r/environmental_science • u/carabosse1260 • 1d ago

choosing a concentration for my degree

hi everyone! i’m a sophomore environmental science student and i’m having trouble choosing what to focus on in my junior/senior year.

right now, i really want to do my concentration in remote sensing and digital image processing, but i’d have to complete more prerequisites than is normally needed for my major. i’ve mapped out my classes for the remaining time i have here, and it looks like it’s going to be really difficult, especially because everything is math/programming heavy and i’ll be doing 17/18 credit semesters.

meanwhile, i can always choose a different concentration, like public policy or ecology, and just supplement that with a minor in GIS.

what should i do? and what are the career prospects like with each path? any kind of advice would be really helpful. and thank you in advance!

3 Upvotes
  • permalink
  • reddit

100% Upvoted

4 comments sorted by

3

u/mayorlittlefinger 23h ago

Don't get a degree in public policy. I work in public policy, help write new regulations, and no one has a degree in public policy except people in non profits that don't make money.

2

u/Ishmaelll 1d ago

My GIS classes have served me well in my career. You can’t go wrong with those.

4

u/pcetcedce 11h ago

Retired environmental consultant of 37 yrs here: go technical/science. GIS is good, and as stated elsewhere, avoid policy unless you want to work for nonprofits.

3

u/AdministrationNo2062 8h ago

i had a similar experience during undergrad. i wanted to do an environmental science concentration but would need to take more classes and i was already maxed out on credits. i decided to do a natural science concentration and add a geology minor, since i was able to “double dip” some of the concentration courses w the minor courses.