Career and Graduate Planning

Environmental Studies majors gain skills, knowledge, and experiences valuable to a variety of career paths and graduate programs. Start with the links and resources below to plan for your future after graduation.

Career Planning

A Bachelor’s Degree with an Environmental Studies major provides a strong foundation for careers in environmental policy and planning, outreach and communications, and environmental education. Alumni of the Program on the Environment have gone on to work for environmental nonprofit organizations, environmental consulting firms, and government agencies at the local, state, and federal level. The resources below can help you explore environmental careers and begin your job search.

  • Washington State Environmental Services Directory
    This directory lists more than 500 companies, organizations and individuals in more than 100 environmental categories.  Use this site to find environmental consulting firms, nonprofit organizations and governments agencies who hire environmental professionals.  Bookmark the websites of organizations you are interested in working for, and frequently check the job listings page for each company.   Even if you are a freshman just starting at UW, it is important to become familiar now with the kind of credentialing that these organizations require.
  • UW Career Center
    Visit the Career Center on the first floor of Mary Gates Hall to review job openings, obtain career counseling, and learn about the Campus Recruiting Program and the many other services that the Career Center provides.  These services are free until you graduate, at which point the Career Center will assess fees associated with these services.

Career Trends

  • Green Career Brochure: The four-page brochure is aimed at high school students and college freshman and sophomores who are thinking about pursuing the environment as a field of study. The brochure shows the wide range of "green careers" by listing job descriptions and showing young people in a variety of professional activities.
  • U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Provides occupational employment and wage estimates and projections.

Job Listings

Internet Directories

Listserves

  • Western WA Environmental Education List
    List Owner: Stephanie Raymond, People for Puget Sound
    To subscribe send a message to requests@pugetsound.org with the
    following message: subscribe ee
  • Center for Water & Watershed Studies
    List Owner: Leslie Wall
    To subscribe contact Leslie Wall at cwws@u.washington.edu

Government Agencies

Federal Programs

State Programs

Local Programs

Other University Environmental Career Centers

Graduate School Planning

The Environmental Studies major prepares students for a variety of graduate programs. PoE alumni are completing graduate studies in fields ranging from Forest Resources to Public Affairs to Landscape Architecture. Transitioning from undergraduate studies to a graduate program requires strategic course selection, a vision for your educational and career goals, researching programs and advance planning of exams and admissions deadlines. PoE advisers are available to help you research options for environmental graduate studies. Additional helpful links: