Environmental Studies
There are many career options for environmental studies majors/minors. Career paths will differ depending on whether one wants to focus on law and policy making, on teaching and communication, on more advanced research, or another intersection of environmental studies and another discipline.
General Career Advice
Those pursuing degrees in Environmental Studies have a number of career options available to them, as jobs related to the environment can be found in government agencies, colleges or universities, research laboratories, businesses or industry, public service, and non-profits. For an example of the varied career paths of Environmental Studies alumnae, check out the Environmental Studies department website for a few alumnae profiles.
Regardless of your desired career path, each environmental studies student should plan to pursue opportunities that provide valuable experiences and skills - such as campus involvement, research, internships, volunteering, and community engagement. Not only are these great experience to add to your resume, but they can also help you determine what type of work environments, activities, projects, and “X factors” are a good fit for you.
Graduate school can be part of the future career trajectory for environmental studies majors. Some students choose to enter graduate school immediately after Wellesley, while others may choose to work for a few years before returning to school. Still others may choose to not pursue graduate school at all.
Pursuing a Graduate Degree in Environmental Studies
If you are considering pursuing a graduate degree related to environmental studies, there are plenty of great resources out there to help you start asking the right questions. Check out the Graduate School resource page in Handshake for a broad overview about graduate school, including the application timeline, asking for references, and financing your education.
When looking for environmental studies graduate programs, you will need to do some in-depth research about those programs to gain a better understanding of their admissions requirements, the focus of their degree, research areas of the faculty, and the curriculum for the degree. While there are both objective and subjective factors that go into deciding what type of graduate degree or graduate program to pursue, some questions to start with include:
- What are the research specialties/areas of the faculty?
- What research projects do the current graduate student work on?
- What are facilities, laboratories, libraries, etc. like?
- What are the outcomes of the graduates — academia, research, industry, government, or other professional areas?
- What is the quality of life for a Master’s or PhD student?
If you are looking for an in-person consultation about graduate school, a good place to start would be by meeting with Frances Adjorlolo ’08, who is the Career Community Advisor for Technology, Engineering, & Physical Sciences. Additionally, you should plan to speak with the faculty in the environmental studies department, as your faculty (especially your advisor) will be an essential resource in your graduate school application process.
Career Resources and Professional Organizations
Organizations on Campus
- Wellesley Energy and Environmental Defense (WEED)
- Regeneration
- Slow Food Wellesley
- Sustainability Cooperative (SCoop)
- Outing Club
- El Table
Environmental Studies Career Resources
- REU Sites: Earth Sciences (National Science Foundation)
- EcoJobs
- Environmental Policy and Management Graduate Schools
- U.S. Youth for Justice and Sustainability
Professional Organizations
- The Nature Conservancy
- Environmental Defense Fund
- National Association of Environmental Professionals
- Ecological Society of America
- National Council for Science and the Environment
- Sierra Club
- National Environmental Education Fund
- National Environmental Health Association
- Soil Science Society of America
- Society for Conservation Biology
- Society for Ecological Restoration
- United States Environmental Protection Agency
- U.S. National Park Center
- Earth Watch
- Institute for Conservation Leadership
- CERES: Mobilizing Business Leadership for a Sustainable World
- Environmental Science Organization
- Student Conservation Association
- Earth Institute at Columbia University
- Environmental Law and Policy Center
- Natural Resources Defense Council
- Society of Environmental Journalists
- International Society of Sustainability Professionals
- American Academy of Environmental Engineers & Scientists
- Foundation for Sustainable Development
Updated September 4, 2017
If you have additional resources, please feel free to send them to Frances Adjorlolo at fadjorlo@wellesley.edu.
