Juan Carlos Silva, the new academic director for the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability, shares his insights on graduates’ futures.
Why is this program relevant in the 21st century?
Solving the ongoing human-induced environmental and climate crises requires the next generation of global environmental and sustainability leaders. With the necessary hard and soft skills, students will learn to develop and implement effective inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary environmental and climate solutions.
The Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability program will deliver the necessary skills and train students to become the world’s environmental and sustainability leaders of the 21st century. Graduates will be able to provide, at all levels, real, effective, comprehensive, scientifically informed and sustainable solutions that can help us to tackle the current and future societal challenges resulting from the large variety of human-induced environmental problems that will affect the Earth.
The expectation is that graduates will be able to develop and implement innovative inter-, multi- and transdisciplinary technological solutions. This will allow the negative impacts of the ongoing climate and environmental crises to be reduced and mitigated, while contributing to the sustainable development of 21st century societies.
As world environmental and sustainability leaders, the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability graduates will be remembered as the generation that provides scientifically informed seeds for the implementation of climate and environmental solutions. These solutions will help prevent and mitigate the environmental issues that will eventually affect other future generations, while positively impacting their sustainable development and helping them to overcome the current risk of extinction.
What career opportunities are available to graduates of this program?
There are three main career paths that graduates can pursue. These paths are:
- Global challenges
- Sustainable development
- Climate and environmental solutions
Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability students will be instrumental in creating broad and specific solutions to environmental and sustainability problems and challenges that are relevant to different societal sectors. These include industries, governmental agencies, communities and NGOs.
Graduates will be continuously interacting with different sectors, acquiring complementary real-world knowledge and perspectives. In turn, this gives students the opportunity to improve their soft skills to enlarge their professional networks, while increasing their chances of starting their first job. These project- and challenge-based learning experiences will also provide an opportunity for students to start their own businesses through the creation of startups, to become part of international organizations, and to join governmental agencies, among many other professional development opportunities.
Here are examples of some of the job roles Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability graduates could find themselves in.
Corporations
Corporations have a need and duty to consider environmental factors in the way they conduct business. Environmental graduates are required by many corporations to help with a multitude of issues and help bolster their social and environmental responsibility.
Roles within corporations can include environmental consulting and auditing, environmental risk and impact assessment and effective natural capital management. Furthermore, roles in research and development are also a possibility for the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability graduates.
Public institutions
Students interested in entering the public sector will also be able to consider a wide range of roles. Public institutions are looking for help with the development of environmental policies and regulations.
It may be surprising to find out that design and architecture roles within public institutions are also available to Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability students. Roles such as sustainable architecture, design and urban development, and roles encompassing the design of cooperation and urban or rural development projects are also ideal for graduates.
This is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to public institution roles!
Research
Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability students thrive in research roles. With an academic scientific background, graduates can apply themselves to the advancement of environmental sciences. This could include areas such as ecology and conservation, as well as research on the physical and natural environment.
Learn more about the Bachelor in Environmental Sciences for Sustainability here!