Newswise — Florida State University junior Michael Fundora thought he wanted to study advertising until he realized his heart was really in the sciences. Now he’s working toward a bachelor’s degree in environmental science offered by Florida State’s new Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Science (EOAS).
Just a few days before Earth Day –– which marks the one-year anniversary of EOAS and its two newest bachelor’s degrees –– a B.S. in environmental science and a B.A. in environmental science and policy –– Fundora studied peat and mud samples from Tate’s Hell Swamp, a remote flatlands and swamp that stretches from the lower Apalachicola to the Ochlockonee rivers in Northwest Florida.
“With this degree, I know I’ll always be able to find a job, because there will always be environmental problems,” said Fundora, 21, who is from Miami and dreams of someday working on an ocean research vessel.
Florida State’s two new environmental science degrees have proven so popular that 70 students so far have declared the B.A. as their major and 82 students have declared the B.S. their major. That number has since doubled with a total of 310 students admitted to both programs for the 2011-2012 academic year, according to Jeff Chanton, the John W. Winchester Professor of Oceanography, who helped launch the environmental science degree programs within EOAS.
EOAS combines the former departments of meteorology, oceanography and geological sciences into one unit in the College of Arts and Sciences, and reflects a national trend toward interdisciplinary environmental science programs. It also creates job-focused degree programs for students and more opportunities for collaborative research in emerging areas.
“It’s all about jobs, jobs, jobs,” said Chanton from his small campus office, which is filled with specimens meant to intrigue visiting students, from a pyritized sand dollar to shark vertebrae from the Pleistocene era.
Chanton believes that a growing interest in environmental issues as well as the availability of jobs in the field is fueling student interest in these new environmental degree programs, which integrate a mix of physics, chemistry, biology and geology.
“They fill a unique niche,” said Lynn Dudley, professor and department chairman of EOAS. “These are physical science degrees as opposed to policy degrees and not an easy curriculum. There are some pretty significant math and science requirements, so the degrees will be marketable as students graduate.”
Dudley noted that the programs “have been a phenomenal success beyond our wildest expectations,” in part because of the publicity the department received last year after the Deepwater Horizon oil spill when FSU faculty expertise was highlighted everywhere from National Geographic magazine to the CBS Evening News.
“We don’t know exactly where our students will go, but with the many environmental issues as well as hazard mitigation, there will certainly be an opportunity for growth.”
For the “best and brightest” students, Dudley added, the degrees will offer some non-traditional paths particularly for students on a graduate-school track or those hoping to attend FSU’s esteemed environmental law program.
The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts employment of environmental scientists and specialists to increase by 28 percent between 2008 and 2018, “much faster than the average for all occupations.”
Job growth should be strongest in “private-sector consulting firms,” according to the bureau’s latest research, with employment growth spurred largely by stress placed on the environment by population growth, as well as “increasing awareness of the problems caused by environmental degradation.”
Chanton says that environmental consulting firms have already stepped into the arena as the primary employers of environmental science graduates, particularly in the aftermath of natural disasters such as the Deepwater Horizon spill.
“These firms are out there doing all kinds of things, from monitoring groundwater to monitoring from oil platforms and research vessels in the Gulf of Mexico,” he said.
Last year, a college salary report issued by PayScale Inc. showed environmental science as the 24th best-paying bachelor’s degree, with a median starting salary of $43,300 and a mid-career salary of $78,700.
Increased demand will also be driven by the need to comply with a panoply of environmental laws and regulations, particularly relating to contaminated groundwater and clean air.
As further incentive to draw even more students into FSU’s environmental science programs, Chanton is working on a soon-to-be-launched website that will highlight the spectrum of EOAS classes as well as Northwest Florida’s environmental treasures, including world-class kayaking and hiking –– big draws for students interested in environmental science.
“One thing we’re trying to do is make our environmental science programs an integral part of FSU,” Chanton said. “Tallahassee is a great place for someone who loves to be outdoors because there is so much to do.”
As for FSU junior Fundora, he liked the idea of earning a bachelor’s degree so new that faculty actually sought input from students.
“I really liked it because they listened to us about the electives that we might want –– especially those of us who want to go to grad school,” he said. Fundora plans to take organic chemistry this summer while working a summer job in the FSU Sport Clubs office.
“I already know I want to get a master’s in coastal ecology,” he said.
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