High School
A well-rounded education will provide a solid foundation for future work as an EPA special agent. Take classes in math, science, history, environmental studies (if offered at your school), English, and computer science. Agents need to be physically fit as well, so be sure to take physical education classes and make exercise a part of your regular routine. Fluency in another language is particularly useful in this line of work, so be sure to take foreign language classes.
Postsecondary Training
An undergraduate degree is usually required for EPA special agent positions. Recommended fields of study include business, math, science, English, communications, and psychology. Criminal justice studies are generally not required. Advanced degrees and work experience are usually required for positions of higher authority.
Special agents receive eight weeks of basic federal law enforcement and criminal investigator training at the Federal Law Enforcement Training Center in Glynco, Ga. They also receive an additional eight weeks of training in conducting investigations of the criminal provisions of federal environmental laws. As is the case with all U.S. special agents, EPA special agents receive periodic in-service training as well as advanced training in various investigative techniques throughout their careers.
- Agricultural Scientists
- Air Quality Engineers
- Ambassadors
- Aquarists
- Arborists
- Archaeologists
- Archivists
- Aviation Safety Inspectors
- Bailiffs
- Bank Examiners
- Biochemists
- Bioenergy/Biofuels Workers
- Biofuels Processing Technicians
- Biofuels Production Managers
- Biofuels/Biodiesel Technology and Product Development Managers
- Biologists
- Biomass Plant Technicians
- Biomass Power Plant Managers
- Border Patrol Agents
- Botanists
- Brownfield Redevelopment Specialists and Site Managers
- Business Managers
- Campaign Workers
- Chemists
- Chief Sustainability Officers
- City Managers
- Civil Engineers
- Climate Scientists
- Congressional Aides
- Construction Inspectors
- Corporate Climate Strategists
- Cryptographic Technicians
- Customs Officials
- Demographers
- Deputy U.S. Marshals
- Ecologists
- Economists
- Emergency Management Directors
- Energy Conservation Technicians
- Energy Consultants
- Engineering Technicians
- Environmental Consultants
- Environmental Economists
- Environmental Education Program Directors
- Environmental Engineers
- Environmental Lawyers
- Environmental Lobbyists
- Environmental Planners
- Environmental Restoration Planners
- Environmental Scientists
- Environmental Technicians
- FBI Agents
- Federal and State Officials
- Fish and Game Wardens
- Foreign Service Officers
- Forensic Meteorologists
- Foresters
- Forestry Technicians
- Fraud Examiners, Investigators, and Analysts
- Futurists
- Geological Technicians
- Geologists
- Geophysicists
- Green Builders
- Green Hotel/Resort Ecomanagers
- Green Products Manufacturers
- Green Transportation Careers
- Grounds Managers
- Groundwater Professionals
- Hazardous Waste Management Specialists
- Hazardous Waste Management Technicians
- Health and Regulatory Inspectors
- Historians
- Horticultural Inspectors
- Horticultural Technicians
- Hydropower and Marine Energy Industry Workers
- Indoor Environmental Health Specialists
- Industrial Ecologists
- Intelligence Officers
- Interpreters
- Land Acquisition Professionals
- Land Trust or Preserve Managers
- Landscape Architects
- Landscapers
- Lobbyists
- Marine Biologists
- Methane/Landfill Gas Collection System Operators
- Methane/Landfill Gas Generation System Technicians
- Microbiologists
- Military Recruiters
- Military Workers, Enlisted
- Molecular and Cellular Biologists
- Museum Directors and Curators
- National Park Service Employees
- Naturalists
- Occupational Safety and Health Workers
- Oceanographers
- Park Rangers
- Policy Analysts
- Political Consultants
- Political Scientists
- Press Secretaries
- Range Managers
- Recreation Workers
- Recycling and Reclamation Workers
- Recycling Coordinators
- Refuse Collectors
- Regional and Local Officials
- Renewable Energy Careers
- Renewable Energy Engineers
- Rewilders
- Secret Service Special Agents
- Soil Conservationists and Technicians
- Soil Scientists
- Traffic Engineers
- Translators
- Transportation Planners
- Urban and Regional Planners
- Wastewater Treatment Plant Operators and Technicians
- Water/Wastewater Engineers
- Wildland Firefighters
- Zoo and Aquarium Curators and Directors
- Zoologists