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School of Natural Resources and Environment

School of Natural Resources and Environment

Planning for What Comes Next: Jobs and Graduate School

With a baccalaureate degree, graduates are prepared to advance to graduate school or seek entry-level employment in the diverse and vigorous environmental job market. Environmental technology has quickly become one of the largest sectors of the U.S. economy. Government policies have yielded cleaner air and water. Industry is rapidly adopting sustainability as a driver of its corporate strategies and is adopting new technologies that have added to the bottom line, generated or saved jobs, and greatly improved the environment.

The Environmental Science degree prepares graduates to be involved in career and personal activities that emphasize the management of all components of the bio-physical environment. This includes a strong emphasis on the relationships of the human environment (social, cultural, economic) with the bio-physical environment. Graduates with the Environmental Science degree are engaged in such activities as pollution control, waste management, remediation, land and water use and management, endangered species, urban and regional planning and many others. Prospective employers often include the words “interdisciplinary experience desired” in job advertisements.

SNRE graduates have found employment in twenty-seven states, the District of Columbia, the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, and five countries. More than 60% of undergraduates find employment in Florida. Only a very small percentage of undergraduates find employment internationally, in contrast to the SNRE graduate students who go on to advanced employment opportunities. 

Examples of Job Titles in the Environmental Science Field

Air Quality Analyst Greenways Coordinator
Aquatic Biologist Hazardous Materials Specialist
Biologist Hydrologic Technician
Botanist Industrial Hygiene Specialist
Ecologist Natural Resource Planner
Engineering Assistant Nature Preserve Manager
Environmental Analyst Research Scientist
Environmental Coordinator Risk Assessor
Environmental Educator Sales Representative
Environmental Permitting Specialist Stormwater Program Manager
Environmental Planner Utility Projects Coordinator
Environmental Project Manager Wastewater Treatment Specialist
Environmental Safety Specialist Water Quality Analyst
Environmental Sanitarian Specialist Wetlands Scientist
Environmental Scientist Wildlife Biologist
Environmental Specialist Wildlife Ecologist
Environmental Technician Wildlife Manager
Environmental Trainer Zoologist
Field Technician  

Many of our baccalaureate students enter the private sector, which hires approximately 11% of our graduates. Most graduates are employed as environmental engineers or environmental consultants. Others are employed in a wide range of positions, including real estate, small business and other professional companies. About 10% work in government agencies. Over 50% of our graduates go on to graduate or professional school, engaging in a range of fields including interdisciplinary ecology, law, urban and regional planning, natural resource management, earth and life sciences, and journalism. These individuals seek to develop mastery in these fields or to enter the job market at a level that maximizes income and workplace responsibility.

In 2018, CALS participated in an ag and life sciences salary summary which encompassed 20 colleges of agriculture and related sciences.  The results were compiled by Iowa State University and are available on the CALS website at http://cals.ufl.edu/students/career-outcomes.php.
 

Potential Graduate Degree or Professional Programs

Anthropology Journalism and Communications
Botany Landscape Architecture
Business Latin American Studies 
Ecology, Interdisciplinary Law
Education Political Science
Entomology and Nematology  Resource Economics  
Environmental Engineering Sciences   Soil and Water Sciences 
Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences   Urban and Regional Planning
Forest Resources and Conservation  Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
Geography  Zoology

Research Opportunities - research experiences as an undergraduate will improve your resume and help you determine what you want to do for a career.

UF Center for Undergraduate Research http://http://cur.aa.ufl.edu/-research-help.aspx
Research Experiences for Undergraduates https://www.nsf.gov/funding/pgm_summ.jsp?pims_id=5517
UF School of Forest, Fisheries, and Geomatics Sciences http://ffgs.ufl.edu/research/
UF Wildlife Ecology and Conservation http://www.wec.ufl.edu/research/
UF Soil and Water Sciences http://soils.ifas.ufl.edu/research/
UF Horticultural Sciences http://hos.ufl.edu/research-programs
UF Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences https://researchtools.ifas.ufl.edu/volunteer/