The environment provides many exciting, interesting and satisfying career choices stretching across a tremendous range of fields and disciplines. Working in the environmental field is rewarding because you can contribute to the maintenance and conservation of essential life systems necessary for our human survival. There are two main routes which you can take:

• A social-environmental perspective
• An environmental science perspective

It is important to note that these two complement one another and effective environmental management combines both these perspectives.

• Social-environmental careers

  Normally one progresses into the social-environmental perspective through a Social Science or Arts degree presented at a university. Subjects may include Anthropology, Archaeology, Development Studies, Geography and Environmental Studies, Law (Environmental Law), Journalism (Environmental Journalism) and Education (Environmental Education). Careers in this field are centred around humans and their relations with the environment, and ways of making these relations beneficial to both people and the environment.

  Career path qualification:

  • Community conservation and rural development
    BA degree with subjects such as Anthropology, Development Studies, Geography and Environmental Studies
  • Environmental educators
    HdipEd with subjects such as Geography or Biology
    Formal Environmental Education courses pursued at postgraduate level
  • Environmental lawyers
    BA LLB degree with Environmental Law as a subject
  • Environmental journalists
    No formal qualification other than journalism (degree or diploma)
  • Cultural resource specialists
    BA degree with subjects such as Archaeology, Anthropology, Political and Social Studies or Social History
  • Eco-tourism specialists
    Tourism degree or diploma with environmental interest
  
  

   

• Environmental science careers

  Environmental science careers start by completing a science degree at university or a relevant diploma course at technikon. Subjects in the natural sciences such as Zoology, Botany and Ecology generally lead to a career path in biodiversity conservation, but may also lead to a career in environmental management. Subjects in the physical sciences such as Mathematics, Physics and Chemistry might lead to a career path in environmental management aspects such as pollution control or waste management. Landscape architects and civil engineers pursue environmental management through ensuring that environmental concerns are brought to bear on infrastructural development.

  Career path qualification

  • Environmental impact assessment and environmental management
    BSc degree in natural sciences with postgraduate courses in environmental management
  • Landscape architect
    Landscape architect degree at the Universty of Pretoria or the University of Cape Town
  • Nature conservation
    Technikon diploma in Nature Conservation or BSc degree with subjects such as Zoology, Botany, Ecology.
  • Specialist scientists in biodiversity e.g. marine biologist, zoologist, ecologist
  • Postgraduate degrees in Zoology, Botany and Ecology, specialising in particular fields of interest
  • Waste managers and pollution controllers
    BSc degree with subjects such as Mathematics, Physics, Chemistry, Climatology
    Technikon diploma or degree in Environmental Science or Engineering
  • Environmental engineers
    Civil Engineering degree or B Tech degree in Civil Engineering

Universities and Technikons will have more information on courses and degrees.

WHERE TO GET MORE INFORMATION:
The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism
Private Bag X447
PRETORIA
0001

Ms Maria Moate (012) 310 3628