates will be prepared well for “green” professional careers in fields such as education, environmental reporting, public planning, environmental consulting, natural resource management, and more technical positions as environmental scientists in a variety of sub-disciplines. The degree will also prepare students for graduate school in the natural and environmental sciences or education, environmental journalism, environmental law, public policy, and environmental management. 

According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the many career opportunities in growth areas available to graduates of this program include, among others: 

• Environmental scientist (8% growth, $73k median salary)
• Geoscientist (7% growth, $93k)
• Conservation Scientist/Natural Resource Manager (7% growth, $64k)
• Hydrologist (6% growth, $84k)
• Geological and Hydrologic Technicians (8% growth, $73k)
• Natural Science Manager (9% growth, $51k)
• Environmental Science technician (11% growth, $47k)
• Environmental science educator (Secondary Ed: 8% growth, $63k median salary)

In a report on geoscience employment growth in January 2022, the American Geosciences Institute reported strong employment growth since March 2021 in areas of environmental geoscience including 94% growth in environmental and geoscience technician (94%) occupations with the greatest increase in geoscience jobs in geoscientist and environmental scientist occupations (+41,100 jobs) and environmental engineering occupations (+37,900 jobs) between March and November 2021.

Top 20 Environmental Science Careers

What Are Potential Careers for Earth and Environmental Sciences Graduates?

As summarized effectively on the website Careers in Environmental Science, environmental scientists either work to “identify, control, or eliminate sources of pollutants or hazards affecting the environment or public health”, “develop plans to prevent, control, or fix environmental problems like air pollution”, or “advise government officials that make policy, and businesses that need to follow regulations or improve their practices”. This work can focus on the environmental issues, impacts on human health, environmental remediation or the communication of these issues to the public as educators or communicators. 

Potential occupations for our graduates span these broad sectors:

• environmental specialist, analyst or technician
• environmental consultant/planner
• environmental restoration planner
• environmental remediation
• environmental sciences professor
• natural resource manager 
• natural hazards assessment and mitigation
• pollution prevention or remediation
• environmental monitoring and exposure assessment
• consulting
• management
• education
• public policy/planning
• data analyst
• journalism

Where Can Earth and Environmental Sciences Graduates Find Work?

The most common workplaces for environmental scientists are: (1) in private companies as consultants on technical, scientific, management or planning related to environmental protection, pollution, public health, sustainability, etc. (25%), (2) in state government, often interfacing between companies and regulatory agencies (24%), (3) in local government agencies or utilities (12%), (4) in engineering firms (10%), and (5) in federal government agencies.

Potential career settings for our graduates include:

• governmental agencies (city, state, or federal)
• museums
• nongovernmental organizations
• environmental consulting firms
• environmental engineering firms
• education
• sustainability/environmental consulting, planning, and management for private sector firms
• nonprofit organizations
• publishing companies
• regulatory agencies
• utilities

How Much do Environmental Scientists Make?

Environmental scientists across the board enjoy and average annual salary of about $80,000. Those working as consultants on technical, scientific, management or planning related to environmental protection, pollution, public health, sustainability, etc., in the private sector make about $82,000. Those working in state or local government agencies make about $70,000 - $75,000. Those working with energy companies earn the most, around $108,000. These numbers are for May 2020 and wages have been rising.

Example Occupations of Recent Earth and Environmental Sciences Graduates

• environmental engineering consultant
• environmental services specialist
• marketing and communications manager
• education reporter
• soils engineering technician
• environmental journalist
• health reporter
• behavioral health professional
• soil scientist
• naturalist 
• project manager/coordinator
• environmental health and safety technician
• water resources specialist
• water educator
• public affairs specialist
• sustainability consultant
• environmental coordinator
• geotechnical engineering technician
• informatics analyst
• environmental technician
• solar advisor

There are many potential career paths with a degree in Astrophysics, including those available to degrees in Astronomy and many of those available with a degree in Physics as well.

Here is an incomplete list of occupations available to our graduates. There are as many pathways to a satisfying career as there are people. The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

Careers in Astronomy and Astrophysics

10 Astrophysics Jobs Outside Academia

• Analytical Lab Technician 
• Astronomy/Astrophysics Professor 
• Astronomy/Astrophysics Teacher 
• Data Analyst 
• Business Systems Analyst
• Educational Advisor
• Engineer
• Field Marketing Specialist 
• Illustrator 
• Research Scientist 
• Museum Director 
• Science Teacher 
• Science Writer 
• aerospace engineer
• astronomer
• computer programmer
• instrumentation specialist
• planetary scientist
• science policy consultant
• telescope operator
• Lab Director 
• Lab Manager 
• Lab Scientist 

Career settings include:

• federal government
• K-12 schools
• manufacturing
• museums
• NASA facilities
• national laboratories
• NSF facilities
• observatories
• planetariums
• publishing
• space industries
• universities and colleges

The B.S. in Astrobiology and Biogeoscience is designed to offer students a strong foundation for exploring the interaction of geological and biological processes and understanding how such interactions sustain life on Earth and how they might operate on other planets. Graduates can contribute to the search for life on other planets, explore the life of extreme environments here on Earth and better understand how life on Earth responds to past, current and future global changes. 

Graduates of the astrobiology and biogeosciences program are well prepared for graduate studies in these fields. Because astrobiology is increasingly the motivation for space science exploration missions, they are also well suited for entry-level careers in space science research. The degree program also provides broad training across a range of sciences, giving students a strong background for careers in biomedical, environmental or sustainability areas such as environmental remediation as well as science education and writing.

Below is an incomplete list of potential career options for graduates of this degree program.  The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

• pollution prevention or remediation
• consulting
• management
• education
• data analyst/scientist
• Environmental scientist/technician
• Ecologist
• Ecosystem modeler
• Journalism
• Environmental chemist
• Chemistry professor
• Climate change analyst
• Environmental Protection Specialist
• Environmental Restoration Planner
• Environmental Remediation
• Environmental Sciences Professor
• Environmental consulting
• Geologist
• Geology Professor
• Astronomer
• Hydrogeologist
• Ecologist
• Research scientist
• science policy consultant
• science writer
• STEM education
• environmental field technician
• environmental monitoring and exposure assessment
• natural resource manager 
• park ranger
• lab coordinator or director 
• lab manager 
• lab scientist 

The B.S. in Exploration System Design is an innovative, unique degree program that combines broad training in geoscience, planetary science and astronomy/astrophysics with training in systems engineering, with a focus on design of hardware and software systems for research and exploration on Earth or in outer space. Graduates will learn how projects and missions are designed and planned, starting with the scientific drivers and then defining engineering specifications. 

Our graduates have found success and gainful employment in a broad span of satisfying career paths. Below is an incomplete list of potential career options for graduates of this degree program.  The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

• astronomer
• geoscientist
• aerospace engineer
• computer software quality engineer
• computer systems architect
• engineering manager
• technical services manager
• supply chain engineer
• planetary scientist
• research scientist
• science policy consultant
• science writer
• STEM education
• scientific instrumentation specialist
• space systems engineer
• systems engineer

Sample career settings include:

• aerospace industry
• federal or state government
• manufacturing
• NASA centers
• national laboratories
• observatories
• publishers
• space industries
• educational institutions
• universities and colleges

The B.S. in Geological Sciences provides broad training in the form, function, resources, history, and hazards of the Earth from its deep interior to the oceans, atmosphere, and the surface environment where we live. Students gain a foundational understanding of the processes and conditions that dictate the distribution of natural resources and geologic hazards, that control our climate, and that gave rise to life as we know it. This knowledge empowers our graduates to help find sustainable solutions for the energy and resource needs of human civilization and to anticipate and mitigate exposure to natural hazards and the effects of climate change.

Students in this program also have the opportunity to study the dynamics, evolution, surface environmental conditions and potential for present or past extraterrestrial life on other planetary bodies in our solar system - to engage in studies that may help guide the eventual colonization of space.

Graduates will be prepared well for a wide range of careers available to geoscientists in growing fields such as environmental geology, hydrogeology, geographical information systems specialist, mineral exploration, environmental consulting, and natural resource management or for graduate school in numerous disciplines within the Earth sciences, planetary science, biogeoscience, science education, or science communication. 

Below is an incomplete list of potential career options for graduates of this degree program and some links to top careers for geoscientists. The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

10 Careers To Pursue With a Geology Degree

13 High Paying Geology Jobs [2022]

Potential occupations for our graduates include:

• geologist
• environmental geologist
• hydrogeologist
• hydrologic technician
• geographical information systems (GIS) specialist
• geochemist
• Geoscientist
• consulting geologist
• environmental consultant
• sustainability consultant
• research scientist
• resource analyst
• sustainability engineer
• surveyor
• geotechnical geologist or engineer
• geology professor
• Hydrologist
• environmental field technician
• volcanologist
• geological engineer
• natural hazards assessment, mitigation, and recovery
• environmental monitoring and exposure assessment
• flood recovery planner and inspector
• mining and geological engineer
• gemologist
• government geologist
• environmental analyst
• mineral exploration geologist
• exploration geology project manager
• petroleum geologist
• geophysicist
• instrumentation technician
• data analyst
• science teacher
• academic programs specialist/advisor
• library research specialist
• science policy consultant
• science writer/communications specialist
• water resources scientist
• water rights analyst
• educational advisor
• energy specialist 
• wellsite geologist
• environmental quality assurance officer
• museum director 
• natural resource manager 
• park ranger
• lab coordinator or director 
• lab manager 
• lab scientist 

Sample career settings include:

• environmental industry
• federal, state, and local government agencies
• regulatory agencies
• nonprofit organizations
• environmental consulting firms
• environmental engineering firms
• geotechnical industry
• museums
• educational institutions
• petroleum industry
• publishers
• small exploration companies and large mining companies

The Earth and Space Exploration major addresses critical future shortfalls in the national and regional training of the next generation of geoscientists, space scientists, and aerospace engineers. As such there are many potential career paths with a degree in Earth and Space Exploration.

Arizona has an expanding space industry with major new investments and is prepared to engage new technologies to monitor and understand environmental issues in Arizona, the Southwest and throughout the world.

Graduates with a Bachelor of Science in earth and space exploration have the tools, knowledge and understanding to address key problems of a global nature, whether they are working in the private or public sector.

Here is an incomplete list of occupations available to our graduates. There are as many pathways to a satisfying career as there are people. The advising staff at ASU’s Career and Professional Development Services are there to help you identify and navigate the right path for you.

• Aerospace engineer

• Astronomer

• Geologist

• Geology professor

• Heath sciences manager

• High school teacher

• Hydrogeologist

• Hydrologist

• Middle school teacher

• Physics professor

Career settings include:

• federal government
• K-12 schools
• state and city government
• manufacturing
• museums
• NASA facilities
• national laboratories
• NSF facilities
• observatories
• planetariums
• publishing
• space industries
• universities and colleges