Environmental Sciences

Practically everyone who reads the newspaper or listens to the news on radio or television is aware, practically on a daily basis, of the variety and complexity of environmental problems already with us as well as the need for careful study of potential impacts of planned projects that may affect the local environment. The need for professionally trained people in a wide range of environmental fields has grown rapidly in recent years and will continue to grow with the increasing impact of man's activities on the environment and the increased awareness of the long term financial as well as environmental benefits of responsible planning. As a result, fluctuations of opportunities in the job market for graduates in the environmental sciences has been minimal, with the number of jobs keeping pace with the number of job seekers. This trend is generally true on a national as well as regional scale.

Although graduates in environmentally-related fields have been very successful in obtaining jobs immediately after graduating, the number and variety of jobs, the salary, and the potential for advancement are limited for those with only a Bachelor's degree. On a national scale, graduates with a Bachelor's degree can expect to earn anywhere from about $23,000 to nearly $27,000 depending upon factors such as employer, type of job, location, background of the employee, etc. Those with a Master's degree can expect to earn about 10-15% more. Although the starting salaries may not be as high as in some other professions, advancement is often rapid.

Depending upon their individual background, employees in the environmental science field may experience a wide variety of ever-changing tasks, including field work, sample collecting, office work, data processing, laboratory analysis, managerial duties, presenting information to colleagues or to the public, attending training workshops, etc.

1. Government Agencies (Federal, State, County, Municipal, Military) - A few of these are: Federal - Environmental Protection Agency, National Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Geological Survey, Soil Conservation Service, Bureau of Reclamation, Department of Agriculture; State - Department of Environmental Conservation, State Geological Surveys, Department of Parks, Recreation, and Historical Preservation, etc.; County - County Extension offices, Soil Conservation and Watershed Management offices, etc.; Municipal - local planning boards, planning consultant for specific projects, etc. Jobs are often reasonably high-paying with good security and working conditions but can be highly variable from large, long-term projects (federal and state level) to fairly small, short term projects (local); Military - The armed forces employ civilian environmental specialists in all the branches as well as the Army Corps of Engineers. Many of these are environmental engineers, but there are a number of entry-level positions also available. Our alumni in or working for the military report that the fringe benefits are fabulous!

2. Consulting Firms - There are hundreds of engineering, geological, biological, planning, and general environmental consulting firms in the Northeast alone. The pace is fast, the jobs are varied and challenging and may be distant from your home, the pay and working conditions are good, and opportunities for advancement are often very good.

3. Industry - Every major industry encounters some type of environmentally-related problem or potential problem and many of them hire their own personnel to deal with these problems. Pay is usually high but the working conditions and job security can be variable.

4. Non-Profit Advocacy Organizatlons - such as Greenpeace, Audubon Society, Friends of the Earth, Sierra Club, and others. Pay generally low and specific job descriptions and working conditions variable but can be very rewarding.