Natural Resources Management

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

B.S., M.S. Degree; Minor

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

  1. Complete the general university requirements. (As part of the core curriculum requirements, complete a MATH—Calculus course.)
  2. Complete the B.S. degree requirements. (As part of the B.S. degree requirements, complete STAT F200X*.)
  3. 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
  4. 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:****
      1. Complete at least one of the following non-measurements courses:
        BIOL F331—Systematic Botany—4 credits
        FIRE—Any course on wildland fire control/management—3 credits
        GEOS F408—Photogeology—2 credits
        NRM F277—Introduction to Conservation Biology—3 credits
        NRM F300—Internship in Natural Resources Management*****—1 – 6 credits
        NRM F303X—Environmental Ethics and Actions******—3 credits
        NRM F312—Introduction to Range Management—3 credits
        WLF F201—Wildlife Management Principles (3)
             or FISH F401W,O/2—Fisheries Management (3)—3 credits
      2. Complete at least one of the following measurements courses:
        CE F112—Elementary Surveying—3 credits
        GEOS F422—Geoscience Applications of Remote Sensing—3 credits
        NRM F341—GIS Analysis—4 credits
        STAT F401—Regression and Analysis of Variance—4 credits
        STAT F402—Scientific Sampling—3 credits
        * Student must earn a C grade or better in each course.
        ** Satisfies core natural science requirement.
        *** Satisfies B.S. degree natural science requirement.
        **** Courses other than those listed must be approved by student's advisor.
        ***** Must be forestry related.
        ****** If used to fulfill the baccalaureate core requirement for ethics/values and choices in the perspectives on the human condition, NRM F303X may not also count toward a natural resources management major. However, in this case, only two courses that total at least 5 credits are required from this list, exclusive of NRM F303X.

    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.
  5. 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

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

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