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Where do Environmental Science Graduates Find Work?Our graduates are finding work in a variety of environmental areas in which they are able to apply the skills gained from their degree.A Hazardous Substances Advisor with the Environmental Risk Management Authority in Wellington, Victoria works under new legislation which is due to came into force in 2001. Her role involves transferring toxic substance notifications so they are valid under the new legislation. She also undertakes risk assessment of applications for new hazardous substances.
Mark says that being able to complete his Diploma part-time has allowed him to integrate the theoretical and practical aspects of the course, giving him a broader perspective on environmental issues. Being able to choose papers from a wide range of disciplines and having the benefit of the contacts within the university system are the strong points of the course for Mark.
A part-time Administration Officer, Sarah works for the Pollution Control Section of a regional council. She has been involved in pollution incidents and the council's control of them. Her assignments for the Environmental Research Section of the council have also included field work such as investigating fish barriers in streams and monitoring stream water quality and industrial drive-bys. She has also worked with GIS to determine which dairy farms comply with the council's new dairy plan.
Scott, who recently graduated with a PGDipSci in Environmental Science, is working for Environmental Science and Research (ESR) in the Forensic Toxicology Department in Wellington. He works as a toxicology technician and his main function is to test for drugs and poisons in cases of accidents, suspicious deaths and other criminal investigations. Most of the work is done for the police and pathologists. Scott says that the PGDipSci was very useful in developing many skills, particularly in research and writing. The course also helped broaden his perspective by allowing him to take papers from outside his major subject. He adds that many of the skills he developed during the year at Otago can be adapted to his current job.
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Victoria says that the PGDipSci in Environmental Science she completed
has assisted her in considering the environment in a broader perspective
than that she gained from her Masters degree in Chemistry. In her
work, she uses a mix of chemistry and environmental science skills.
In particular, the workplacement paper helped her apply the academic
side of the course to the workplace, and assisted her in making
personal contacts with people working in environmental science.
A Resource Officer for a region of Fish
and Game New Zealand, Mark
looks after resource consents and other planning matters which involves
writing and presenting submissions. He is also involved in other
issues such as negotiating access to waterways, advising the Commissioner
of Crown Lands on the tenure review process from the perspective
of
hunting and fishing, and occasional field work. 
A Compliance Monitoring Officer with a regional
council , Andrew
checks the conditions of resource consents and makes sure that they
are being
abided by. He is mainly involved in water consents, checking the
use of groundwater and surface water for irrigation and assessing
the
flows in rivers. Andrew is also involved in any pollution events
that occur in the council's area. 
According to Sarah, the main reasons she secured the council job
were because she was studying environmental science and has taken
papers
in freshwater ecology. She adds that the knowledge gained from Environmental
Statistics, one of the course's recommended papers, has been invaluable
in helping her analyse data and critique sampling design. 
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