Program Director: Jim Harding, Ph.D.
Division of Environmental Studies & Management
Program offered:
BS in Natural Resources Management
Green Mountain College offers a comprehensive degree in Natural Resources Management. This degree is designed to prepare students for the challenging responsibilities required of land managers in public agencies, resource specialists in non-governmental organizations, and consultants working in the private sector. Students interested in pursuing professions in forestry, wildlife, and park management will benefit from this degree.
Graduates of this program will meet the requirements for government employment at the GS-5 level in one of the main federal land management agencies: National Park Service, U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Graduates of this degree will also be able to pursue graduate study in fields such as natural resources, forestry, wildlife biology, recreation management, or public policy. Graduates will gain specific skills in conducting forest and wildlife inventories, working with geographic information systems (GIS), and developing resource plans. Students will learn how to manage natural resources for multiple values including timber, wildlife, wilderness, recreation, energy production and others. Additional expertise can be gained in conservation biology, forest ecology, and environmental law.
Learning Outcomes for Natural Resource Management Majors
The successful student will:
Understand the scope and relationship of the federal land management system.
Be fluent in the pertinent environmental and natural resources legislation guiding public land management.
Be able to collect, manipulate, and work with spatial data, including GIS.
Understand basic biological and ecological functions (e.g., photosynthesis, forest succession, predator-prey, relationships, etc.).
Measure and mathematically analyze natural resource data.
Conduct a comprehensive forest stand inventory.
Be attuned to the current issues in natural resources management.
Appreciate the complexity of multiple-use, resource management.
The fundamental components of truly effective natural resources management are those skills found at the intersection of the natural and social sciences. This degree is not about producing biologists or environmental scientists. Nor is this degree intended to develop aspiring bureaucrats or government agents. Rather, a degree in natural resources management demands a solid understanding of our natural environment and our dependence upon that environment for a host of amenities. To this end, natural resource managers must be prepared to weigh the consequences of many different options affecting both the natural environment and the people who depend on that environment for their livelihood, their recreation, or their physical well-being.
Requirements for a BS in Natural Resources Management
Professional Core
| Choose any four-credit lab course, options include: BIO 1034: From Fins to Fingers BIO 1035: Disease and Disorder: History, Humans, and Hope BIO 1036: Solar Powered Life: The Biology of Plants BIO 1037: The Four Seasons CHE 1021: General Chemistry I ELA 1017: Introduction to Environmental Chemistry GLG 1011: Introduction to Geology NRM 1001: Introduction to Natural Resource Management BIO 2025: Ecology ENV 2010: Introduction to Geographic Information Systems ENV 2011: Public Policy and the Environment NRM 2015: Natural Resources Field Experiences NRM 2020: Data Analysis and Modeling NRM 4052: Natural Resources Mgmt Capstone and Exam NRM 4053: Natural Resources Mgmt. Internship* |
4 3 4 4 3 3 3 1 3 Credits: 28 |
| Choose three of the following courses: ENV 3011: Environmental Law ENV 3014: Watershed Management & Policy ENV 3016: Land Use Planning ENV 3023: Human Ecology ENV 3025: Animal Ethics NRM 3065: Hunting: History, Ethics & Management NRM 3082: Forest Policy and Management NRM 4030: Environmental Conflict Management REC 3161: Philosophy of Recreation on Public Lands REC 3175: Ecotourism REC 4010: Mgmt. of Outdoor and Adventure Programs |
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Credits: 9-10 |
| Choose three of the following courses: BIO 3013: Botany BIO 3021: Conservation Biology BIO 3023: Vertebrate Population Monitoring BIO 3025: Advanced Topics in Ecology BIO 3027: Forest Ecology and Management BIO 3012: Topics in Organismal Biology CHE 3005: Advanced Environmental Chemistry CHE 3012: Special Topics in Chemistry (Limnology) GLG 2031: Soils GLG 3010: Climate Dynamics NRM 3075: Silviculture NRM 4025: Resource Impacts and Management |
4 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 3 Credits: 9-10 |