Surveying employment listings to inform curricula of environmental science degree programs

Environmental Science has emerged as a common bachelor’s of science (B.S.) degree at colleges and universities throughout the USA, with growing enrollment and more than 1100 degrees offered. Many B.S. degrees in Environmental Science emphasize broad, cross-disciplinary training, but may lack in discipline-specific skills that promote job placement. The objective of this study is to identify characteristics in the job market that will guide curricula decisions and improve career preparedness for Environmental Science students. A survey was conducted of entry level employment listings for students with a B.S. degree in Environmental Science. Listings were obtained from seven unique websites chosen to represent diversity in employer types and were evaluated to characterize job type, title, duties, and qualifications. The survey evaluated 124 job listings out of more than 1000 search returns identified from local, state, and federal governments, the private sector, and non-governmental organizations. In 94 % of the jobs surveyed, one or more different degrees met the educational requirement, showing that environmental science students apply for the same positions as students from a number of other disciplines, including biology, environmental engineering, geology, agricultural sciences, and chemistry. This emphasizes a need for environmental science students to differentiate themselves from students with other science degrees with skills relevant to job duties. Jobs specific to environmental science were more common at state and local government levels than in the private sector or federal government. Technical job duties commonly included soil science, fisheries/wildlife management, research/lab work, and ecological research, all of which are commonly part of environmental science curriculum. Writing regulatory documents, project management, and leadership were identified as important job duties that could be emphasized in environmental science curriculum for better career preparation. More than half of the listings dealt directly with environmental permitting, compliance, or enforcement and emphasize technical writing of regulatory documents. Environmental site assessment was mentioned in many listings as both a duty and a qualification for the job. Supervisory and project management duties were part of almost half of the job listings. These results suggest areas where universities can develop environmental science curriculum to help students gain experience and improve job success.