Bioenvironmental Engineering

“You'll be the Air Force's occupational health and industrial hygiene specialist — assessing workplace chemical exposures, noise hazards, and environmental health risks that affect Airmen's health. Industrial hygiene skills are in demand in aerospace, manufacturing, and federal occupational health programs. The AIHA certifications and federal occupational health career pathway are directly accessible.”

Bioenvironmental engineering is the career field that assesses whether the chemical, physical, and biological hazards in work environments are within safe limits — which sounds straightforward until you're in a flight line environment with jet fuel vapors, noise exposures, and chemical exposures from maintenance products simultaneously. The industrial hygiene and occupational health skills transfer to civilian industrial hygiene, environmental health, and OSHA compliance careers. CIH certification is the gold standard and the Air Force experience provides the exposure hours needed for the exam. Federal occupational health agencies and aerospace companies recruit from this background.