Careers in Environmental Policy and Management
Graduates of our Environmental Policy and Management master’s degree program find careers with the most prestigious environmental organizations, as well as in government and the private sector.
They are on the cutting edge, designing solutions to make sustainability a reality, with an eye toward effective behavioral interventions and persuasive communication.
Alumni Career Profiles
Why the Institute: Professional experience before you graduate
My name is Melis Okter, I was an International Environmental Policy student at the Middlebury Institute. I am currently an environmental scientist and coastal planner at Dudek, in their Oakland office, and what I mainly focus on is sea level rise policy.
I was studying science-based stuff in my undergrad and I had this moment when I felt like there was a lot of science going on but there wasn’t so much of the implementation. So I took a shift from looking at science-based PhD programs to more practical masters or PhD programs and I came across the Middlebury Institute and the IEP program had a really good intersect of science and policy.
That was the best part of it because if you don’t have a lot of job experience, you can focus on what you did in your class; not what you learned, but how you implemented what you were learning. Several of our classes, we had to write vulnerability assessment, or go out and do some sort of fieldwork that we translate into a policy. And those were directly applicable tools that I was able to show people while I was applying to jobs: “Hey look, I’m on the younger end of the spectrum. I don’t have a whole lot of job experience, but this is how I know how to do a lot of this stuff.”
I don’t think there’s any contaminated sites, but I just wanted to make sure there’s someone confirming that.
The Middlebury Institute offers you a lot of flexibility to form what you’re most interested in and we have access to some great positions around Monterey. We have NOAA right by us, the Monterey Bay Aquarium, the Big Sur Land Trust and they all know our professors really well. So our professors are always looking to get their students these great positions and they get to know what you’re interested in to give you job opportunities while you’re there.
I think I valued most just how much the faculty cares about their students and really wants to see them succeed. Jason Scorse, the director of the IEP program actually sent me this job position. So I think a lot of them are really invested in their students post-graduation. In my undergrad, I went to UC San Diego, so it’s huge, and I don’t think I had a single professor that I interfaced with very often. So coming from a big school, I think the small campus in a small town with a really small program was really beneficial.
Elea Becker Lowe
Current Employment: Environmental Scientist, California Natural Resources Agency (Sacramento, California).
Institute Advantage: Professor Langholz’s Conservation Program Design and Evaluation course gave me the direct tools and experience that have been essential to my job.
Story: How I Got Hired
Matt Coomer
Current Employment: Communications and Membership Manager, Phinney Neighborhood Association (Seattle, Washington)
First Job After Graduation: Conservation Projects and Communications Coordinator, the Marine Conservation Institute (Seattle, Washington)
Internship: Center for the Blue Economy Fellow, Conservation International (Honolulu, Hawaii)
Institute Advantage: My Center for the Blue Economy Fellowship with Conservation International Hawaii showed me how a nonprofit organization works in the field, and my International Professional Service Semester with NOAA’s Marine Debris Program helped me hone valuable new skills.
Story: How I Got Hired
Nick Fisher
Current Employment: Associate Director, CCS Fundraising (San Francisco, California)
First Job After Graduation: Senior Advancement Manager, Greenbelt Alliance (San Francisco, California)
Internship: Grants Coordinator, Big Sur Land Trust (Monterey, California)
Experiential Learning: Paul D. Coverdell Fellows Program
Institute Advantage: All of the client-facing opportunities at the Institute required patience, flexibility, and professionalism beyond the deliverables for a letter grade. The Institute coursework taught me project management skills and working in a team—skills that I use in my job every day.
Cameron Steagall
Current Employment: Collaborations Manager, Business for Social Responsibility (New York City, New York)
First Job After Graduation: Business for Social Responsibility (New York City, New York)
Internship: Center for Climate and Energy Solutions and the Port of Stockton
Institute Immersive Learning: Social Impact Corps Scholar
Institute Advantage: Working on specific, tailored projects in courses was helpful in building a portfolio to share with potential employers. It was also helpful to participate in immersive learning experiences such as serving as a Social Impact Corps Scholar in Peru, and taking part in the International Professional Service Semester, through which I got my internship with the Center for Climate and Energy Solutions.
Story: How I Got Hired
Check out more profiles on our sustainability careers insights blog.
One Year After Graduation
Many of our alumni are in rewarding careers around the world; scroll down to see where they are and what they are doing within 12 months of graduation.
Mouse over charts to see details.
Location (Employed or Continuing Education)
Brazil; Canada; Kenya; South Korea; Taiwan; United States
IEP/OCRM Alumni Profiles
This video highlights a few graduates of the Environmental Policy & Management master’s program, most of whom have the Ocean and Coastal Resource Management (OCRM) specialization—a specialization that the Center for the Blue Economy helped to establish more than 10 years ago. The CBE and our generous donors continue to support OCRM students, providing funded fellowships that offer real-world experience and key connections to launch successful careers.
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Internships
Partnerships
The Middlebury Institute has partnerships with the following employers for unique internship opportunities:
Employer Testimonial
“[The student] … worked steadily and reliably and helped supply all requested tools and analyses in time … We will miss her a lot … Any institution would be lucky to have her on board.”
–International Professional Service Semester Supervisor, Conservation International
María López Godoy
Internship: Graduate Student Assistant, Monitoring and Stewardship Unity of the California Natural Resources Agency (Sacramento, California)
Institute Advantage: The MIIS network, every class project, and some career advice I received have been by far the most helpful. I was able to connect with professionals and alumni many times and discuss ideas and expectations. At the same time, I always focused class projects on real experiences that could contribute to my job search and my professional growth.
Story: How I Got Hired
Summer 2019–2021
Secured Opportunity: 96%
Locations: Bahamas, Ecuador, Germany, Honduras, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Peru, Romania, United States
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There are 80+ employers of recent interns, a few are highlighted below:
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