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Environmental Scientist

Environment

Conduct research or perform investigation for the purpose of identifying, abating, or eliminating sources of pollutants or hazards that affect either the environment or public health. Using knowledge of various scientific disciplines, may collect, synthesize, study, report, and recommend action based on data derived from measurements or observations of air, food, soil, water, and other sources.

Science

What you'd do all day

The tasks that matter most in this job, most important first.

  1. 1Communicate scientific or technical information to the public, organizations, or internal audiences through oral briefings, written documents, workshops, conferences, training sessions, or public hearings.
  2. 2Monitor effects of pollution or land degradation and recommend means of prevention or control.
  3. 3Collect, synthesize, analyze, manage, and report environmental data, such as pollution emission measurements, atmospheric monitoring measurements, meteorological or mineralogical information, or soil or water samples.
  4. 4Review and implement environmental technical standards, guidelines, policies, and formal regulations that meet all appropriate requirements.
  5. 5Provide scientific or technical guidance, support, coordination, or oversight to governmental agencies, environmental programs, industry, or the public.
  6. 6Evaluate violations or problems discovered during inspections to determine appropriate regulatory actions or to provide advice on the development and prosecution of regulatory cases.
  7. 7Conduct environmental audits or inspections or investigations of violations.
  8. 8Process and review environmental permits, licenses, or related materials.
  9. 9Analyze data to determine validity, quality, and scientific significance and to interpret correlations between human activities and environmental effects.
  10. 10Provide advice on proper standards and regulations or the development of policies, strategies, or codes of practice for environmental management.
  11. 11Investigate and report on accidents affecting the environment.
  12. 12Develop the technical portions of legal documents, administrative orders, or consent decrees.
  13. 13Prepare charts or graphs from data samples, providing summary information on the environmental relevance of the data.
  14. 14Research sources of pollution to determine their effects on the environment and to develop theories or methods of pollution abatement or control.
  15. 15Supervise or train students, environmental technologists, technicians, or other related staff.
  16. 16Design or direct studies to obtain technical environmental information about planned projects.
  17. 17Monitor environmental impacts of development activities.
  18. 18Determine data collection methods to be employed in research projects or surveys.
  19. 19Conduct applied research on environmental topics, such as waste control or treatment or pollution abatement methods.
  20. 20Develop programs designed to obtain the most productive, non-damaging use of land.
  21. 21Develop methods to minimize the impact of production processes on the environment, based on the study and assessment of industrial production, environmental legislation, and physical, biological, and social environments.
  22. 22Plan or develop research models, using knowledge of mathematical and statistical concepts.

Also known as

What this job is called on JobStreet, LinkedIn and in job ads. Search these too.

  • REHS
  • Air Analyst
  • EHS Specialist
  • Environmentalist
  • Ecological Modeler
  • Environmental Analyst
  • Environmental Planner
  • Environmental Designer
  • Environmental Scientist
  • Health Environmentalist

How far is this from you?

Roughly how much preparation this job usually takes. In Malaysia your UPU route and the programme's syarat still decide entry, so treat this as a guide, not a gate.

  1. 1

    Entry straight after SPM

  2. 2

    SPM + sijil / short TVET course

  3. 3

    Diploma / TVET (sijil–diploma)

  4. Typical entry

    Degree (ijazah sarjana muda)

  5. 5

    Postgrad (sarjana / PhD) or professional route

Typical educationBachelor's degree

Subjects that matter here

The SPM subjects worth your effort for this career, with the reason for each.

EnglishDraws directly on English Language — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
BiologyDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Additional ScienceDraws directly on Biology — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
History (Sejarah)Draws directly on Law and Government — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).
Computer Science / ICTDraws directly on Computers and Electronics — a top knowledge area for this role (O*NET).

What you'd need to know

The subject areas this job leans on most, and the SPM subjects that build them.

  • English Language90%

    English

  • Biology77%

    BiologyAdditional Science

  • Customer and Personal Service74%
  • Law and Government70%

    History (Sejarah)

  • Computers and Electronics69%

    Computer Science / ICTElectrical & Electronic Eng. Studies

  • Public Safety and Security66%

Tools you'd use

Software and equipment that show up in this job, worth learning early.

Where to learn these, free

Scholarships & funding

What the work feels like

Day-to-day working conditions, so you can tell whether the job suits how you like to work.

  • Face-to-face discussionsEvery day
  • Contact with other peopleContact most of the time
  • Dealing with customers or the publicVery high
  • Leading or coordinating othersHigh
  • Handling conflict situationsRarely
  • Indoors, air-conditionedEvery day
  • Outdoors, in all weatherRarely
  • Noisy environmentRarely

Where this job is heading

Newer tasks O*NET has flagged for this occupation, a hint at how the role is changing.

  • Conduct life cycle assessments of products.

AI and demand for this job

A few real, dated data points — not a single score. AI making some tasks faster usually means a job changes, not that it disappears.

48%

Share of everyday tasks today's AI can already help with (2023)

This estimate is from 2023 — already out of date, since AI moves fast. Treat it as a rough, aging starting point, not the current picture.

0.10%

Of Malaysian Claude conversations, about this kind of work

Measures how much people use Claude for this work, not how many Malaysians do this job — and more AI use can mean people relying on it, not that it's replacing them.

Pay in Malaysia

We don't have a sourced Malaysian salary range for this job yet, and we'd rather show nothing than a number we can't stand behind.

Where to check:

  • JobStreet and Hiredly job ads for this title
  • DOSM Salaries & Wages Survey
  • SSPA scheme tables, if you're aiming for a government post

Check what you may qualify for

Enter your SPM grades and see which routes and programmes you may qualify for. An estimate to plan with, not an offer.

Check my eligibility Not sure yet? Take the quiz

How to get here

Post-SPM pathways with programmes in this career's fields. Tap one to see real programmes and entry requirements.

Matriculation

One or two years, heavily subsidised with allowance. Competitive, quota-based entry.

12–24 months

Asasi / Foundation

One-year runway into a specific university: public via UPU or private direct entry.

12 months

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About this information

This describes what the job involves. Pay, demand and entry routes differ in Malaysia, so check the Pathways and Programmes pages for local requirements.

O*NET occupation: Environmental Scientists and Specialists, Including Health

Job responsibilities, knowledge areas and work context from O*NET 30.3, US Department of Labor, used under CC BY 4.0. onetcenter.org

Programmes that lead here

Programmes from the official UPU (KPT) and MQA catalogues whose field of study typically leads to this career. Matched by field, not a job guarantee.

Public universities (UPU)

Private institutions (MQA-accredited)

Search the programme catalogue