The Environmental Policy and Decision Making (EPDM) major exposes students to both natural and human systems in the environment to address the complexity of topics like climate change, environmental justice, and resource stewardship. EPDM students can take a policy-focused approach to tackling these issues or learn methods for understanding and working with people to communicate environmental risk and encourage the public to engage in sustainable behaviors.
EPDM students study the economic and social forces that impact decision making across society. This major considers how policies are formulated and implemented and what impact they will have on society, as well as how to best engage individuals and communities to respond to environmental challenges.
Specializations
All EPDM students take a core set of courses that build a foundation in natural resources economics and law, environmental communication, and public policy. Students expand upon this foundation by specializing in one of three areas:
Communication and Behavior Change: This specialization focuses on how to best communicate environmental, scientific, and risk information to public audiences. Coursework teaches students what motivates people to protect the environment and how to utilize this information to encourage the public to engage in pro-environmental behavior.
Environmental and Social Justice: Students in this specialization take courses that examine the local and global inequities in access to and control over resources, the impact this has on livelihoods, and how corporations and policies can contribute to problems faced by disadvantaged populations and be a part of solutions. This specialization explores intersections between the environment, society, and community development.
Policy and Governance: Students in this specialization delve into topics of public affairs and political science to learn about the role science plays in policy formulation, governmental procedures for policy implementation, and economic tools for evaluating policies for success over time.
Career Outcomes
On average 94% of EPDM students are employed or enrolled in graduate or professional school within six months of graduation with a reported average starting salary around $45k. Typically, 20% of EPDM graduates go directly into graduate or professional school, primarily law school.
Environmental policy has implications in the public, private, and nonprofit sectors. Specifically, government agencies are charged with complying with, setting standards for, and implementing environmental policies. Private companies are oftentimes contracted by public agencies to assist with environmental compliance efforts related to federal and state laws. Environmental nonprofit organizations oftentimes promote natural resources protection through lobbying and public advocacy efforts.
Here are some examples of positions acquired by EPDM graduates immediately following graduation between 2018 and 2023:
Land Steward, Big Sur Land Trust, California
Natural Resources and Science Conservation Fellow, Conservation Legacy, Remote
Public Health Fellow, Greening Youth Foundation and National Park Service, D.C.
Sustainability Specialist, LyondellBasell, Texas
Air Quality Regulations Natural Resources Planner, Maryland Department of the Environment, Maryland
Legislative Aide, Ohio House of Representatives, Ohio
Environmental Specialist, Ohio Department of Development, Ohio
Environmental Policy Fellow, Ohio Environmental Council, Ohio
Science and Technical Communications Specialist, Ohio EPA, Ohio
Environmental Health Specialist, Richland Public Health, Ohio
Environmental Compliance Specialist, Speedway, Ohio
Scientific Assessment Coordinator, US EPA, Ohio
Staff Assistant, U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Natural Resources, D.C.
Public Engagement Intern, White House Council on Environmental Quality, D.C.
Environmental Coordinator, Yukon River Inter-Tribal Watershed Council, Alaska
Around half of EPDM grads continuing their education after their BS pursue a JD or law degree. Here are some of the universities graduates from 2018-2023 have attended:
Cleveland State University Vermont Law School
Lewis and Clark Law School University of Kentucky
The Ohio State University University of Southern California
Selected additional graduate programs pursued by EPDM students upon graduation between 2018-2023:
Indiana University, Public Affairs
The Ohio State University, Environment and Natural Resources
The Ohio State University, Landscape Architecture
University of Nebraska Lincoln, Entomology
University of Washington, Environmental Policy
University of Tennessee, Library and Information Sciences
University of Michigan, Urban and Regional Planning
Yale Divinity School, Religion & Ecology
