Careers in Environmental Studies
According to national statistics, graduates with degrees in Environmental Studies enter related careers at a higher rate than most other majors.
Career opportunities are as varied as the environment itself. They include public policy careers at the local, county, state, national or international levels; environmental consulting and compliance in the private sector; management of environmental mitigation and restoration efforts that may involve public and private collaboration; journalism; recreation and tourism; law and graduate school training in areas such as Environmental Studies, Public Policy, Political Science and Economics.
In the words of our graduates: 
The hands-on opportunities for professional growth and development at Western gave me the tools and experience that I needed to transition easily from an undergraduate degree into a practicing, sustainability consultant. Western's interdisciplinary ENVS program provided me with an understanding of the complexityof sustainability issues that has helped me to communicate more effectively with our corporate clientele.
Taryn Mead ('06), Biologist at the Design Table, Biomimicry Guild, Helena, MT; Past SGA President and Founding Member of the Western Sustainabiilty Coalition
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The environmental studies program at WSC was able to use the incredible natural surroundings as a classroom, while also opening up doors to the opportunities for change in the rest of the world. A new Kelley Hall and Center for Sustainability Studies will combine this same experience with the state of the art technology and facilities needed to be competitive as the environmental field transfers from the fringe to one of history's most dynamic careers.
Alex Eaton (’98), Director, International Renewable Resources Institute- Mexico (www.irrimexico.org)
Masters of Science Candidate, Energy, Environment, and Society, Humboldt State University.
Founder of the WSC Renewable Energy Fund
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The Environmental Studies Dept. provided me with a wide range of interdisciplinary skills increasingly sought after in the environmental sector, and provided me with the flexibility to adapt and work in a wide range of professional settings. But more important than skill sets, the Environmental Studies Program forced me to understand the core ethical principles fundamental to this field, and has, and will continue to, guide professional and personal decisions time and time again.
Christina Alvord (’06) Professional Research Assistant, The Western Water Assessment, NOAA-
Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Sciences (CIRES)
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My experience in the ENVS program shaped my future from the ground up, and there isn't a day in my life that my Western education doesn't come into play. A new Center for Sustainability Studies would fill the one void in the Western ENVS experience—facilities that inspire learning, creativity and innovation.
Mike Horn ('04), Managing Editor, Backcountry Magazine, Jeffersonville, VT
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My time in Environmental Studies at Western really gave me a sense of place and made me into the environmentally conscious person I am today. A new Center for Sustainability Studies in Kelley Hall will greatly benefit future ENVS students by allowing more education, experience, and opportunities to be at their finger tips, which in return will have an even greater impact than what I had the opportunity to experience.
Shannon Gregory (’07)/ Biologist/Intern for the National Park Service.
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The Western ENVS program meant breaking down the dichotomies and assumptions made in my other areas of studies, enabling me to objectively and subjectively analyze and understand a true human experience. Because of the Gunnison Valley's unique and diverse environment, along with Western's devoted ENVS faculty and student body, a state of the art Center for Sustainability Studies could bring the school to the forefront in the discipline, allowing new students access to new and exciting avenues for research.
S. Bennett Powell (’04), Planner, Code Studio, Austin TX.
Master's Candidte, Community and Regional Planning, University of Texas, Austin
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The ENVS program at Western taught me how to better fulfill my social compact to be a good steward of this place and leave it better than I found it.
Scott Borden (’05)
Master of Arts candidate Environmental Education, Prescott College.
Mentor, Partners Plus, Gunnison, CO
Updated 09/2007