Be creative

Carse Wetland Natural Area
Student scouts for trail work at UVM Natural Area
Students with non profit banner
Tree and rock seen through camera lens
Students and professor identify grasses in a wetland
Student holding yellow bird
Students teaching kids
Students with test tubes of soil
Aiken Center

The University of Vermont's Environmental Program, known nationally for its interdisciplinary approach, serves a wide range of students interested in an equally wide range of environmental issues. Coursework in the Environmental Program, often carried out in far-flung corners of the world, exposes students to world-class faculty in areas ranging from environmental law and policy, climate change ecology, ecological economics, and environmental humanities.

The curriculum combines the perspectives of the natural sciences, social sciences, and humanities from local to global contexts. Working closely with the faculty, students plan an individually designed program of coursework that combines a broad, comprehensive understanding of the environment with depth in a particular area of interest.

UVM Environmental Program | 8 Semester Plan for Environmental Studies (PDF) | Learning outcomes | Minors | Accelerated Master's Program in Natural Resources | UVM-Vermont Law School 3+2 Pathway | Resources for Current Students

 

Research and Beyond the Classroom

Many students earn credits through internships or projects in the community or beyond; most spend a semester overseas; and all do a nine-credit senior capstone. Vermont's landscape, accessibility, government, and non-profit organizations give students unrivaled chances to engage in research and then develop and promote policy initiatives.

Learn more about internship, career, service-learning, research, and study abroad opportunities through the Rubenstein School Office of Experiential Learning and our in-house Career Counselor & Internship Coordinator.

Careers | Internships | Service-learning | Research | Travel courses & Study abroad | Spring Semester Abroad in Costa Rica

Experiential Learning: Hallmark of the Rubenstein School

  • 100% of students take a service-learning course.
  • 97% of faculty conduct grant-funded research with many opportunities for student involvement.
  • 70% of students participate in an internship or research.
  • 30% of students study abroad.
  • Faculty teach more than 25 service-learning courses and close to 30 field lab courses each year.

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Graduate employment rate

94%

of Rubenstein graduates are employed or continuing their education within 6 months of graduating.

Careers

  • Activists
  • Biological/Field technicians
  • College professors
  • Environmental consultants
  • Ecologists
  • Environmental analysts
  • Environmental educators
  • Environmental lawyers
  • Environmental planners
  • Farmers/Farm & Greenhouse managers
  • High/Middle School science teachers
  • Landscape architects
  • Naturalists
  • Program directors/Project managers
  • Researchers
  • State legislators
  • Therapists
  • Wilderness instructors
  • Writers
  • Many more!

Where alumni work

  • Architectural firms
  • Cities & municipalities
  • Colleges & universities
  • Energy corporations
  • Environmental nonprofits
  • Farms
  • High/Middle schools
  • Land trusts
  • Law firms
  • Media production companies
  • Natural areas
  • Outdoor education schools
  • Resorts
  • State environmental & natural resource agencies
  • Tourism companies
  • U.S. Geological Survey
  • U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • U.S. Department of Energy
  • U.S. National Park Service
  • Utilities
  • Waste management companies
  • Many other places...

Graduate Schools

  • University of Vermont Rubenstein School
  • Middlebury College
  • South Oregon University
  • SUNY Albany
  • University of Colorado
  • University of Michigan
  • Virginia Tech
  • Yale University

Related Information

Learn more about the program

Contact Environmental Program Director:

Brendan FisherAssociate Professor Brendan Fisher