How to Become a Park Ranger

The basic goal of a national park ranger is to protect and preserve public resources while helping people enjoy them. This may be accomplished by fighting fires, enforcing land use regulations, or studying the natural world to learn how to better care for it. They patrol the parks to ensure visitors' safety and to prevent vandalism, theft and harm to wildlife. Park Rangers may have assignments which make them similar to police. To protect parks from careless or damaging use, rangers seek voluntary public compliance to enforce the laws, rules, and policies of the parks. When greeting park visitors, rangers may collect fees and/or register them. This helps protect visitors if they do not return from a hike on dangerous terrain or in bad weather.

Park rangers issue permits for vehicles and answer questions about park use, safety codes, and special points of interest. They may instruct the public on safety procedures for water sports, prevention of fires and accidents, and first aid practices. Rangers plan and carry out measures to protect and manage the natural and cultural resources in the parks. Rangers assist with conservation and ecology studies. They may study wildlife behavior by tagging and tracking animals. They also study plants, water quality, and park air to monitor and record disease, pollution, or damage.

Education or interpretation is another field in which rangers work. Teaching people about parks, national monuments, and historic sites helps people understand and appreciate these national treasures and inspires their desire to protect them.

Many rangers start as seasonal employees or volunteers. They work in urban and rural areas and often work in several different parks or positions to find the situation they enjoy the most. Some move into permanent positions and higher government service levels as their careers continue and they take on more administrative or legislative responsibilities.

How to Become a Park Ranger?

The educational requirements for park rangers vary widely, and they depend on whether you want to work at a state or national park. Even on a state level, more than one type of park ranger might work at the same park. Some rangers are law enforcement officers and some rangers serve as guides and interpreters. Typically, the minimum you will need is two years of college, but some agencies will accept nothing less than a bachelor’s degree.

Definition of Relevant Field

Park rangers typically need degrees, experience or courses in a relevant field -- usually a connection to nature, forestry, biology, botany, archaeology, museum science, history, natural resource conservation, earth science or anthropology. For applicants seeking employment as law enforcement rangers, a degree in criminal justice is also acceptable. Some agencies will also accept studies in sociology, behavioral science or public administration.

Desirable Skills

Other desirable skills that parks departments look for in park ranger candidates include experience with GIS, computers, statistics, databases, public speaking, and boating. Hiring managers would also require candidates to have wildlife, ecosystem and cultural knowledge about the specific park the ranger is assigned to. Other skills in high demand include law enforcement, wildfire response, and search and rescue.

Where to find Park Ranger Jobs

Several federal departments hire park rangers including the National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the U.S. Forestry Service. Also, jobs can be found through state parks and recreation departments, fish and wildlife agencies, and utility companies as they often own and manage large wilderness areas, dams and other water sources. A good way to start your park ranger career is to apply for seasonal and temp positions as these often become permanent positions.