Program Description
The Environmental and Natural Resources curriculum produces professionals who have a broad-based knowledge in natural resources and an ability to interact with other resource professionals to provide thoughtful solutions to environmental and natural resource problems. The world is blessed with an abundance of natural resources, but the problems associated with their conservation are immense. Protection of rare and endangered species, preventing and controlling invasions of exotics, protecting old growth forests, restoring degraded ecosystems, and balancing the resource demands of industry and the public are some of the environmental issues which are enmeshed in politicized environments.
Three concentrations are offered within the Environmental and Natural Resources major, which is administered by the Department of Forestry and Environmental Conservation. The Conservation Biology Concentration is oriented toward students who desire a greater exposure to taxa, their habitats, and their interrelationships. The Natural Resources Management Concentration emphasizes both resource management and negotiation skills. The Natural Resource and Economic Policy Concentration provides more in-depth study in economics and policy applications.
Graduates in Environmental and Natural Resources are well prepared for further graduate studies in natural resources and related fields. Potential public sector employers of graduates include federal, state, and municipal resource management agencies, private industries impacting land and water resources, environmental management consulting firms, and various environmental advocacy groups.
