To work as a compliance officer or inspector, you typically need to:

• have a high school diploma or equivalent;
• have a bachelor's degree; and
• complete moderate-term, on-the-job training.

Education after high school

The required education for a compliance officer or inspector varies, depending on your area of interest.

You need a bachelor's degree or higher for many environmental compliance jobs. Your major should be in biology, chemistry, physical science, or sanitation.

Government inspectors often need at least a bachelor's degree. Areas that may be helpful include public administration and sociology.

A high school diploma and related work experience can qualify you for some jobs, such as driver's license examiner and pressure vessel inspector.

Work experience

Work experience in related occupations can qualify you for some specialties. However, most of these jobs have very specific educational requirements that cannot be offset by work experience.

On-the-job training

Employers provide formal and informal training in areas such as safety, interviewing techniques, and inspection procedures. As you progress through training, you receive assignments that are more complicated. The length of training varies by area of expertise. In general, you will receive up to one year of on-the-job training.

Military training

Some branches of the military train people to become environmental health and safety specialists or officers. For specialists, training lasts from 11 to 19 weeks, depending on your specialty. Additional training occurs on the job. Initial training is not offered for officers. They need at least a bachelor's degree to enter the military occupation. Most training is on the job.