“This degree will open the door to a diverse range of career paths where you can make a genuinely positive difference to the world around you”.
Taking Environmental Science in Year 11 set Grace up for a career devoted to making the world a better place. The unit very much resonated with Grace and set her up to explore more. Along with having an aptitude for understanding the content, it developed her passion for environmental issues.
Grace is currently employed at Entura, which is the consulting arm of Hydro Tasmania, where she is part of the Environment and Planning team. As part of the Environment and Planning team, she contributes to environmental and social planning processes across a range of renewable energy projects.
Grace is also the current Convenor of the Tasmanian Emerging Planners, a network operated by the Planning Institute of Australia.
Grace initially thought the only road to a career centred around the environment was to study a traditional science degree. Having a look on the University of Tasmania website she discovered the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Wilderness Studies, now the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation.
This aligned perfectly with her interests from her Environmental Science class and was the perfect mix between physical environmental studies and socio-environmental justice issues.
While passionate about the environment, Grace wanted to know how she could centre her career around helping people and the planet. By the end of her three- year degree, Grace felt that she had received a well-rounded education that helped her to understand not only the natural environment, but also the ways that people influence and are influenced by their surroundings.
Choosing to study at the University of Tasmania was easy, as it seemed like a distinctly Tasmanian course. With Tasmania having a prominent history of environmentalism, and a subsequently strong community of highly skilled and knowledgeable environmental practitioners, Grace didn’t need to move anywhere to be in the best place to pursue her environmental studies. With the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area on her doorstep, she had both natural and urban environments within easy reach.
“The three years of study were ultimately transformative and helped Grace to deepen her connection to Tasmania and her community while developing a more sophisticated worldview”.
Within the degree, human geography subjects like Geographies of Economy, Politics and Culture, and Political Ecologies of Development supported her interest in sustainable development and the interrelationships between nature and society.
“Environmental Impact Assessment was also particularly influential for me as it sparked my interest in environmental planning,” she said.
This led Grace to study the Master of Planning.
In her second year of her Master of Planning, she produced a thesis titled ‘Exploring Drivers, Barriers and Enablers of School-Based Urban Greening in the Face of Climate Change’. Her thesis examined the potential of implementing urban greening in Tasmanian schools to address climate change impacts.
The learnings she took from her bachelor’s degree helped her immensely in completing her master’s’ thesis which was awarded the 2024 Tertiary Student Project Award at the Tasmanian Awards for Planning Excellence (Planning Institute of Australia).
The highlight of Grace’s time studying at the University of Tasmania was the friends she made over the three years.
“It was so amazing to be surrounded with people who shared my passion for the environment, while each having their own specific interest areas”.
It has also been great for Grace to see her cohort take up diverse roles post-graduation, including in areas of ecology, parks and reserve management, environmental policy, sustainable agriculture, green politics, and urban and regional planning.
Grace commented that if you are passionate about the environment but don’t see yourself taking a traditional Bachelor of Science pathway, the Bachelor of Natural Environments and Conservation is for you. The University is an excellent place to study environment and geography, with highly skilled and supportive staff. This is supported by the University’s’ ranking as the #1 university in climate action globally.
Find out more how you can start a career in environmental management.