The LSU Olinde Career Center’s outcomes data for last year’s undergraduate class revealed high starting salaries and an increased positive outcome rate for coastal environmental sciences graduates.
A positive outcome means a graduate has secured an opportunity such as employment or admission to graduate school within six months of graduating.
CES graduates had a positive outcome rate of 92% and reported an average salary of almost $76,000, which is $13,000 more than the national average. Additionally, 70% of CES graduates stayed in Louisiana.
Brian Snyder, director of the undergraduate CES program, said the small size of the program contributes to its success. There are about 200 undergraduate CES students and 50 faculty.
Snyder said this 4:1 student-to-faculty ratio creates a small, close-knit college environment with the resources of a major research university.
He added that some CES faculty members are world leaders in their fields, so students get to learn from experts. The outstanding students are what contribute the most to the program’s success, though, according to Snyder.
He said LSU’s CES students are smart and hardworking but also genuinely passionate about the environment.
“Our degree program is rigorous, but students meet that challenge because they want to go into careers where they can make the world a better place,” Snyder said.
Snyder oversees advising, recruitment and retention within CES. He said he also prioritizes connecting students with research opportunities and internships.
Lilley Sartwell graduated last year with a degree in applied coastal environmental sciences. She now works as a marine fisheries biologist for the Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries.
She said she thinks the success of LSU’s CES program is tied to its uniqueness. Sartwell is from Houston, and she said universities in Texas do not offer this specific major.
While she gained diverse coastal knowledge from a broad spectrum of classes, Sartwell was still able to focus her classes toward her own interests. She said she took fish-focused classes that still fulfilled her requirements.
Sartwell emphasized the importance of coastal sciences and said it is important to spread environmental information to the public.
“Obviously coastal land loss, if you’re in Louisiana, you know about it,” Sartwell said. “And a lot of environmental stuff in general is under fire right now.”
At her current job, Sartwell is on a field team that often does research in a boat. She said LSU’s CES program prepared her for what she does now.
“I’ve wanted to do what I’m doing now since I was a kid,” Sartwell said.
Leighton Flanagan is a current applied coastal environmental sciences senior who will graduate next month. She plans to pursue graduate school and then find a job in environmental management or communication.
She said LSU’s CES program has prepared her to take the next steps.
“A lot of these classes have been eye-opening in terms of how much it’s not a black-and-white field,” Flanagan said. “When I started this degree, I was like, ‘Save the environment,’ and then you realize it’s not that easy.”
Flanagan thinks LSU’s proximity to the coast helps CES students thrive. She said the program provides students with plenty of hands-on opportunities.
She recalled going on a trip to Grand Isle and doing fieldwork for a class. Flanagan also worked in a lab at LSU that helped predict the future in terms of climate change.
Although Flanagan chose a coastal-focused major, she feels prepared to pursue jobs post-graduate school that are coastal or inland.
“I think the direct upper-level courses and lab experience have really helped shape the scientist I am and who I want to become,” Flanagan said.
Editor’s note: Brian Snyder is the parent of a Reveille staffer.
