The Associate in Applied Science degree program for Environmental Technology prepares students with the skills and knowledge needed to participate in environmental careers including environmental compliance in public and private sector organizations, pollution prevention, environmental remediation, workplace health and safety, and emergency response preparedness. You will learn to develop procedures for proper hazardous materials handling techniques and design training programs used to implement existing and future regulatory requirements to ensure compliance. Upon graduation, you will be prepared to work in the health and safety field in such positions as compliance officer, environmental safety specialist, laboratory technician, hazardous materials emergency response technician, and environmental coordinator.

Related Degrees and Certificates

• Environmental Technology, Basic Certificate
• Environmental Technology, Associate in Applied Science

Program Requirements

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
General Education Coursework
ENGLISH 101	Composition	3
SPEECH 101	Fundamentals of Speech Communication	3
CHEM 121	Basic Chemistry I	4
CIS 120	Introduction to Computer Applications	3
Fine Arts & Humanities course 1		3
Social and Behavioral Sciences course 1		3
Required Program Core
BIOLOGY 115	Human Biology	4
BIOLOGY 119	Environmental Biology	4
ENGLISH 102	Composition	3
or ENGLISH 107	Report Writing
ENVR TC 121	Intro To Hazardous Materials Management	3
ENVR TC 131	Environmental Health & Safety	3
ENVR TC 141	Site Investigation & Sampling	3
ENVR TC 151	Intro to Environmental Laws & Policies	3
ENVR TC 175	Hazardous Material Handling & Transportation	3
ENVR TC 211	Recycling & Waste Minimizing	3
ENVR TC 241	Environmental Sampling	4
ENVR TC 243	Environmental Analysis	4
MATH 118	General Education Math (or higher)	4
Program Electives
Students should meet with a College Advisor for selection of elective courses.		8
Total Hours		68

¹

One of the courses must fulfill the Human Diversity requirement.

Pathway

This is an example course sequence for students interested in environmental technology. It does not represent a contract, nor does it guarantee course availability. If this pathway is followed as outlined, you will earn a Basic Certificate (BC) and an Associate in Applied Science (AAS) degree in Environmental Technology. One course will satisfy the Human Diversity (HD) requirement, and is labeled with an (HD) in the sequence below.

Semester-by-Semester Program Plan for Full-Time Students

All plans can be modified to fit the needs of part-time students by adding more semesters.

Plan of Study Grid

Semester 1		Hours
ENGLISH 101	Composition 1	3
CHEM 121	Basic Chemistry I 1	4
MATH 118	General Education Math (or higher)	4
CIS 120	Introduction to Computer Applications 1	3
ENVR TC 121	Intro To Hazardous Materials Management	3
	Hours	17
Semester 2
SPEECH 101	Fundamentals of Speech Communication	3
BIOLOGY 115	Human Biology	4
ENVR TC 131	Environmental Health & Safety	3
ENVR TC 141	Site Investigation & Sampling	3
100-Level Program Elective 2		4
	Hours	17
Semester 3
ENGLISH 102 or ENGLISH 107	Composition 1 or Report Writing	3
BIOLOGY 119	Environmental Biology	4
ENVR TC 151	Intro to Environmental Laws & Policies	3
ENVR TC 211	Recycling & Waste Minimizing	3
200-Level Program Elective 2		4
	Hours	17
Semester 4
Social and Behavioral Sciences course 1		3
Fine Arts & Humanities course (HD) 1		3
ENVR TC 175	Hazardous Material Handling & Transportation	3
ENVR TC 241	Environmental Sampling	4
ENVR TC 243	Environmental Analysis	4
	Hours	17
	Total Hours	68

¹

General Education Requirement

²

Students should meet with a College Advisor for selection of elective courses.

Choose your courses with your College Advisor.

Careers

This program can prepare students for the jobs listed below. Click on each one to learn more, including average earnings, annual job openings, and how much education people in that field have. For additional guidance and resources on career options, current City Colleges students and alumni can contact the Career Services Office.

Environmental Engineering Technologists and Technicians

Job Description

Apply theory and principles of environmental engineering to modify, test, and operate equipment and devices used in the prevention, control, and remediation of environmental problems, including waste treatment and site remediation, under the direction of engineering staff or scientists. May assist in the development of environmental remediation devices.

Salary Based on Experience Level

Take a look at the average hourly/annual earnings for this career in Cook County

Lightcast earnings figures are based on OES data from the BLS and include base rate, cost of living allowances, guaranteed pay, hazardous-duty pay, incentive pay (including commissions and bonuses), on-call pay, and tips.

• View Annual Wages
• View Hourly Wages

Annual Wages

Entry-Level 10th Percentile	$37,813
Median 50th Percentile	$58,666
Senior-Level 90th Percentile	$90,148

Hourly Wages

Entry-Level 10th Percentile	$18
Median 50th Percentile	$28
Senior-Level 90th Percentile	$43

Annual Job Openings

11 annual openings in Cook County

National Education Attainment

Here, you can see the level of education that people in this career complete.

Degree Program	% of Jobs
A high school diploma or less	10.79%
A certificate	8.19%
Some college	6.64%
An Associate degree	1.46%
A Bachelor's degree	72.05%
A Master's or Professional degree	0.88%
A Doctoral degree or more	0.00%

72.93% continue their education beyond an associate degree