Jobs galore if you follow a green path
THE job market for environmental graduates is growing so fast that some environmental schools are struggling to meet demand. Macquarie University is prominent in climate change studies, with the recent appointment of global warming expert Tim Flannery to a special professorship at the institution. Flannery, a zoologist and author of popular books such as The Weather Makers, will establish a research unit in the division of environmental and life sciences, concentrating on biodiversity, evolution and climate change.
In the environmental field, a wide choice of degrees and individual courses is available. Degrees range from a bachelor of social science (environment) at RMIT University and a graduate certificate in greenhouse gas mitigation at the University of Sydney to a bachelor of interdisciplinary studies (sustainability) at the Australian National University to an environmental safety and a risk engineering diploma at the Victoria University of Technology.
IDP Education Australia lists environmental courses in more than 40 disciplines. Nick Costa, head of the Murdoch University's school of environmental science, says about 300 students are enrolled in the school, which is rated among the top three environmental science facilities in Australia.
The school offers four-year bachelor of science degrees specialising in fields such as environmental restoration, ecotourism, marine science or health and the environment. It also offers various postgraduate courses. "Interestingly, there is greater awareness of environmental issues, but there has been a decrease Australia-wide in the number of students wanting to do environmental science,'' Costa says. "At the same time, there has been an increase in the number of jobs and the rate at which those jobs are paying decent salaries. So we've been inundated with prospective employers for graduates. They are contacting us, wanting to know if we've got people with honours or four-year degrees to come into their firms.''
New regulations mean companies are required to do environmental assessments and monitoring, as well as restoration of the environment, after activities such as mining.
Costa believes one reason for the shortage of students enrolling in environmental science degrees is the need for a background in physics, maths and chemistry. Students with top results in these subjects often go into medicine or engineering.
According to Costa, the school is involved in developing technology for water management in remote communities in Australia as well as in developing countries. There are many opportunities for postgraduates to extend their studies abroad.
The faculty of environmental sciences at Griffith University claims to have the "largest group of environmental professionals in any university in Australia and among the largest in the world''. With more than 800 undergraduate students enrolled in 2006, it has three environmental science schools.
Established in 1975, Griffith's Australian School of Environmental Studies is the oldest in the country. Its curriculum takes a multi-disciplinary approach. AES deputy head Christy Fellows says: "Having that inter-disciplinary look at the environment, including the social and economic perspectives as well as the science perspective, makes our graduates really marketable.''
Pollution science is one of four different majors offered with the bachelor of science (environment) degree. The school also offers a four-year bachelor of science in environmental management and a wide range of postgraduate options.
Fellows notes a "very healthy demand'' for graduates, especially those with degrees in environmental planning and management. "In Queensland we see really strong demand in terms of council and government, who more and more are seeing they need some kind of environmental planning and management,'' Fellows says.
She adds environmental graduates are sought by local councils, government, environmental protection agencies, natural resources companies and mines, and consulting firms with environmental branches.
By Linda Vergnani, The Daily Telegraph, July 8, 2006.
