Major combinations for future career in sustainability?

College Majors
1

Hi guys!

I’m a soon-to-be freshman in college, and with orientation next week we’re supposed to be looking for classes and starting to get a feel for major requirements. Unfortunately, I’m pretty indecisive and need some unbiased opinions.

I want to work internationally in the field of sustainability… I know for sure I want to double major- and I want one of those majors to be in French (because I’ve taken college level classes and I’m very passionate about language learning). I would do an Arabic + French emphasis just for a bit more info.

I want my second major to be more science/research based, and this is where things get a bit more rocky. The environmental science major is unbelievably large, it needs 20 more credit hours than a normal major, and I would need to start on the requirements right away freshman year. On the other hand, the geography major needs significantly less credits, and combines geography, technology (computer science and GIS tech) and environmental courses. I was thinking about supplementing that major with a sustainability certificate, which would expand the science and climate change classes I would take.

This would give me a bit more interesting course load, and more wiggle room to explore and take diverse classes. On the other hand, many people I’ve spoken to have said geography isn’t a “respectable major”, and that I’ll regret the decision later on. They also don’t think it has enough basis in science.

To put this in context, after college I’d like to take some time away from my education and serve to directly benefit the environment ie. Peace Corps or other similar experiences. Eventually I would like to pursue further ed., as I hope to do research on the effects of modern technology and the environment.

I’m curious what you think on my two options, so any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you!

2

The Geography major sounds like a great plan to me, but one way to assess whether it has “enough” of the core environmental science stuff would be too look at grad programs, see what best encapsulates what aspect of sustainability you care about and would like to devote your career to, and then look at what undergraduate background you would actually need to get into such a program. UMich would be a good place to start, since their program is prominent in the field and offers a variety of specialties: http://seas.umich.edu/academics/ms This doesn’t mean that you absolutely must go to grad school; but it should give you a sense of whether you’re on the right trajectory.

3

The list of majors that people think aren’t “respectable” or “real” or “worth it” is ever-growing. Who are these people, anyway? Do they hire recent college graduates? Do they even know what a geography major is?

Geography is a perfectly good major, and you sound like you have a good plan - studying geography and adding in the environmental science and GIS courses as you need them. If that’s what you want to do, then go ahead and do it.

4

A degree in Geography qualifies you to be Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Is that respectable enough?