Description

Environmental justice and advocacy as a career field combine environmental, political, social, and historical knowledge with critical thinking, problem-solving, and communication skills. Students following this path of courses and future careers are mixing an environmental passion through a socially equitable lens. The EPA defines environmental justice as “the fair treatment and meaningful involvement of all people regardless of race, color, or national origin concerning the development, implementation, and enforcement of environmental laws, regulations, and policies.” The environmental justice movement has significantly progressed since it first began in the 1980s, and students interested in this field of work will go on to do great things. Hopefully, our career guide can help you navigate your interests more quickly. Environmental justice allows for various potential job options based on your skills and interests. Below contains several areas of information ranging from resources during your time at the university to after you graduate. Best of luck!

University of Iowa Acknowledgment of Land and Sovereignty

“The University of Iowa is located on the homelands of the Ojibwe/Anishinaabe (Chippewa),Báxoǰe (Iowa), Kiikaapoi (Kickapoo), Omāēqnomenēwak (Menominee), Myaamiaki (Miami),Nutachi (Missouri), Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha), Wahzhazhe (Osage), Jiwere (Otoe), Odawaa (Ottawa),Póⁿka (Ponca), Bodéwadmi/Neshnabé (Potawatomi), Meskwaki/Nemahahaki/Sakiwaki (Sac and Fox), Dakota/Lakota/Nakoda (Sioux), Sahnish/Nuxbaaga/Nuweta (Three Affiliated Tribes) andHo-Chunk (Winnebago) Nations. The following tribal nations, Umoⁿhoⁿ (Omaha Tribe ofNebraska and Iowa), Póⁿka (Ponca Tribe of Nebraska), Meskwaki (Sac and Fox of the Mississippi in Iowa), and Ho-Chunk (Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska) Nations continue to thrive in the State of Iowa, and we continue to acknowledge them. As an academic institution, it is our responsibility to acknowledge the sovereignty and the traditional territories of these tribal nations, the treaties that were used to remove these tribal nations, and the histories of dispossession that have allowed for the growth of this institution since 1847. Consistent with the University's commitment to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, understanding the historical and current experiences of Native peoples will help inform the work we do; collectively as a university to engage in building relationships through academic scholarship, collaborative partnerships, community service, enrollment and retention efforts acknowledging our past, our present and future Native Nations.”

Collection

The University of Iowa is committed to expanding the concept of Environmental Justice, made possible by funding from the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences for the Advancing Environmental Justice Strategic Initiative:

“The Advancing Environmental Justice (AEJ) project is a CLAS-funded Strategic Initiative to advance instruction and research in the broad area of Environmental Justice at the University of Iowa... The AEJ project will actively engage with environmental injustices and interrogate their root causes as they play out across human and natural landscapes at local,regional, and international scales. The objective is to transform UI CLAS into a national leader in Environmental Justice.”

Environmental Justice requires one to understand concepts beyond environmental. Suppose you want to immerse yourself and gain knowledge to become competitive in this field. In that case,there are various programs to boost your understanding of social, political, historical, and environmental studies, which are principles within Environmental Justice knowledge!

Various Environmental Justice Programs Offered

These are just a few programs and the vast opportunities offered at the University of Iowa that build the skills and knowledge necessary to attain a career in Environmental Justice!

Management, B.B.A.

Students can choose from one of three tracks offered in the Management, B.B.A. program.
Here are the required courses for students on the Entrepreneurial Management Track:

  • MGMT:3050–Professional Preparation for Management or ENTR:3050–Professional Preparation for Enterprise Leadership and Entrepreneurship
  • MGMT:3250–Leading Innovation
  • MGMT:3800–Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy or ENTR:420–Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting
  • MGMT:4100–Dynamics of Negotiations
  • ENTR:3100–Entrepreneurial Finance
  • ENTR:3350–Entrepreneurial Strategy
  • ENTR:4400–Managing the Growth Business

Students must earn three semester hours from one of the following courses offered:

  • MGMT:3850–Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy II
  • ENTR:3000–Practicum in Entrepreneurship
  • ENTR:4100–International Entrepreneurship, Culture, and Social Impact
  • ENTR:4300–Entrepreneurship: Advanced Business Planning
  • ENTR:4900–Academic Internship

Here are the required courses for students on the Human Resource Management Track:

  • MGMT:3050–Professional Preparation for Management
  • MGMT:3200–Individuals, Teams, and Organizations
  • MGMT:3300–Strategic Human Resource Management
  • MGMT:3400–Employment Law
  • MGMT:4100–Dynamics of Negotiations
  • MGMT:4200–Staffing and Talent Management
  • MGMT:4350–Performance Management and Strategic Rewards

Students must earn three semester hours from one of the following courses offered:

  • MGMT:3450–International Business Environment
  • MGMT:3500–Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness I
  • MGMT:3600–Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness II
  • MGMT:3800–Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy I
  • MGMT:3999–CIMBA Italy Experiential Leadership or MGMT:4300–Leadership and Personal Development
  • MGMT:4325–Team and Project Management
  • MGMT:4500–Strategy, Innovation, and Global Competition
  • ENTR:4200–Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting
  • ENTR:4400–Managing the Growth Business

Here are the required courses for students on the Leadership and Management Track:

  • MGMT:3050–Professional Preparation for Management
  • MGMT:3200–Individuals, Teams, andOrganizations
  • MGMT:3300–Strategic Human Resource Management
  • MGMT:3800–Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy I or MGMT:4325–Team and Project Management
  • MGMT:3999–CIMBA Italy Experiential Leadership or MGMT:4300–Leadership and Personal Development
  • MGMT:4100–Dynamics of Negotiations
  • MGMT:4500–Strategy, Innovation, and Global Competition

Students must earn three semester hours from one of the following courses offered:

  • MGMT:3400–Employment Law
  • MGMT:3450–International Business Environment
  • MGMT:3500–Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness I
  • MGMT:3600–Nonprofit Organizational Effectiveness II
  • MGMT:3850–Entrepreneurial Leadership Academy II
  • MGMT:4200–Staffing and Talent Management
  • MGMT:4350–Performance Management and Strategic Rewards
  • ENTR:3350–Entrepreneurial Strategy
  • ENTR:4200–Entrepreneurship: Business Consulting
  • ENTR:4400–Managing the Growth Business

Potential Career Fields

Those seeking a career in Environmental Justice should also consider seeking an environmental justice-related minor or certificate to become competitive in searching for desired job opportunities.

Here is a glimpse of fields that can incorporate environmental justice for those with a Bachelor of Business Administration.

  • Environmental Justice Non-Profit Management/ Employment
  • Environmental Entrepreneurship

Public Health

Here are the required Public Health core courses.

  • CPH:1050 – College of Public Health Direct Admit Seminar
  • CPH:1400 – Fundamentals of Public Health
  • CPH:1600 – Public Health Science: Inquiry and Investigation in Public Health
  • CPH:1800 – Social and Psychological Determinants of Health: Changing Behavior, Improving Health
  • CPH:2050 – Second-Year Undergraduate Public Health Seminar
  • CPH:2400 – The U.S. Health System in a Global Context
  • CPH:2600 – Introduction to Public Health Methods
  • CPH:3050 – Third-Year Undergraduate Public Health Seminar
  • CPH:3400 – Health, Work, and the Environment
  • CPH:3500 – Global Public Health
  • CPH:3700 – Methods for Program Implementation and Evaluation
  • CPH:4999 – Public Health Capstone: Practice of Evidence-Based Public Health

Students must complete all of the following courses.

  • BIOL:1411 – Foundations of Biology
  • BIOL:1412 – Diversity of Form and Function
  • CHEM:1110 – Principles of Chemistry I
  • CPH:3600 – Applied Public Health Methods

Students must complete one of the following courses

  • MATH:1460 – Calculus for the Biological Sciences
  • MATH:1850 – Calculus I

Students must complete one of the following courses.

  • CS:1110 – Introduction to Computer Science
  • CS:1210 – Computer Science I: Fundamentals

Students can choose a minimum of four electives out of the following courses.

  • CPH:2200 – Climageddon: Understanding Climate Change and Associated Impacts on Health
  • CPH:2220 – Building a Healthier Tomorrow: Public Health Methods to Minimize Disease and Pollutant Exposures
  • CPH:2230 – Finding Patient Zero: The Exploration of Infectious Disease Transmission and Pandemic Threats   
  • CPH:3200 – Death at Work: Case Studies of Workplace Safety and Health
  • CPH:3210 – Nutrition in Public Health
  • CPH:3220 – Public Health as a Public Good: Economics and Decision Making in Public Health Systems
  • CPH:3230 – Human Genetics and Public Health
  • CPH:3240 – Global Health Today
  • CPH:4200 – Agriculture, Food Systems, and Sustainability
  • CPH:4210 – Making a Difference: Public Health Policy and Advocacy
  • CPH:4220 – Global Road Safety
  • CPH:4230 – Injury and Violence Prevention
  • CPH:4250 – Field Experiences in Public Health

Students must complete an experiential learning requirement from one of the following categories.

  • Research
  • Internship
  • Global Learning
  • Service Learning

Potential Career Options:

  • Public Health Researcher
  • Healthcare Administrator
  • Environmental Inspector
  • Epidemiologist
  • Environmental Health Professional

Environmental Science

The following are required science and mathematics foundation courses.

  • BIOL:1411 – Foundations of Biology
  • BIOL:1412 – Diversity of Form and Function
  • CHEM:1110 – Principles of Chemistry I
  • CHEM:1120 – Principles of Chemistry II
  • EES:1050 – Introduction to Geology
  • MATH:1850 – Calculus I

Students must complete one of the following courses.

  • CHEM:2021 – Fundamentals of Chemical Measurements
  • STAT:3510/IGPI:3510 – Biostatistics          
  • STAT:4200/IGPI:4200 – Statistical Methods and Computing

The following are required environmental sciences foundation courses.

  • ENVS:1085/EES:1085 – Fundamentals of Environmental Science 
  • ENVS:2010/EES:2010/GEOG:2010 – Interdisciplinary Environmental Seminar   
  • ENVS:2673/BIOL:2673 – Ecology   
  • ENVS:3010/EES:3010/GEOG:3003 – Interdisciplinary Environmental Seminar
  • ENVS:3020/EES:3020/GEOG:3020 – Earth Surface Processes
  • GEOG:1050 – Foundations of GIS

Students within the environmental sciences program must choose from one of the following tracks.

  • Biosciences Track
  • Chemical Sciences Track
  • Geosciences Track
  • Hydrosciences Track

Potential Career Options

  • Environmental Manager
  • Environmental Lawyer
  • Environmental Policy Advisor
  • Conservation Scientist
  • Soil and Plant Scientist

Civil and Environmental Engineering

The following courses are required for the Civil and Environmental Engineering major.

  • CEE:1030 – Introduction to Earth Science
  • CEE:3155 – Principles of Environmental Engineering (with lab)    
  • CEE:3371 – Principles of Hydraulics and Hydrology
  • CEE:3430 – Water Treatment (with lab)
  • CEE:4102 – Groundwater
  • CEE:4150 – Environmental Chemistry
  • CEE:4157 – Environmental Engineering Design
  • CEE:4158 – Solid and Hazardous Wastes
  • CEE:4159 – Air Pollution Control Technology
  • CEE:4374 – Water Resource Design
  • BIOL:1411 – Foundations of Biology
  • CHEM:1120 – Principles of Chemistry II
  • CHEM:2210 – Organic Chemistry I (no lab required)
  • ENGR:2110 – Statics
  • ENGR:2130 – Thermodynamics
  • ENGR:2510 – Fluid Mechanics
  • ENGR:2710 – Dynamics
  • ENGR:2720 – Materials Science

The following courses focused on professional skills are required for students within this program.

  • CEE:1010 – Introduction to Careers in Environmental Engineering
  • CEE:2010 – Civil and Environmental Engineering Professional Practice and Ethics
  • CEE:3001 – Leadership Skills for Engineers
  • CEE:3002 – Technical Communication in Civil and Environmental Engineering
  • CEE:3003 – Project Management Skills

Students must complete the Capstone Design course

  • CEE:4850 – Project Design and Management in Civil Engineering

Students must declare one of the following focus areas of study.

Environmental

Students must enroll in at least two of the following environmental electives.

  • CEE:4107/CBE:4410 – Sustainable Systems
  • CEE:4119 – Hydrology
  • CEE:4371 – Water Resources Engineering  

The following suggested electives must complete a minimum of nine semester hours.

  • CPH:3500/GHS:3500 – Global Public Health
  • ECON:3625/URP:3135 – Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
  • ENGR:2120 – Electrical Circuits
  • ENGR:2730 – Computers in Engineering
  • ENGR:2995 – Introduction to Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in Engineering
  • GEOG:1050 – Foundations of GIS
  • GEOG:3210/CPH:3400 – Health, Work, and the Environment
  • LAW:8992 – Water Law
  • OEH:4240 – Global Environmental Health           

Public Health

Students focusing on Public Health are required to enroll in the following course.

  • CPH:1600 – Public Health Science: Inquiry and Investigation in Public Health

Those with a Public Health focus must take three of the following course. 

  • CPH:1800 – Social and Psychological Determinants of Health: Changing Behavior, Improving Health
  • CPH:2400 – The U.S. Health System in a Global Context
  • CPH:3400/GEOG:3210 – Health, Work, and the Environment
  • CPH:3500/GHS:3500 – Global Public Health

An additional three semester hours must be taken from one of the following courses.

  • PH:2200 – Climageddon: Understanding Climate Change and Associated Impacts on Health
  • CPH:2220 – Building a Healthier Tomorrow: Public Health Methods to Minimize Disease and Pollutant Exposures
  • CPH:4200 – Agriculture, Food Systems, and Sustainability
  • CPH:4220/GHS:4530/OEH:4530 – Global Road Safety

Potential Career Options

  • Environmental Manager
  • Environmental Engineer
  • Environmental Compliance Specialist
  • Water Safety Project Manager

As previously mentioned, those aspiring to a career in environmental justice should seek a related minor or certificate to ensure adequate qualification in this wide-ranging field.

Related Minors

Related Undergraduate Certificates

Advancing in positions within environmental justice often requires one to pursue advanced education to obtain the necessary qualifications.

Related Graduate Certificates

Masters Programs

There are various organizations nationwide and locally that do their part in taking care of our environment, such as the following:

National Organizations

  • National Wildlife Federation - This is the largest private non-profit conservation education and advocacy organization with over 6 million members and supporters combined.
    • Mission Statement: “Our strategic plan sets in motion a Common Agenda for Wildlife to increase America’s fish and wildlife populations and enhance their capability to thrive in a rapidly changing world.”
  • National Audubon Society - “An American non-profit environmental organization dedicated to conservation of birds and their habitats.”
    • Mission Statement: “ The National Audubon Society protects birds and the places they need…”
  • Clean Water Network - Identifies as “an American coalition” with 1,200+ local, state, and nationwide non-profit interest groups. Their collective goal is the promotion of water health. By water health, this organization refers to natural waterways such as rivers, lakes, and stream-like bodies of water.
  • Rainforest Action Network - An environment organization that operates from San Francisco, California
    • Mission Statement: “Rainforest Action Network preserves forests, protects the climate, and upholds human rights by challenging corporate power and systemic injustice through frontline partnerships and strategic campaigns.”
  • The Climate Reality Project - Our mission is to catalyze a global solution to the climate crisis by making urgent action a necessity across every sector of society.

Local Organizations

  • Bur Oak Land Trust:
    • Mission Statement: “Advancing biodiversity in Eastern Iowa by protecting resilient landscapes and connecting people to nature.”
  • Iowa Environmental Council:
    • Mission Statement: “We envision a state that is a leader in addressing climate change and environmental justice and in creating resilient communities that embody Iowans' shared values of respect for all people and the environment.”

Environmental Internships

Pomerantz Career Center

Looking for internships and future careers can be intimidating, but luckily the university offers career counselors to help you figure out your pathways. In addition, you can meet with one of the many counselors to discuss future goals and aspirations and get assistance with brainstorming future plans.

Informational Interviews/Position Interviews

  • Interviewing tips
  • Reminder: Sometimes, an interview can start the second you walk into the building!
    • Practice staying calm, mainly before and during your interview.
      • Practice taking deep breaths to make it easier to stay calm
    • A professional and straight posture can convey confidence and a desire put in the effort during the interview
    • Eye contact can also be essential to communicate a confident and even kind personality.
    • When given a question, a fast response isn’t always the best. So if you take a little bit to think about the answer, you might provide a better solution than the faster one.
    • Steer clear from mentioning negative experiences with past workplaces.
    • End the interview with questions for the person interviewing you. It always looks good if you come prepared with questions, too.
    • Follow up with an email after the interview thanking them for their time and expressing your interest in the position.

Environmental/Social Justice Job Search Engines

  • ClimateBase- “At Climatebase, we're mobilizing talent to accelerate climate solutions. We’re focused on solving one of the biggest challenges faced by organizations working on climate: Hiring. Our platform helps people discover climate jobs and transition into the space — and in doing so, we help climate-focused organizations hire the mission-driven talent they need to succeed.”
  • GreenJobs- Greenjobs is a job search engine that is tailored to careers within the environment. Users can search through national job postings by environmental category. Various categories, such as climate change, conservation, sustainability, and environmental positions, are offered.
  • Idealist- “Connected more than 130,000 organizations with tens of millions of people… Posted over one million social-impact jobs and hundreds of thousands of internships and volunteer opportunities.”
  • Environmental Jobs- “Saving the Planet One Job at a Time”
  • Conservation Job Board- “The world’s largest and most-visited career website in conservation, ecology, forestry, wildlife, and fisheries.”

Environmental Justice Scholars at Iowa

https://sustainability.uiowa.edu/about-us/our-staff  University of Iowa Office of Sustainability staff has a lot of experience working in this field. They are great resources for informational interviews, learning more about internships, and learning about career paths.

Grants/ Scholarships for Environmental Science Majors