Physical and Natural Sciences Community

Not sure what you want to do with your degree? 

• Utilize the Occupational Outlook Handbook, O*Net, and career videos to explore the responsibilities, education, pay, and job outlook of science careers.
• View how Panthers in science have launched their post-graduation career paths in the UWM Career Outcomes dashboard.
• Want to consider other career paths? Use tools in the Career Exploration Community.

Look into different licenses and certificates you can earn: 

Forest Industry Safety & Training Alliance, Inc  

National Wildfire Coordinating Group (NWCG)  

Here is a sample of keywords you can use when researching career paths or searching for open positions. For more ideas, our staff is ready to help! 

Anthropology   – Professor   – Archaeologist   – Project Manager	Atmospheric Science   – Meteorologist   – Weather Forecaster   – Research Scientist
Biochemistry    – Research Scientist   – Consultant   – Analyst	Biology   – Project Manager   – Scientist   – Teacher
Conservation and Environmental Science   – Land Management   – Environmental Protection   – Operations Manager	Chemistry  – Consultant   – Analytical Chemist   – Research and Development
Freshwater Science   – Research   – Field Technician   – Municipal/Policy	Geography  – Geographic Information System Analyst   – Cartographer   – Community Development
Geo Sciences   – Meteorologist   – Consultant   – Scientist	Microbiology  – Research Associate   – Quality Assurance    – Consultant
Physics  – Software/Systems Engineer   – Research Associate   – Data Scientist

Experiential Learning  

Hands-on learning beyond the classroom helps you expand your skills, form community connections, build your resume, and gain the Panther Edge. These include internships, undergraduate research, study abroad, community engagement, and leadership experiences.

Internships  

Internships provide an excellent opportunity to get hands-on experience, expand your transferable skills, develop professional connections, and build your resume. Our staff can help you tailor your resume and cover letter, search for positions, and prepare for the interview.    

Be sure to utilize Handshake to search for positions. Employers looking to hire UWM students & alumni use this recruiting system to connect with you! 

Examples: Be sure to check out the SET website for additional internship opportunities here.  SSTPI, CLIP, and the Arts, Humanities, and Social Science Internship Program are some of the UWM-specific internship opportunities available to our students.    

On-Campus Jobs  

On-campus jobs provide convenient options with flexible scheduling and opportunities to gain transferrable and career-related skills. Explore and apply to on-campus jobs on Handshake. For additional support, visit our employment website

Community Service/Volunteer  

SET has deep community partnerships which provide student opportunities for volunteering, service learning, service trips, and other forms of community-based learning. You may even find yourself in a course with a built-in service-learning requirement. You can learn more about this on our website here.  

Examples: CES 210, GEOG 125, Panther Response Team, and much more! 

Student Organizations  

Joining a student organization provides you opportunities to form friendships, explore your interests, gain work and volunteer experience, develop leadership skills, and network with professionals working in your industry. Explore UWM’s student organizations.

Examples: Conservation Club, Student Water Council, Chemistry and Biochemistry Student Council, Biological Sciences Association, Graduate Organization of Biological Science, Geology Club, Climate Consensus, Ducks Unlimited at UWM, and For People and Planet  

We proudly host eight career fairs every year, showcasing around 80 diverse employers each fair. Interested in knowing the kinds of employers attending? We invite you explore a past fair and the employers who attended. 

View employers 

What does it mean to work in fields connected to Natural and Physical Science? Read more below about each of these areas, plus discover industry specific job boards to search for internships and full-time positions.  Note that we highly encourage all students to explore roles in Handshake where many of our employer partners post their opportunities to find UWM students. 

Social Impact

Find the perfect fit that aligns with your personal and professional goals.  

Idealist

Wisconsin Agencies 

Discover the possibilities and opportunities of working at the state government. State parks are staffed through the Department of Natural Resources and the Department of Agriculture, Trade and Consumer Protection promotes quality food, healthy plants and animals and use of land and water resources.  

wisc.jobs

Conversation

Conservation biologists plan ways to utilize natural resources but still protect the environment. Some participate in ecosystem management like range managers, environmental consultants, and habitat-restoration specialists. Others may work with specific animals to preserve biodiversity. 

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