Natural Resources Management
This is an archived copy of the 2019-20 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://bulletin.ndsu.edu.
With increasing human pressure and a growing need to balance competing demands, we need new and better ways to manage society’s impacts on the environment. The natural resources management (NRM) program prepares students for careers requiring an understanding of the social, economic, biological, and physical aspects of solving problems associated with the management of natural resources for their highest and best uses for society while maintaining the integrity of life-sustaining ecological systems.
The Program
The NRM program is part of the School of Natural Resource Sciences at North Dakota State University. We are a management-oriented, interdisciplinary program that integrates the social, economic, physical, and biological aspects of natural resources. The program draws upon the courses and resources across the various colleges at the University. An undergraduate program leading to a Bachelor of Science, a graduate program leading to a Master of Science, a doctoral program leading to a Doctor of Philosophy, as well as a professional degree program, called a Master of Natural Resources Management are available.
Through the NRM program, students acquire a broad background in natural resources, as well as in-depth study in one or two emphasis areas of interest. The program exposes students to many disciplines—exactly the interdisciplinary approach society must take if it is to find solutions to complex environmental problems. The undergraduate program curriculum is divided into 90 core credits required of all students, and 38 emphasis credits selected by the individual student from seven areas of interest.
NRM Core – This group of courses provides each student a broad foundation in the social, biological and physical/earth sciences. The NRM core also satisfies NDSU’s General Education requirements and includes 40 credits along with 40 core credits, 38 emphasis credits, and 10 credits of free electives.
NRM Emphasis – During the third and fourth years of the program, students focus on a specific area of interest—an emphasis. The majority of courses are selected from a diverse group of approved electives. NRM offers seven emphasis areas.
- Biotic Resources Science – deals with basic scientific principles that govern the interrelationship between biotic (e.g., plants, animals) and abiotic factors (e.g., climate, soils) in major ecosystems and the use of these principles for environmentally sound management of natural resources and agroecosystems
- Environmental Communication – is designed for environmentally oriented students preparing for careers in communications fields such as journalism, public relations, broadcast media and the internet
- Natural Resources Economics – prepares students for management, administrative, regulatory and policy positions that require a broad understanding of natural resources management and allocation
- Physical/Earth Resources Science – leads to an understanding of the physical and chemical aspects of ecosystems. Topics of study include hydrology, water management and quality, waste management, soil properties, energy resources and land-use management
- Pollution Control – focuses on the principles and practices of managing natural resources for pollution control. Topics include the technical aspects of pollution as they relate to water, air/solids, earth/soils, and the impact of environmental pollution on biotic factors
- Social Sciences – concentrates on human factors (social, anthropological, political) in environmental management and environmental disaster management, while recognizing constraints and opportunities presented by physical and biological factors
- Sustainability and Resiliency – focuses on how to build capacity to deal with change; prepares students through system, strategic, and anticipatory thinking
The Faculty
The NRM main faculty are part of the School of Natural Resource Sciences and are dedicated to the NRM program. NRM is an inter-college/interdisciplinary program actively engaging faculty from across the University in the coordination of the program classroom teaching and advising.
Financial Aid and Scholarships
Summer job opportunities in natural resources management fields are plentiful. Internship programs leading to full-time employment with several federal agencies are available. Natural resources management offers three scholarships each year ranging from $250 to $500 each. Additional scholarships are available through the College of Agriculture, Food Systems, and Natural Resources. Student loan, grant and work-study information is available from the Office of Financial Aid and Scholarships and One Stop.
Career Opportunities
Policy makers, elected officials at all levels of government, business leaders, farmers and ranchers are facing ever more complex, multidisciplinary and international problems dealing with natural resources and the environment. NRM graduates are prepared with the skills and knowledge for examining these problems from a holistic ecological perspective and a global social perspective. Federal government employment opportunities include U.S. Department of Agriculture, U.S. Department of the Interior, Fish and Wildlife Service, Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Reclamation, Army Corps of Engineers, National Park Service, Agency for International Development, Peace Corps and more. State government opportunities include departments of natural resources, water management agencies, parks and recreation agencies, agriculture departments, health departments, Public Service Commission, Cooperative Extension Service, state Agricultural Experiment Stations and university and secondary school education. Many positions also are available with local government units. Private sector employment opportunities include mining and forest product companies, consulting firms, water organizations and non-profit conservation and environmental organizations.
Plan of Study
Please note this is a sample plan of study and not an official curriculum. Actual student schedules for each semester will vary depending on start year, education goals, applicable transfer credit, and course availability. Students are encouraged to work with their academic advisor on a regular basis to review degree progress and customize an individual plan of study.
| First Year | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| BIOL 150 & 150L | 4 | BIOL 151 & 151L | 4 |
| NRM 225 | 3 | ENGL 120 | 3 |
| NRM 150 | 1 | HUM & Fine Arts and Cult Div Gen Ed | 3 |
| ENGL 110 | 4 | Wellness Gen Ed | 2 |
| Math placement course | 3 | HUM & Fine Arts and Glob Persp Gen Ed | 3 |
| 15 | 15 | ||
| Second Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| COMM 110 | 3 | CHEM 121 & 121L | 4 |
| ECON 201 | 3 | NRM 264 | 3 |
| GEOL 105 | 3 | SOIL 210 | 3 |
| EMGT 101 or SOC 110 | 3 | STAT 330 | 3 |
| POLS 115 or 215 | 3 | ||
| 15 | 13 | ||
| Third Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| ECON 481 | 3 | HIST 434 or 435 | 3 |
| NRM 431 | 3 | RNG 452 or GEOG 455 | 3-4 |
| BIOL 364 | 3 | Emphasis core | 9 |
| Select one from EMGT, POLS or SOC | 3 | ||
| Upper Level Writing Gen Ed | 3 | ||
| 15 | 15-16 | ||
| Fourth Year | |||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits |
| NRM Emphasis Area | 18 | NRM 462 | 3 |
| NRM Emphasis Area | 11 | ||
| 18 | 14 | ||
| Total Credits: 120-121 | |||
Natural Resources Management Emphasis Areas
Biotic Resources Science
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Choose One Tract - Required 6 credits | 6 | |
| CHEM TRACT | ||
| General Chemistry II | ||
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| MANAGEMENT TRACT | ||
| Rangeland Resources Watershed Management | ||
| Introduction to Range Management | ||
| Required 32 additional elective credits | 32 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |
Sustainability
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 12 credits | ||
| NRM 420 | Sustainable Scenarios in Natural Resources Management | 3 |
| NRM 401 | Urban-Ecosystem Management | 3 |
| SOC 431 | Environmental Sociology | 3 |
| or SOC 404 | Community Assessment | |
| or POLS 442 | Global Policy Issues | |
| or POLS 453 | Environmental Policy and Politics | |
| NRM 454 | Wetland Resources Management | 3 |
| or NRM 402 | River and Stream Resource Management | |
| or SOIL 410 | Soils and Land Use | |
| or BIOL 475 | Conservation Biology | |
| Required 26 additional elective credits | 26 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |
Physical/Earth Resources Science
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 13 credits | ||
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 122L | General Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| GEOL 300 | Environmental Geology | 3 |
| or GEOG 412 | Geomorphology | |
| SOIL 322 | Soil Fertility and Fertilizers | 3 |
| or SOIL 351 | Soil Ecology | |
| SOIL 410 | Soils and Land Use | 3 |
| or SOIL 444 | Soil Genesis and Survey | |
| Required 25 additional elective credits | 25 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |
Social Sciences
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 10 credits | ||
| SOC 340 | Social Research Methods | 3 |
| SOC 341 | Social Research Methods Laboratory | 1 |
| SOC 404 | Community Assessment | 3 |
| SOC 405 | Community Development | 3 |
| Required 28 additional elective credits | 28 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |
Pollution Control
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 23 credits | ||
| MATH 165 | Calculus I | 4 |
| CHEM 122 | General Chemistry II | 3 |
| CHEM 122L | General Chemistry II Laboratory | 1 |
| ME 221 | Engineering Mechanics I | 3 |
| ME 222 | Engineering Mechanics II | 3 |
| CE 309 | Fluid Mechanics | 3 |
| CE 370 | Introduction to Environmental Engineering | 3 |
| CE 408 | Water Resources and Supply | 3 |
| Required 15 additional elective credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |
Environmental Communication
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 16 credits | ||
| COMM 112 | Understanding Media and Social Change | 3 |
| COMM 200 | Introduction to Media Writing | 3 |
| NRM 421 | Environmental Outreach Methods | 3 |
| COMM 485 | Risk and Crisis Communication | 3 |
| COMM 325 | 0-4 | |
| or SOC 340 & SOC 341 | Social Research Methods and Social Research Methods Laboratory | |
| Required 22 additional elective credits | 22 | |
| Total Credits | 34-38 | |
Natural Resources Economics
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required 9 credits | ||
| MATH 144 | Mathematics for Business | 4 |
| ECON 341 | Intermediate Microeconomics | 3 |
| STAT 331 | Regression Analysis | 2 |
| Required 29 additional elective credits | 29 | |
| Total Credits | 38 | |