What are some good colleges for natural services?

Answered

Hi, thank you for asking your question! This is really neat!! I'm truly delighted that you want to work with the National Parks Service (NPS). It seems you already know what certifications to gain which is great -- and that most of these certifications will come from non-university educational settings like training schools or academies. That being said, after a brief look on the NPS website (https://www.nps.gov/aboutus/workwithus.htm) they do value past experiences with them and demonstrated interest. A great place to start building a competitive employment application will be to look into volunteer and summer internship opportunities while at school.

That being said, you also are wondering what classes and colleges should you keep in mind to be a competitive NPS applicant. In terms of classes, I would say follow your love of the outdoors and exploration. For example, a few majors that could work would be ecology, environmental science, environmental engineering, wildlife studies, agricultural science, geology, parks/recreation/leisure studies, etc. But again, I'm sure as long as you gain experience with the NPS via volunteering and internships you will have a strong resume. Feel free to major in other things as well.

In terms of searching schools to apply to, I would suggest turning to our School List tool on our website. With this, you can choose your major of interest and filter schools based on this and other criteria/preferences on where to study. Potentially you care about geography (near a favorite National Park), campus culture, or even recreational activities (like rock climbing!). Here's the link to the school list tool: https://www.collegevine.com/schools/hub/all/canvas

Hope this helps!