CAREERS AND GEV ALUMNI
Why Study Geography and the Environment?
The Department of Geography and the Environment prepares students to understand and solve complex challenges at the intersection of people, places, and the environment. Through field and laboratory experiences, geospatial technologies, independent research, internships, and close faculty mentoring, students develop the scientific knowledge, technical expertise, critical thinking, and communication skills needed for successful careers in environmental science, geography, sustainability, planning, business, government, and many other professions.
Career Preparation
Career preparation begins on a student's first day in GEV. Through faculty mentoring, peer mentoring, professional development courses, independent research, internships, alumni engagement, and experiential learning, students develop the technical expertise, professional skills, and practical experience needed to succeed in today's rapidly evolving workforce.
Every student's interests are different. One-on-one faculty advising, GEV’s professional development program, and the GEV curriculum help students tailor their coursework and experiential learning toward specific career goals while maintaining the flexibility to explore new interests. GEV students connect their courses, research opportunities, and experiential learning with potential career outcomes in areas such as climate change, conservation, geospatial technologies, environmental policy, sustainability, planning, water resources, environmental justice, and more. The Career Pathways documents linked below are designed to help you connect your interests with coursework, internships, research experiences, and potential career opportunities. Explore the pathways below to learn about possible career outcomes, recommended courses, and examples of alumni working in each field:
Earth & Environmental Systems
- Climate Change Science & Solutions
- Water Resources & Watershed Science
- Coastal & Marine Science
- Environmental Geoscience
Business & Technology
- Corporate Sustainability
- Environmental Geospatial Analysis
- Geospatial Technologies & Location Analytics
Environmental Policy, Planning, & Society
- Environmental & Urban Planning
- Environmental Justice & Community Resilience
- Environmental Policy & Law
Conservation & Resource Management
Professional development is integrated throughout the undergraduate experience. Students complete a dedicated Professional Development course while also benefiting from faculty advising, peer mentoring, alumni networking, professional development lunches, career panels, guest speakers, and the annual Alumni Career Mixer. These experiences help students develop résumés, interviewing skills, professional networks, and career plans while exploring graduate school and internship opportunities.
One of the defining characteristics of GEV is the close relationship students develop with faculty. Faculty mentors advise students academically, supervise research, help identify internships and graduate programs, and remain professional mentors long after graduation. These relationships are a hallmark of the GEV experience and play an important role in our graduates' success. GEV faculty conduct research spanning environmental science, geography, and the geospatial sciences, and students are encouraged to work alongside faculty mentors in the laboratory, the field, and through computational and spatial analysis projects. These experiences provide invaluable hands-on training while helping students develop the confidence and expertise to pursue careers and graduate study.
Careers and Graduate School
GEV graduates pursue careers across the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. While environmental consulting remains one of the most common destinations, our alumni also work in geospatial technologies, planning, sustainability, environmental policy, government, research, renewable energy, education, business, finance, environmental health, nonprofit organizations, and many other professions. View our Career Pathways to review the various career pathways, including examples of alumni career outcomes. Representative career outcomes for GEV graduates include:
Career Area |
Representative Employers |
Example Position |
Environmental Consulting |
ERM |
Partner – Global Climate and Risk Resiliency Lead |
| WSP | Environmental Scientist/Hydrogeologist |
|
| Engineering & Infrastructure | Arcadis | Staff Scientist |
| GIS & Geospatial Technologies | Esri | Environment & Geodesign Consulting |
| GIS & Spatial Analytics | Michael Baker International | GIS Solutions Engineer |
| Federal Government | U.S. Environmental Protection Agency | Assistant Regional Counsel |
| NOAA | North Atlantic Right Whale Coordinator | |
| State Government | Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection | Air Quality Specialist |
| Urban Planning & Resilience | City of San Diego | Chief Resilience Officer |
| Sustainability | Regional Environment, Health & Safety Manager |
|
| Amazon | Global Sustainability Governance Lead | |
| PepsiCo | Senior Sustainability Analyst | |
| Renewable Energy | BayWa r.e. Americas | Permitting Manager |
| Climate & Risk | Deloitte | Manager, Sustainability, Climate & Equity |
| Finance & ESG | PwC | Climate Risk Modeling Associate |
| Technology | Microsoft | Program Manager |
| Amazon Web Services | Regional Environmental Engineer | |
| Environmental Health | GSK | Supply Chain Project Manager |
| Conservation | The Nature Conservancy | Stewardship Assistant |
| Nonprofit | Climate and Land Use Alliance | Program Manager, Climate & Nature Finance |
| Higher Education | University of Pennsylvania | Sustainability Manager |
| Law | Blank Rome LLP | Associate Attorney |
| Latham & Watkins | Associate Attorney | |
| Business | Salesforce | Senior Manager, Corporate Strategy |
| Transportation | Jacobs | Transportation Planner |
Approximately hafl of our graduates continue their education through master's, doctoral, or professional degree programs. Others gain professional experience before pursuing graduate study. GEV alumni have gone on to graduate programs in environmental science, geography, planning, pblic policy, law, public health, engineering, business, or related disciplines at outstanding universities throughout the United States. Our graduates pursue master's doctoral, law, medical, business, and other professional degrees at outstanding institutions across the United States and around the world, including:
- Columbia University
- Duke University (Nicholas School of the Environment)
- Yale School of the Environment
- University of Pennsylvania
- University of Michigan
- Georgetown University
- Johns Hopkins University
- Harvard Business School
- Carnegie Mellon University
- University of California, Santa Barbara
- Arizona State University
- University of Florida
- University of Geogia
- University of Texas at Austin
- University of Copenhagen (Denmark)
- Georgetown University Law Center
- Vermont Law and Graduate School
- University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design
Welcome from GEV Alumni
Graduates from the Department of Geography and the Environment have been successful in a wide variety of careers and graduate programs. Please view welcome messages from several of our alums.
Department of Geography and the Environment
Suite G61, Mendel Science Center
Villanova University
Chair:
Dr. Nathaniel B. Weston
Undergraduate Program Directors:
Dr. Peleg Kremer (Environmental Studies)
Dr. Kabindra Shakya (Environmental Science)
Dr. Keith Henderson (Geography)
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