Your future
A Geography or Environmental Science degree from Sheffield opens the door to a remarkably rich and varied range of career options. In part this reflects the breadth and diversity of our degrees, as well as the unique skills-set that our graduates possess. It also reflects the research and teaching strengths of the Department and the high standing its graduates have with prospective employers. The Sheffield Geography Graduate Graduates of our single and dual honours degree programmes in Geography or Environmental Science possess strong analytical and communicative skills, as well as valuable subject-specific skills, that are greatly valued by employers. Notably, the emphasis that all courses place on independent critical investigation of diverse geographical and environmental issues enables graduates to demonstrate highly-developed research, critical thinking and project management skills that are applicable to a wide range of careers. Most of our graduates are also able to demonstrate knowledge of and practical ability in a wide range of state-of-the-art geographical and environmental research tools, including Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing and/or Modelling of environmental processes, and the analysis of Socio-Spatial data. What skills will I develop? The University Careers Services comments that many employers have a positive view of Geography and Environmental Science graduates as their skills are in demand in many roles and settings. The range of skills highlighted by the Careers Service includes: | Skill | Abilities | | Ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing | The ability to express yourself in a manner appropriate to the audience and be understood by others | | Be able to work independently | Being motivated to undertake work alone and achieve targets | | Well developed IT skills | Using a range of software packages to retrieve, store and present information | | Research and critical thinking skills | Ability to gather, organise and deploy evidence, data and information; and familiarity with appropriate means of finding, retrieving and analysing information | | Ability to analyse and process information from a range of sources | The ability to pick out the essential points from a range of sources | | Project management skills, including effective time management | The ability to plan and manage projects ensuring targets are met within an agreed time framework | | Cultural awareness | Understanding of different backgrounds, attitudes and priorities | | Ability to work constructively in a team environment | Combining with others to achieve tasks or goals | Enhancing employability The Department is committed to enhancing its student's employability. Every student, through semesterly consultation with their Personal Tutor, develops a Personal Skills Portfolio, which documents their academic progress and the skills they have acquired, and forms the basis of their Curriculum Vitae. The Department also organises a series of specialist career's workshops for final-year students. As part of our initiative, the Department has strong links with the University's Careers Service, who can provide an advisor for Geography and Environmental Science students to talk to, and who maintain a careers page for the discipline (see Further Information, below). In addition, they provide a wide range of additional services, including Career Mentoring, where informally meetings are arranged with someone working in a profession that interests you, and information and advice on placements and internships. Careers of recent graduates Recent graduates have been very successful in securing high-level employment in both the private and public sectors. With good analytical and IT skills, many enter fields such as finance, accountancy and banking, or use their specialist subject-specific skills and interests to pursue careers in environmental consultancy and policy, urban regeneration, and local economic development. Others pursue management-level public service careers in the Civil Service, health, housing, planning etc. Data from the Careers Service on the first destinations of our most recent students highlights the range of careers available to our graduates: | Financial Services Administrative Assistant | Legal Secretary | | Army Officer | Land Acquisition and Development Assistant | | Auditor | Local Council GIS Data Strategist | | Business Support Agent | Local Council Planning Technician | | Careers Co-ordinator | Market Researcher | | City Council Housing Advisor | Nature Reserve Ranger | | Chartered Accountant | Outdoor Education Instructor | | Environmental Scientist/Officer/Consultant | PR Account Manager | | Flood Management (Environment Agency) | Recruitment Consultant/Administrator | | Film Production Assistant | Software Research Analyst | | Geotechnical Engineer/Consultant | Transport Planning/Logistics Officer | | Graduate Chartered Surveyor | And many more... | Further study Many of our graduates go on to further study, academic and vocational. Teaching, both secondary and primary, continues to attract many high-calibre graduates, who undertake the one-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) at Sheffield or elsewhere. Postgraduate courses in Law, Planning and Property are also popular, as are various academic Masters Degrees, including the Department's own. Data from the Careers Service on the first destinations of our most recent students highlights just some of the further study opportunities available to our graduates: Related Courses | Other Courses | | Dip Surveying | Grad Dip Law | | MA Planning and Development | MA Commercial Property | | MA Town and Regional Planning | MA Sport and Recreation Management | | MEng Contaminant hydrogeology | MSc Land Management | | MPhil Animal and Plant Science | MSc Management | | MSc Environmental Management | MSc Property | | MSc Climate Change | MCD Civic Design | | MSc Remote sensing | NCTJ Newspaper Journalism | | PhD Geography | PGCE Secondary Education | Notable alumni The Department is proud of its many graduates (alumni) who have gone onto distinguished careers in the areas of Geography and Envrionmental Science and whose successes continue to ensure that our degrees are held in very high regard. Notable recent alumni include: - Vanessa Lawrence, CBE, Director General and Chief Executive of the Ordnance Survey
- Richard Leafe, Chief Executive of the Lake District National Park Authority
- Dr Graham Farmer, Officer-in-Charge (Somalia), United Nations Food Aid Organisation
- Chris Fawkes, Meteorologist and BBC Weather Forecaster
- Simon Roberts, Award Winning Photographer
Further information For further information relevant to Geography and Environmental Science, including advice on how to develop your skills and employability during your degree, please visit the following Careers Service webpages: Careers and work experience
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers Careers Service Geography Homepage
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/students/worktypes/geo Placement opportunities
www.sheffield.ac.uk/placements/students Career Mentoring Scheme
www.sheffield.ac.uk/careers/students/advice/mentoring.html The Sheffield Graduate
www.sheffield.ac.uk/sheffieldgraduate/ Sheffield Graduate Award
www.sheffield.ac.uk/thesheffieldgraduateaward/ Other opportunities at Sheffield
www.sheffield.ac.uk/more/
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