Career Paths

Career Paths in Environmental Science

California State University Long Beach Environmental Science & Policy students and alumni have obtained internships or employment with the following corporations, government agencies, and non-profit organizations:

AEI Consultants – environmental & civil engineering
Algalita Marine Research Foundation (AMRF)
American Lung Association
Andersen Environmental
Aquarium of the Pacific
Boeing
ATC Associates – environmental consulting
C2 REM – environmental management & development
Cabrillo Marine Aquarium
California Coastal Commission
California Department of Toxic Substances Control (DTSC)
California Environmental Protection Agency, LA Regional Water Quality
City of Long Beach Sustainability Office
Control Board

California State Parks
CH2M Hill – Air Quality Unit
Company Confidential – environmental consulting
Converse Consultants
CSU Long Beach, Associated Students Inc. (ASI) Conservation Commission
CSU Long Beach, research assistant
Earth Tech
Environmental Attorney
Impact Sciences
KEEN Campus Ambassador – STAND Sustainability Campaign
Kootenai County Building & Planning Department, Idaho
Leymaster Environmental Consulting (LEC)
Los Cerritos Wetlands Stewards, Inc.
Metropolitan Water District of Southern California (MWD)
NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, CA Institute of Technology – Protected Area Archive
National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Cancer Institute
Natures Image – habitat restoration
Oceanographic Research Vessel (Algalita Marine Research Foundation)
Orange County Department of Education (OCDE), Inside the Outdoors Science Study Programs
Orange County Water District (OCWD)
Patriot Environmental Laboratory Services
Philip Services Corporation (PSC)
PSI Consulting
Self-employment – environmentally-friendly promotional items & clothing
Southern California Coastal Water Research Project (SCCWRP) – Storm Water Monitoring
Southern California Marine Institute (SCMI)
The Planning Center (TPC)
Torrance Fire Department – NPDES Inspector
Ultrasystems Environmental Inc.
Whitman County Health Department, Washington State

Bold = More than one student

Registered Environmental Health Specialist (REHS)

ES&P students who enroll in microbiology as one of their elective courses fulfill pattern II of the requirements (see first PDF file below), and once they have completed one year of experience and 450 hours of training, are elegible to take the examination to become registered with the State of California. Public Health departments will hire graduates and set them up to receive the experience and training.

REHS Requirements (PDF)
REHS Frequently Asked Questions (PDF)

More information: Enter State of California Website

Career Paths

The Directors, together with the Faculty, are responsible for advising majors in the Environmental Science and Policy degree program. Majors are assigned to appropriate advisors during their first semester in the program and are encouraged to consult with their advisor every semester. Students will be advised to select elective courses to develop areas of interest and to further their career objectives.

BS Degree

We advise majors to jointly major or minor in anthropology, biology, microbiology, chemistry, geology, economics, or geography. The BS degree requires an advanced level of understanding of earth systems, living systems, and the role and effect of chemicals in natural systems. Graduates are trained for entry positions in industry and government that require a high degree of specialization in technical analyses in natural sciences, or quantitative and computer methods in social sciences. Graduates with the BS Degree with a track in natural sciences will be qualified for graduate programs (MS and PhD) in biological sciences, geology or chemistry, at most universities in the country. Graduates with the BS Degree with a social science track are qualified to apply for the MS program in Environmental Health Sciences at UCLA, and subsequently the interdepartmental doctoral program in Environmental Science and Engineering degree at UCLA; the Ph.D. program in Economics and Environmental Science at UC Santa Barbara; the Ph.D. program in Social Ecology at UC Irvine; and the MA and Ph.D. program in Energy and Resources at UC Berkeley.

BA Degree

We advise majors to jointly major or minor in either anthropology, economics or geography, pursue the minor in journalism or the option in public relations in journalism, the political science major or minor, the minor in public administration in political science, or the major or minor in international studies, depending on the student’s career goals and interests. Graduates are especially well prepared for positions in state and local government, private consulting firms, energy companies, news organizations, environmental advocacy groups, consulting firms, and public relations firms. Graduates are prepared to directly enter Ph.D. programs in economics and geography, as well as MBA programs in environmental science and management, MA programs in economics or geography, and law school.