USCCONNECT
Recommendations
B.S. Environmental Science
To learn more about making the most of your educational experiences
within and beyond the classroom contact:
Shelley Schlenk, Undergraduate Coordinator, schlenk@mailbox.sc.edu
Dr. Gwen Geidel, Director, Environment & Sustainablity Program, geidel@sc.edu
PARTICIPATE
Community Service
Related course Sites/experiences Sustainable Carolina; SAGE (Students Advocating a Greener Environment);
SEAS (Students Engaged in Aquatic Sciences); Wildlife Association; EcoRep;
Biodiesel
Other Global Learning
Destinations Why this is important ENVR 399; ENVR 501G: Congaree National Park; ENVR 295: Green Technologies in Germany
Timing for “study abroad” Any summer break or semester following ENVR 201/202 (typically taken
during sophomore year)
City Roots; Belser Arboretum; Outdoor Recreation
Why this is important Teaching others - particularly children - about environmental issues helps
develop public awareness and increases advocacy and activism.
Related course ENVR 501W: Sustainable Projects
Costa Rica; South Africa; Alaska; Madagascar; Iceland; Germany
Students can see sustainable farming and green energy resources in practice.
Peer Leadership
Student Organization(s)Sustainable Carolina; SEAS (Students Engaged in Aquatic Sciences); SAGE
(Students Advocating a Greener Environment); Wildlife Association; Outdoor
Recreation; EcoRep; Biodiesel
Opportunities
Green Learning Community
Why this is importantDemonstrated leadership can be a factor in departmental awards, national
scholarships (Hollings, Udall, Goldwater), and successful application to
graduate school.
Internships
Related CoursesENVR 501G Congaree National Park; ENVR 399 Independent Study; ENVR 499
Research in Environmental Science
Recommended sites/work experiencesSustainable Carolina; City Roots; Summer Research Experiences for
Undergraduates (REU) opportunities; NOAA; National Park Internships (Hawaii,
Congaree).
Why this is importantProfessional Experiences can be a factor in departmental awards,
national scholarships (Hollings, Udall, Goldwater) and successful
application to graduate school.
Research
Related coursesENVR 501G Congaree National Park; ENVR 501W Sustainable Projects; ENVR
499 Research in Environmental Science; ENVR 399 Independent Study
Sample research projects or topicsRenewable energy; sustainable farming; human impacts on the environment;
water resources and water quality, environmental policy
Other recommendations
Magellan grants
Why this is importantResearch experience, particularly independent research, plays a major role in
departmental awards, national scholarships (Hollings, Goldwater, Udall) and
successful application to graduate school. It is also instrumental in helping
students decide which facet of environmental science to focus on in the future.
INTEGRATE
How to integrateKey program experiences to integrate program concepts & beyond-theclassroom experiences:
ENVR 501W Sustainable Projects (with Tom Syfert)
• Spring 2012 focused on converting cooking oil into biofuels. Students
ultimately formed a Biodiesel Group on campus which recycles cooking oils
from all campus dining halls into biodiesel to power the campus fleet of lawn
mowers and leaf blowers.
• Spring 2013 focused on helping large corporations become more sustainable
and developed several practices that have been adopted by Walmart.
LEAD
Career Opportunities• DHEC and other state agencies
• Environmental advocacy NPO, NGOs, Peace Corps
• Environmental consulting firms
• Environmental education centers
• Park rangers
• Public utility companies
Related graduate programs
There are many options. Some examples:
• Law school
• Master’s in Earth and Environmental Resource Management (MEERM) (USC)
• PhD in Environmental Science
• MS in Sustainability
• Master of Environmental Management
• PhD in Marine Science
• Medical School
Future career opportunities • Environmental Protection Agency
• University positions
• Non-Government Organizations (NGO) (humanitarian & service functions)
• Medicine
Of special note: As sustainability & environmental issues continue to be of concern, these careers
have significant growth potential in the next 10 yrs.
The listed experiences are a sample of options for your major. See the
USC Connect experiences database to search for more opportunities.
www.sc.edu/uscconnect/participate