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Environment Careers

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ College upholds long-held principles regarding sustainability and environmental stewardship.

From ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾’s commitment to carbon neutrality, reducing waste, and providing a multidisciplinary approach to environmental education, it is no wonder that so many students choose to pursue careers in the environmental sector after graduation.

ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ alumni are working across the spectrum of opportunity in the environmental sector. From working as an attorney with the Natural Resource Defense Council, to designing municipal solar projects with an energy procurement company, to conducting policy research with nonprofits, and running sustainability programs for corporate offices—your interests and skills can drive an amazing career in the environmental sector.

Sample Career Paths

Environmental Policy and Advocacy: Are you interested in researching information and data that informs policy-making? Do you want to influence environmental policy-making? Then you might want to consider a career in government, at a policy organization or think tank, or working for a lobbying organization or with an advocacy group. Environmental Policy organizations number in the thousands and include the following: , , , , , , , , .

Environmental/Urban Planning: If you have an interest in administering the government plans that affect land use, or in gathering information and analyzing data from environmental studies, you may want to consider a career in Environmental/Urban Planning. Jobs in this sector include community and economic development, regional or transportation planning, historic preservation, urban design, land use management and public administration to name a few. To learn more about this launching a planning career, visit  the or .

Environmental Consulting: Environmental consulting firms provide support to companies and organizations to address environmental and natural resource protection, laws and initiatives. Larger firms will offer services across a broad range of specialty areas while smaller companies have a targeted focus. Areas of expertise include: hazardous waste remediation and removal, waste management services, sustainability practices, green design, public policy research, strategic and economic analysis, regulatory compliance, conflict resolution, communication and meeting facilitation among others.

Conservation: A career in conservation might include protecting wildlife, habitats, water, forests, or anything else related to the environment. Jobs in conservation range from roles in the government, large NGOs, nonprofits, and corporations working on sustainability. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ alumni are working in conservation organizations such as The Nature Conservancy, Environment America, The Sierra Club, Oceana, and Waterkeeper Alliance.

Outdoor and Environmental Education: There are many pathways to being an environmental educator, including teaching for an outdoor environmentally-focused school, guiding outdoor wilderness trips or leading educational tours for an environmental organization. ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ alums work for organizations such as Chewonki, Semester at Sea, HMI (High Mountain Institute), NOLS, Outward Bound, The Island Institute, Audubon, National Park Service and many more. 

Meet Alumni

Simon Ou '10, discusses his path from a Government and Legal Studies major at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø±¬ÍøÕ¾ to a job with an environmental NGO in Shanghai.