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Environmental Studies

Occupational Possibilities

A major in environmental studies provides a basis for many types of careers in business, medicine, and government, as well as the environmental field. For some careers, advanced study or field or laboratory experience may be required. Additional graduate study is expected for those occupations preceded by a * on the following list.

Business

  • *Biochemist
  • Pharmaceutical sales representative
  • *Industrial hygienist
  • *Attorney
  • *Bioengineer
  • Trainer
  • *Molecular biologist
  • Food technician/technologist
  • Pest control consultant
  • Technical writer
  • Journalist:Science magazine editor/Wildlife photographer
  • *Civil engineer
  • *Chemical engineer
  • Hazardous material manager
  • Environmental risk assessor

Government and Public Sector

  • Environmental protection specialist
  • *Public health officer
  • Hunger policy analyst
  • Water quality inspector
  • Aquarist
  • Park naturalist/interpreter
  • *Food and drug inspector
  • *Parasitologist
  • *City recycling manager
  • *Administrator, nuclear waste program
  • Teacher
  • *Professor
  • *Social worker
  • *Soil scientist

Medicine and Health

  • *Toxicologist
  • *Epidemiologist
  • Biological researcher
  • *Biostatistician
  • *Physician
  • *Genetic engineer
  • *Dental hygienist
  • *Medical technologist
  • *Health policy consultant
  • *Data analyst
  • *Administrator, HMO
  • *Medical librarian
  • *Pharmaceutical research chemist

Environmental

  • Park naturalist
  • Ecologist
  • *Marine biologist
  • *Botanist
  • *Zoologist
  • *Ichthyologist
  • Fundraiser, environmental organization
  • *Entomologist
  • Conservationist
  • Curator, botanical gardens


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Skills and Abilities

Students with environmental studies majors develop the ability to formulate concepts allowing them to solve practical problems and to find better ways of meeting world needs. Such skills are applicable to job responsibilities in a variety of fields such as the sciences, business, government, and education. For example, the ability to conduct investigations and to perform analyses may be employed differently on a daily basis by a college administrator, a genetic engineer, a curator of a natural history museum, and a teacher. The following list presents some examples of the skills developed and used by students in environmental studies.

Communication

  • Writing for technical and non-technical audiences
  • Organizing and reporting data
  • Designing charts/graphs
  • Informing/explaining
  • Reporting results and conclusions orally and in writing




Analysis

  • Summarizing research findings
  • Attending to details
  • Analyzing data
  • Testing hypotheses
  • Developing theories
  • Clarifying problems
  • Identifying relationships between problems/solutions
  • Reasoning by analogy
  • Perceiving patterns/structures
  • Applying logic to problems
  • Evaluating data and results

Investigation

  • Remaining objective
  • Reviewing relevant data
  • Applying concepts
  • Utilizing formulas
  • Gathering information
  • Observing carefully
  • Asking questions
  • Designing experiments
  • Applying knowledge creatively
  • Defining problems
  • Assessing risks

Technical

  • Processing data
  • Solving quantitative problems
  • Calculating
  • Tabulating data
  • Sampling for surveys
  • Using laboratory equipment
  • Maintaining precision and accuracy
  • Using computers for computation/simulation


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Career Planning and Resources

Wildlife Conservation Resources

Internships

Job Search

Professional Associations

For More Information

...about careers, graduate and professional schools, internships, professional associations, or job descriptions contact:

University Career Center
110 Burge Union
(785) 864-3624

For information about majors and concentrations in environmental studies:

Environmental Studies Department
1460 Jayhawk Blvd., Rm. 252
Lawrence, KS 66045
(785) 864-8902

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