How to become an environmental health officer in Australia
Environmental Health Officers develop, enforce and evaluate environmental health policies, programs and strategies to improve health outcomes, and oversee the implementation and monitoring of environmental health legislation.
Pay and growth are for the wider occupational and environmental health professionals group, which is as fine as the data goes. The all-jobs median is $1,852 a week. Jobs in the occupational and environmental health professionals group are projected to grow 19.8% between May 2025 and May 2035, faster than the 13.3% projected for all jobs. Projections are indicative, not forecasts, and JSA says they don't yet reflect generative AI.
What the job involves
- Develops, implements and reviews environmental health management plans and occupational health and safety plans.
- Prepares and implements plans and strategies for the safe, economic and suitable disposal of commercial, industrial, medical and household wastes.
- Advises on and enforces relevant legislation.
- Implements prevention programs and strategies for communicable diseases, food safety, waste water treatment and disposal systems, recreation and domestic water quality and any contaminated or hazardous substances.
- Works to minimise air, sea, water and noise pollution to improve health outcomes.
- Identifies hazards, assesses and controls risks in the workplace.
How to get there
What it usually takes. A bachelor degree or higher. This is the skill level Jobs and Skills Australia gives the occupational and environmental health professionals group, and some roles differ.
What people in the job have. Highest qualification held: 61% a degree or higher, 12% a diploma, 11% a Certificate III or IV.
Many jobs also need registration, a licence or a specific accredited course. Check the professional body or regulator before you choose.
Courses that can lead here
Estimate your ATAR and this page shows the gap to each course. Your marks stay on your device.
Victoria2 matches
VTAC lowest selection ranks, December 2025 offer round.
Showing 1 of 2 matches. Search every course.
NSW and ACT1 match
UAC lowest selection ranks, December Round 2, 2025-26 admissions.
Queensland1 match
QTAC course pages, ATAR/Selection Rank profile for semester 1, 2026.
Diplomas and other ways in
Western Australia3 matches
TISC Course Search: lowest ATAR offered for 2026 entry and guaranteed offer ATARs.
Bachelor of Health Science (Occupational and Environmental Health and Safety) · ECU, Joondalup62.75Diplomas and other ways in
Showing 2 of 3 matches. Search every course.
Matched on course names, 7 across four admissions centres. A lowest selection rank includes adjustment points and moves every year. Check prerequisites and whether the course is accredited for this job.
Graduate outcomes, national
Undergraduates surveyed about four to six months after finishing, in 2025, across all providers. Full-time work is among those available for it. All graduates: 75.4% and $77,000. These are national figures for the study area, not for this course or uni, and a first-year salary says little about later pay. Source: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025.
Does it fit your interests?
Strongest interest areas for this kind of work: Investigative, Conventional, Realistic.
From O*NET ratings for "Occupational Health and Safety Specialists", the closest US occupation in JSA's correspondence (a acceptable match). US ratings are a guide to Australian jobs, not a measurement of them.
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Share your storyJob data: © Commonwealth of Australia, Jobs and Skills Australia occupation profiles, February 2026 and Employment Projections, May 2025 to May 2035 (Victoria University), CC BY 4.0. Jobs and Skills Australia, ANZSCO 2013 Version 1.2 to O*NET-SOC 2019 Taxonomy correspondence.
Graduate outcomes: QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey 2025, National Report Tables (Social Research Centre, for the Australian Government).
This page includes information from the O*NET 31.0 Database by the U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA). Used under the CC BY 4.0 license. O*NET® is a trademark of USDOL/ETA. Curve ATAR has modified all or some of this information. USDOL/ETA has not approved, endorsed, or tested these modifications.