Natural Resources Management

School of Natural Resources and Agricultural Sciences
907-474-7083
www.uaf.edu/snras/

Minimum Requirements for Degree: 130 credits

Natural resources management is making and implementing decisions to develop, maintain or protect ecosystems to meet human needs and values. The core natural resources management curriculum provides students with a broad education in the various natural resources and their related applied fields. Programs can be tailored to enhance a student's depth or breadth in a given field of interest. The program is designed for students desiring careers in resources management or in other fields requiring knowledge of resources management and students planning advanced study, as well as those wishing to be better informed citizens.

The B.S. degree has three concentrations: forestry; plant, animal, and soil sciences; and resources. The forestry concentration offers students the opportunity to focus on the multi-resource management of forests and associated ecosystems for the sustained production of goods and services and to prepare for forestry related employment.

The natural resources management/forestry program is the only accredited four-year forestry program in Alaska.

The goals of UAF's forestry program are to produce graduates who are highly competitive in obtaining professional employment, who have the knowledge to perform well on the job and who are valued for work in Alaska and the circumpolar North; maintain close student interaction with faculty and provide opportunity for students to obtain practical professional experience as part of their education; and to prepare students for lifelong learning and responsible participation in decision-making about the use of natural resources.

The university provides students with a foundation in the biological, social and physical sciences and a blend of classroom, laboratory and field work to develop skills for a career in forestry. The forestry program leads to a professional degree in forestry. The program is accredited by the Society of American Foresters (SAF).

The plant, animal and soil sciences concentration offers opportunities for scientific study and education in areas such as field and greenhouse plant production, domestication and propagation of native plants, revegetation, domestic and native animal production, and agricultural and ecological aspects of soil science. The resources concentration emphasizes responsible stewardship in the management of multiple resources that occur in natural systems. Field and laboratory activities and applications of knowledge gained are stressed throughout the program. Internships and work-study arrangements are often available for qualified students.

State and federal agencies such as the Alaska Department of Natural Resources, Agricultural Research Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, Natural Resource Conservation Service and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service contribute significantly to the instructional program by providing guest lecturers and internship and field work opportunities for students.

Major — B.S. Degree

Concentrations: Forestry; Plant, Animal and Soil Sciences; Resources

Complete the general university requirements. (As part of the core curriculum requirements, complete a MATH—Calculus course.)
Complete the B.S. degree requirements. (As part of the B.S. degree requirements, complete STAT F200X*.)
Complete the following (major) requirements:*
BIOL F115X—Fundamentals of Biology I**—4 credits
BIOL F116X—Fundamentals of Biology II**—4 credits
BIOL F271—Principles of Ecology—4 credits
CHEM F105X—General Chemistry***—4 credits
CHEM F106X—General Chemistry***—4 credits
ECON F235—Introduction to Natural Resource Economics—3 credits
NRM F101—Natural Resources Conservation and Policy—3 credits
NRM F106—Orientation to Natural Resource Management—1 credit
NRM F304O—Perspectives in Natural Resources Management—3 credits
NRM F380W—Soils and the Environment—3 credits
NRM F405W—Senior Thesis in Natural Resources Management I—2 credits
NRM F406W—Senior Thesis in Natural Resources Management II—2 credits
Complete one of the following concentrations:*
Forestry
1. Complete the following:
  BIOL F239—Introduction to Plant Biology (4)
  or NRM F211—Introduction to Applied Plant Science (3)—3 – 4 credits
  ECON F335O—Intermediate Natural Resource Economics—3 credits
  GEOS F101X—The Dynamic Earth—4 credits
  NRM F204—Public Lands Law and Policy—3 credits
  NRM F251—Silvics and Dendrology—4 credits
  NRM F290—Resource Management Issues at High Latitudes—2 credits
  NRM F338—Introduction to Geographic Information Systems—3 credits
  NRM F340—Natural Resources Measurement and Inventory—3 credits
  NRM F365—Principles of Outdoor Recreation Management—3 credits
  NRM F370—Introduction to Watershed Management—3 credits
  NRM F430—Resource Management Planning—3 credits
  NRM F450—Forest Management—3 credits
  NRM F440—Silviculture—3 credits
  NRM F452—Forest Health and Protection—3 credits
  NRM F453—Harvesting and Utilization of Forest Products—3 credits
  WLF F201—Wildlife Management Principles (3)
  or FISH F401W,O/2—Fisheries Management (3)—3 credits
2. Complete three of the following to total at least 8 credits:****
Plant, Animal and Soil Sciences
1. Complete the following:
  BIOL F331—Systematic Botany (4)
       or BIOL F310—Animal Physiology (4)
       or BIOL F317—Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates (4)—4 credits
  NRM F211—Introduction to Applied Plant Science—3 credits
  NRM F290—Resource Management Issues at High Latitudes—2 credits
  NRM F312—Range Management—3 credits
  NRM F320—Animal Science—3 credits
  NRM F480—Soil Management for Quality Conservation (3)
       or NRM F485—Soil Biology* (3)—3 credits
       or NRM F466—Environmental Soil Chemistry (3)
2. Complete at least 8 credits in biology, botany, physics, chemistry, geosciences and/or mathematics, in addition to the above basic courses. Courses must be approved for science majors.
3. Complete at least 9 credits in natural resources management electives:
  NRM F102—Practicum in Natural Resources Management (1 – 2)
       and any other NRM course at the F200-level or above that has not been used to meet other requirements.
  NRM F204—Public Lands Law and Policy—3 credits
  NRM F215—Plant Propagation—3 credits
  NRM F251—Silvics and Dendrology—4 credits
  NRM F312—Introduction to Range Management—3 credits
  NRM F313—Introduction to Plant Pathology—4 credits
  NRM F338—Introduction to Geographic Information Systems—3 credits
  NRM F340—Natural Resources Measurement and Inventory—3 credits
  NRM F341—GIS Analysis—4 credits
  NRM F370—Introduction to Watershed Management—3 credits
  NRM F404—Environmental Impact Statement Law—3 credits
  NRM F412—Field Crop Production—3 credits
  NRM F480—Soil Management for Quality and
  Conservation* (3)
       or NRM F485—Soil Biology* (3)
       or NRM F466—Environmental Soil Chemistry* (3)—3 credits
4. Complete at least 12 credits beyond those taken to fulfill categories above in a support field which is a group of courses selected for its clear pertinence to a cohesive program. Support fields may include but are not limited to: animal science, chemistry, communications, education, engineering, forestry, geography, marketing, natural resources management, nutrition, plant science, rural development or soils. The courses must be approved by the student's academic advisor prior to attaining senior standing.
  * The same course cannot be used to satisfy requirements in both sections a and c.
Resources
1. Complete the following:
  ECON F335O—Intermediate Natural Resource Economics—3 credits
  GEOS F101X—The Dynamic Earth—4 credits
  NRM F204—Public Lands Law and Policy—3 credits
  NRM F251—Silvics and Dendrology—4 credits
  NRM F290—Resource Management Issues at High Latitudes—2 credits
  NRM F312—Introduction to Range Management (3)
  or NRM F480—Soil Management for Quality and Conservation (3)—3 credits
  NRM F338—Introduction to Geographic Information Systems—3 credits
  NRM F340—Natural Resources Measurement and Inventory—3 credits
  NRM F365—Principles of Outdoor Recreation Management—3 credits
  NRM F370—Introduction to Watershed Management—3 credits
  NRM F430—Resource Management Planning—3 credits
  WLF F201—Wildlife Management Principles (3)
  or FISH F401W,O/2—Fisheries Management (3)—3 credits
2. Complete at least 9 credits from the humans and the environmental electives category. Courses involve human effects on the environment and its products through management. Substitutions may be made only with the permission of the student's academic advisor and the department head.
  ANTH F428—Ecological Anthropology and Regional Sustainability—3 credits
  ECON F437W—Regional Economic Development—3 credits
  FISH F261-F—Introduction to Seafood Science and Nutrition—3 credits
  FISH F401W,O/2—Fisheries Management—3 credits
  FIRE F256—Wildland Fire Planning and Multiple Use Management—3 credits
  GEOG F427—Cold Lands—3 credits
  MIN F101—Minerals, Man and the Environment—3 credits
  MIN F400—Practical Engineering Report—1 credit
  MIN F407W—Mine Reclamation and Environmental Management—3 credits
  NRM F277—Introduction to Conservation Biology—3 credits
  NRM F300—Internship in Natural Resources Management—3 credits
  NRM F312—Introduction to Range Management—3 credits
  NRM F404—Environmental Impact Statement Law—3 credits
  NRM/WLF F431—Wildlife Law and Policy—3 credits
  NRM F450—Forest Management—3 credits
  NRM F440—Silviculture—3 credits
  NRM F465—Outdoor Recreation Planning—3 credits
  NRM F480—Soil Management for Quality and Conservation—3 credits
  RD F255—Rural Alaska Land Issues—3 credits
  RD F265—Perspectives on Subsistence in Alaska—3 credits
  RD F350O—Indigenous Knowledge and Community Research—3 credits
  WLF F201—Wildlife Management Principles—3 credits
  WLF F419O/2—Waterfowl and Wetlands Ecology and Management—4 credits
3. Select at least 9 credits in an approved support field. Selections may include courses listed within the humans and the environmental elective category, and need not be limited to those with NRM designators. Courses are selected for their clear pertinence to a cohesive program and must be approved by the student's academic advisor prior to attaining senior standing. Examples include but are not limited to: communications, data management, economics, marketing, recreation or resources policy. Support fields may also include subject areas in forest and plant, animal, and soil sciences.
Minimum credits required—130 credits

Note: Courses required for the major may also be used to satisfy the general university and B.S. degree requirements as appropriate.

Minor

Complete the following:
NRM F101—Natural Resources Conservation and Policy—3 credits
NRM electives*—15 credits
Minimum credits required—18 credits

* At least 6 credits must be upper-division. The minor program must be approved by an NRM advisor.