Careers & Alumni
Each student’s career path depends greatly on individual student’s interests, skills, and values. A degree in environmental studies can lead to a career in science, policy, education, government, advocacy, and more. Opportunities might include:
- Conservation officer
- Environmental attorney
- Environmental education & outreach specialist
- Environmental journalist
- Environmental policy analyst
- Environmental program manager
- Environmental scientist
- Park ranger
- Policy Advisor
- Program coordinator
- Regulatory specialist
- Resource management specialist
- Sustainability specialist
- Sustainability program manager
See what our Alumni are up to now:
As a field scientist, my job has me working with clients and land-owners as a consultant through field work and reports. I primarily work on delineating wetlands and conducting assessments for threatened and endangered species, but I often find myself doing work in many different fields. Just recently, I found myself working on a noise assessment report for a new apartment building, taking GPS points in the middle of a busy highway, putting signs in the ground for conservation areas, and surveying for gopher tortoises!
One of my favorite parts of this job is just how much I get to do. I work on unique projects all the time, visit different sites, work in many disciplines, talk to numerous clients, and every day I end up learning something new. It’s also great to work at a company like Terracon. I have a knowledgeable network of coworkers, supportive management, and we are employee-owned. And it’s always a big bonus to work outside! ECU and the environmental studies major have been instrumental in getting this job and have helped me at work every day. The ENVS major exposed me to many environmental disciplines and helped me find my career interests. Some of the classes I took, and the Semester at the Coast experience, introduced me to wetlands and careers in the environmental field! The ECU program provided first hand experience of field and lab work, project management, and real world job skills.
Lily Baker
Educator, Planetarium Outreach
NC Museum of Natural Science at Contentea Creek
Grifton, NC
Amanda Riggs
MS Geography Candidate
ECU Department of Geography, Planning and Environment
Greenville, NC
My academic background is rooted in geography and GIS analysis, integrated with environmental studies to form an interdisciplinary approach. My work focuses on analyzing urban change over time using GIS and related software. I also worked as a GIS center assistant and held a graduate teaching assistantship throughout my degree. I enjoy the endless possibilities for learning through GIS and other software that deepen our understanding of human-environment relationships. My time as a graduate teaching assistant was also rewarding. It allowed me to develop new skills from the different courses within the department, training both undergraduate and graduate students and growing alongside them.
ECU provided me with strong technical and interdisciplinary skills across environmental studies and geography, equipping me for a range of professional roles. My experience includes public speaking from presentations, writing through various projects, teamwork on collaborative assignments, and analytical skills from multiple software used for assignments. My degree path also opened doors to internship opportunities with agencies such as the Pitt County Planning Department and the Department of Environmental Quality (DEQ). Membership in Gamma Theta Upsilon International Geographical Honor Society offered valuable networking and scholarship opportunities, and my volunteer work with the North Carolina Estuary non-profit honed my public speaking and deepened my foundation in environmental studies. Courses in fields such as geography biology, sociology, planning, statistics, programming, and GIS were essential to my success.