Most students graduating from our Masters program immediately seek employment in some aspect of the environmental field, while a smaller percentage pursue further education. Those that choose to enter the job market after graduation have had a nearly 100% rate in finding employment in the field of hydrogeology. Below you will find a list of employers who have hired our graduates. We actively remain in contact with our graduates. This allows us to keep current employment trends and to ensure that we are providing our students with the skills necessary to be successful professionals. This network of professionals with ties to our program working in the Midwest and throughout the country also provides our current students with access to job openings. Faculty in the department are contacted on a regular basis by employers with job announcements. We maintain a bulletin board of current openings sent to the department as well as ones taken from internet sources. We also invite our graduates back to speak about their research work experiences. For example, Brian Hacker (M.S. 2000, currently with Legette, Brashears & Graham, Inc.) recently gave a presentation on how to make yourself professionally valuable to an employer.
Hydrogeologists are employed in the private sector, in government, and in academia. Outlined below are some of the career paths in each of these three sectors.
Environmental consulting firms are the main employer within the private sector. Consultants are hired by other companies or government agencies to provide expertise in protecting soil and groundwater from contamination and in cleanup after it has become contaminated. Consultants often act as the liaison between a company and a regulatory agency, providing guidance to the company during the environmental regulatory process.
Hydrogeologists can also be hired as consultants for water supply projects. As a town or city grows, so does its need for water. A consultant may be asked to identify and characterize a previously undeveloped aquifer or to evaluate whether more water can be extracted from an aquifer that is already being used as a water resource. In some instances, a hydrogeologist may be asked to provide an opinion when there is a dispute between two parties over a groundwater resource.
Hydrogeologist employed by government agencies from the local to federal levels. They tend to work in two areas; as regulators or as water resources managers.
A regulator's primary responsibilities are ensuring that the laws governing groundwater are enforced. This could involve regulations designed to prevent the release of hazardous substances into the subsurface, those governing situations where a release has already occurred, of those governing drinking water quality standards.
Hydrogeologists employed by governments as water resource managers frequently conduct applied research. Their responsibilities are to provide scientific input on the management of groundwater resources on a regional scale. Most often, their expertise is applied to managing the quantity of water available. However, managing the quality of water and evaluating natural or human impacts on water quality can be equally as important as managing quantity.
Hydrogeologists employed in academia are primarily involved in theoretical and applied research and in teaching. They are often at the leading edge of our understanding of processes related to groundwater. In many cases, they may be working with the private sector or government agencies to solve groundwater problems. They frequently develop new techniques to study groundwater or apply established ones in a new way. As teachers, it is the academic's responsibility to ensure that future generations of hydrogeologists are up to date on theoretical concepts and tools in the study of groundwater.
Below is a list of some of the places that graduates from our masters program are currently employed.
Some of our recent graduates are now pursuing Ph.D.'s at:
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