Environmental Policy in the Community
EP at Lehigh is strongly committed to community outreach and environmental advocacy. While in the program, students put what they learn in the classroom to work for local, regional, national, and international partners. In collaboration with these partners, service-learning components of classes and student research, and students’ volunteer work and community fellowship and internship experiences, enable students to tackle various environment-related problems and play a significant part in improving the lives of people living in Lehigh’s South Side neighborhood and beyond. Internship opportunities at the United Nations, available through Lehigh’s United Nation’s Partnership and which a number of EP students take advantage of, expand this reach on an international scale. Whether focused down the street or across the globe, students gain hands-on experience in creating environmental policies that orient society toward a more environmentally healthy and sustainable future.
Careers
The Environmental Policy program positions graduates well for life after Lehigh by providing students with the tools to analyze policies in unconventional ways and provide non-traditional solutions to stubborn problems. Our graduates tell us that the program’s interdisciplinary approach, and their exposure to environmental problems and solutions from several perspectives gives them a significant advantage on the job market.
Substantial Environmental Hands-on Experience
Community-based internships, independent research projects, and service learning opportunities give Environmental Policy students several ways to get hands-on experience with the issues and in the fields they plan to move into after graduation. Each year, as they run educational programming, create community gardens and parklets, manage farmers’ markets, draft policies that promote environmental sustainability, and evaluate the overall environmental quality of places throughout the Lehigh Valley, EP students are both gaining necessary skills and also directly shaping the local environment and quality of life.
Many Possible Environment Career Paths
Armed with these academic and professional skills, our graduates are well prepared for Ph.D. programs in fields such as public health, environmental studies, and international politics as well as public and private sector policy work at nonprofit organizations, government agencies, research institutes and consulting firms.
A Growing Network of Environmental Career Alumni
Collectively, our graduates are part of a growing network of individuals making a positive impact on the environment and communities around the country and the world. We connect current students to this network through informal gatherings and online exchanges. Ensuring that current students can easily tap graduates’ expertise, about the program and the job market, helps maximize their success while at Lehigh and beyond.