Sustainability, Climate, & Global Systems
Career Community for Sustainability, Climate, & Global Systems
This community focuses on the interconnected challenges of environmental change, sustainability, and global systems. Students develop interdisciplinary skills in systems thinking, research, policy analysis, and problem solving that lead to careers in sustainability, environmental policy, climate science, conservation, and global development.
Some careers students pursue in this community include:
- Sustainability Specialist / Coordinator
- Environmental Policy Analyst
- Climate Change Analyst
- Environmental Consultant
- Conservation Scientist
- Renewable Energy Analyst
- Sustainability Manager
- Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Specialist
- Environmental Educator
- Urban & Regional Planner*
You might belong here if you….
- Care deeply about the environment and the planet’s future
- Like thinking about global challenges and interconnected systems
- Want to work on climate, sustainability, or environmental solutions
Some careers students pursue in this community are:
Technical/Data
Students interested in science, GIS, environmental monitoring, or data analysis.
Entry-Level Jobs:
- Environmental Technician
- Field Technician
- Research Assistant
- GIS Analyst (Junior)
- Environmental Data Analyst
Core Skills:
- GIS (ArcGIS Pro or QGIS)
- Spatial analysis and mapping
- Environmental data analysis
- Excel, Python, or R
- GPS and field data collection
- Remote sensing (bonus)
Typical Career Progression: Environmental Technician → GIS/Environmental Analyst → Senior Specialist → Program or Technical Lead
Policy/Research
Students interested in climate policy, government work, research, or advocacy.
Entry-Level Jobs:
- Policy Assistant
- Legislative Aide (Environment Focus)
- Environmental Analyst I
- Climate Program Coordinator
Core Skills:
- Policy analysis
- Research methods and literature review
- Policy brief and memo writing
- Legislative tracking
- Environmental law basics
- Data interpretation
Typical Career Progression: Policy Assistant → Policy Analyst → Senior Policy Analyst → Policy Director or Advisor
Program/NGO/Community
Students interested in nonprofit programs, sustainability initiatives, or community engagement.
Entry-Level Jobs:
- Program Assistant
- Program Associate
- Sustainability Coordinator
Core Skills:
- Project and program management
- Stakeholder engagement
- Grant writing and funding research
- Program evaluation and impact reporting
- Communications and outreach
- Community Outreach Associate
Typical Career Progression: Program Assistant → Program Coordinator → Program Manager → Director of Programs
Skills You’ll build in This Community
Skills Taxonomy
- GIS and basic spatial analysis
- Strong writing skills (technical or policy)
- Report Writing
- Presenting
- Translating Science for Public Audiences
- Project Management
- Organization
- Collaboration
- Data Literacy
- Data Visualizations
- Systems Thinking
- Microsoft Excel
Campus Involvement
Getting involved on campus is one of the best ways to build experience, leadership skills, and professional connections. Clark University offers 130+ student organizations across academic, professional, and leadership areas, giving students many ways to explore business-related interests.
Student Clubs
- Environmental Sustainability Coalition (ESC)
- Geography Club
- Arboretum Advocates
- Community Garden / Food Justice groups
- Amnesty International / Human Rights groups
- Outing Club
What can I do now? (Action steps by class year):
First Years: Explore & Get Involved
Join campus clubs
Attend employer panels and explore organizations of interest
Volunteer at organizations related to areas of interest
Juniors: Focus & Gain Experience
Experiential learning opportunities that include Internships
Group collaborative projects in classes
Leadership roles
Sophomores: Build Skills & Experience
Community Service
Join related professional associations as a student member
Have conversations with alumni working in areas of exploration
Job shadowing
Seniors: Launch Your Career
Engage in post graduate planning for fulltime positions or Fellowships
Grad school prep
Understand recruiting timelines
Industry Specific Career Resources:
Students exploring the Data, Analytics, & Quantitative community can use these resources to learn about industries, research career paths, build skills, and stay current on trends.
- Professional Associations
- Labor Market & Career Exploration
- Skill Building Platforms
- Internship/Job Resources
- Internship Pipelines
- Rotational Programs
- Consulting Case Competitions
- Finance Leadership Development Programs
- Startup incubators
- Common Graduate Degrees
Urban Planning & Community Development
- American Planning Association (APA)
- American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP)
- Urban Land Institute (ULI)
- Congress for the New Urbanism (CNU)
- International Society of City and Regional Planners (ISOCARP)
Sustainability & Environmental Leadership
- Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education (AASHE)
- International Society of Sustainability Professionals (ISSP)
- Global Reporting Initiative (GRI)
- World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD)
Environmental Science & Conservation
- Ecological Society of America (ESA)
- Society for Conservation Biology
- The Wildlife Society
- American Fisheries Society
Climate, Energy & Global Systems
- American Geophysical Union (AGU)
- American Meteorological Society (AMS)
- Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
- International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA)
Geography, GIS & Spatial Analysis
- American Association of Geographers (AAG)
- Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA)
- Geospatial Information and Technology Association (GITA)
Environmental Policy, Law & Economics
- Environmental Law Institute (ELI)
- Resources for the Future (RFF)
- International Society for Ecological Economics (ISEE)
Community Development & Housing
- National Community Development Association (NCDA)
- National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO)
- Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER)
Green Building & Infrastructure
- World Wide Fund for Nature (BRIDGE program)
- Environmental Defense Fund
- The Nature Conservancy
- World Resources Institute
- Federal agencies (EPA, DOE, NOAA)
- State environmental agencies (often easier to access)
- City sustainability / planning departments
- AmeriCorps (climate/environment placements)
- Climate justice fellowships
- Regional sustainability fellowship
- BNY Mellon – Rotational Development Program
- Capital One – Finance Rotation Program
- Clarios – Finance Development Rotation Program
- RBC – Leadership Development Program
- Schneider Electric – Finance / Leadership Programs
- Siemens Energy – Finance Graduate Program
- The Hartford – Financial Leadership Development Program
- Travelers – Leadership Development Program
- Watershed
- Sustainfinity
- CarbonSifr
- Redwoods.ai
- Earthena
- Quaise Energy
- Rondo Energy
- ZeroAvia
- Northvolt
- GreenT
- Ark Climate
Potential Graduate Degrees Needed & Advanced Education Pathways:
- Urban Planning/ Urban Design / Sustainable Design
- Environmental Science and Policy
- Public Policy (MPP) / Master of Public Administration (MPA)
- Geographic Information Science
Graduate programs based on career direction:
- Environmental justice / nonprofits → UEP / Environmental Policy
- Climate & sustainability roles → Sustainability / Environmental Management
- Science / conservation → Environmental Science
- Data / mapping / tech → GIS / Geospatial
- Design + environment → Landscape Architecture / Urban Design
- Community planning / local gov → Urban Planning (MUP/MURP)
