Careers and employability
We work closely together with graduate employers to ensure that the training our undergraduates receive during their Earth and Planetary Science or Environmental Science degree equips them for getting a great graduate job and excelling in it. Our graduates’ jobs include Scientific Research, Finance, Policy, blue-chip Management, Environmental Consultancy and Earth Resources
I learnt about global warming and the contribution of corporate emissions during my degree and that made me want to work in a role where I could be involved in influencing a company to have a more positive impact on the environment.
Madeleine Loveday / BSc (Hons) in Environmental Science
Our close links with employers highlight the key skills they desire in our graduates. Key among these is an enthusiasm for learning. In the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences we are passionate about our work on climate science, ecosystem conservation, micro-plastic pollution, dinosaur evolution, volcanoes, Earth’s formation and the distribution of resources within it. This passion is shared with our students, producing an enthusiasm and capacity for learning which serves them throughout their careers and lives.
Further key skills sought by graduate employers are flexible problem-solving using a variety of approaches, teamwork, communication skills, numeracy and computer programming. Our graduates are trained in these skills from day one of their degrees. In the common first year for both the Environmental Science and Earth and Planetary Science degrees we train students in the Natural Scientist’s Toolkit, which includes maths, chemistry, physics, numerical modelling and Python programming which are then developed throughout the degree programmes. These skills are underpinned by a solid understanding of the ethical and policy framework within which our understanding of the Earth and Environment affect governmental and corporate decision-making.
A key advantage that our graduates have over other science graduates is the experience gained during taught and independent fieldwork, which underpins our undergraduate teaching. Students develop multidisciplinary problem-solving and team-working skills during these trips, leading up to independent field-based projects in their third year of study, which provides students with precisely the experience and skills that graduate employers are looking for.
In addition to the core three-year BSc degrees in Earth and Planetary Sciences and Environmental Science we offer these degrees as four-year master's courses. The additional year may be spent conducting an extended independent research project within EES, with a year gaining Industrial Experience, or with a year in International Study. These degrees are an excellent way for students to differentiate themselves in a competitive job market.
Studying for a degree in the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences will provide you with a fantastic training and a skillset which will empower you to make the best of your life and career.
Recent graduate employers include Atkins; GeoCon; Jacobs; KPMG; Malcolm Hughes Surveyors; RSK; Stantec; RoC Consulting; Chemostrat; Galliford Try ; Schlumberger; WSP; the Met Office, United Utilities and the Environment Agency.
