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2020-2021 Undergraduate Bulletin [ARCHIVED CATALOG]
Analytical Skill Development (ASD) and Environmental System Emphasis Areas (ESEA)
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Students must select one area within Analytical Skill Development and one Environmental System Emphasis Area and complete nine hours of course work in each area from the list of courses provided below. Students must select from the courses listed under each ASD and ESEA but may request one (1) substitute course per ASD and ESEA, subject to approval by both their academic advisor and the DUS. For the 18 hours of ASD and ESEA course work, all classes must be 200-level or above and at least twelve (12) credit hours must be in 300-level or above courses. Classes taken to complete the ASD requirement may not count towards the ESEA course requirement and vice versa. Research experiences, internships, or apprenticeships cannot be used to satisfy the ASD and ESEA requirements, including individualized options.
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Analytical Skill Development Areas
Economic and Policy Analysis
Economic and Policy Analysis - The economic and policy analysis skill development area will provide students with the theoretical and analytical tools necessary to evaluate the economic and social effects of resource and environmental issues. The policy courses will help students understand how environmental policy is made, the public agencies that manage resources, and how policies are evaluated for impact on humans and the environment.
Field and Laboratory Analysis of Ecosystems
Students will learn the theory and application of sample data collection and techniques, field and laboratory analysis, statistical analysis, and data interpretation required to evaluate the quality of water, soil, and ecosystem resources. This analytical skill development area is geared towards students pursuing careers as environmental science and protection scientists/technicians and forest and conservation scientists/technicians.
Geospatial Analysis
Geospatial technologies are often used in conjunction with traditional natural resource and environmental scientist job requirements. This development area will provide students with enhanced skills beyond the major requirements in the use of geospatial software, approaches, and products. Students will learn the theory and application required to address a variety of environmental conditions. This analytical skill development area is geared towards students wishing to pursue careers that depend on extensively applying geospatial technologies to natural resources and environmental science issues or advanced study in geospatial science.
Environmental Education and Communication
The environmental education and communication area will introduce you to the concepts of Environmental Education (in NRE 365 ) and then provide you with the background necessary to apply your environmental systems knowledge in an educational (formal and non-formal) setting or through other avenues of communication.
Individualized Analytical Skill Development
With advisor approval, a student may submit a request for an individualized ASD. The written proposal must include a memo explaining the rationale, a list of proposed courses for the ASD, an explanation of how those courses meet the intent of the ASD, and a copy of the student’s Plan of Study which includes the proposed course work. The written proposal must be submitted to the DUS for Steering Committee approval.
Environmental System Emphasis Areas
Conservation Biology
The conservation biology emphasis area will provide students with knowledge of the ecological underpinnings and organismal biology of conservation biology. Depending on the courses chosen, students will: (1) gain a solid foundation in field botany by learning tree identification and by developing a taxonomic framework for plant identification; (2) become familiar with the mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians of Kentucky and surrounding states; (3) gain an introduction to the vegetation, flora and forests of Kentucky and surrounding states; and (4) develop an understanding of ecosystem pattern and process. Students who choose courses in this environmental systems emphasis area may be qualified to pursue careers with organizations dedicated to the preservation, conservation, and management of habitat, and related rare species preservation. Other opportunities include nature preserve manager, natural resource educator, naturalist, biological inventories and assessment, and environmental consulting. This emphasis area also prepares students for graduate studies in ecology, evolutionary biology, zoology, or botany.
Forestry
The forestry emphasis area provides students with knowledge in dendrology (the study of trees) and silviculture (the cultivation, growing, and management of trees). In dendrology students will learn basic concepts of botany of woody species, and their use, along with basic soil and site characteristics used in the identification of trees and forest vegetation. In silviculture students will learn the basics of ecologically-based management of forest ecosystems to achieve a desired objective. Students who choose this emphasis area may be qualified to pursue careers in natural resource management with an emphasis on forest systems. [Note: Students with a B.S. in Forestry from a Society of American Foresters (SAF) accredited forestry program may be more competitive for certain forestry jobs. The NRES program is not an SAF accredited program.]
*Students are strongly encouraged to take these key courses.
Human Dimensions and Natural Resource Planning
The human dimensions and natural resource planning emphasis area will provide students with an understanding of the interaction between society and natural systems and provide students with the skills and knowledge for tomorrow’s effective conservation leaders. This emphasis area does this by building upon the core NRES curriculum with course work and internship experience focused on land planning, legal aspects of land and water, landscape ecology, biogeography, and geospatial technologies. Private foundations and government entities are funding land conservation efforts, and increasingly, real estate developers and their consultants are incorporating land conservation into their development projects. There is a professional community working in a variety of capacities for conservation organizations globally and there is the opportunity for advanced study in a variety of graduate programs.
Soil Science
Students choosing this emphasis area will learn about the dynamic and interrelated processes taking place within the thin skin of the Earth (i.e., Critical Zone) and the services provided by these processes to ensure adequate and sustainable feed, fuel and fiber production, clean air and water, and healthy habitats. Topics covered include bioremediation, phytoremediation, soil fertility, microbiology, soil chemistry, biogeochemistry, etc. Students completing this emphasis area will be equipped to evaluate soils for a range of management options, and be eligible for positions with public and private agencies (e.g., the Natural Resource Conservation Service, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Environmental Consulting Firms, etc.)
Water Resources
The water resources emphasis area will provide students with a fundamental understanding of the hydrologic cycle so that students understand how climate, soils, vegetation, and land-use affect the amount, timing and quality of water. Use of this information is important in natural resource management so that one may determine where water resource management objectives are compatible and where they conflict with other resource management objectives. Ultimately, students will gain an understanding of the role of watershed management and multiple use in planning and implementing natural resource programs while becoming familiar with current issues in watershed management and water resources.
Wildlife Ecology and Management
This emphasis area will provide opportunities for students to gain knowledge and experience, understand fundamental concepts, and develop basic skills in the area of wildlife ecology and management. The curriculum provides students with the option to meet certification requirements to become a registered Associate Wildlife Biologist with The Wildlife Society. To do this, students will need to complete additional course work. For more information visit: http://wildlife.org/learn/professionaldevelopment-certification/certificationprograms/
Global Sustainable Food Systems
Students who choose this area will be exposed to basic principles in sustainable agriculture, issues in global food systems (e.g., food security) and the ecology of agricultural systems, emphasizing the overlap and complementarities between systems emphasized through NRES major requirements and food production systems. Some students choosing this ESEA may want to obtain the minor in Sustainable Agriculture, which requires the selection of SAG 210 (not listed below because all 9 credits must be 200 or above), in addition to SAG 310 and SAG 386 .
Earth System Sciences
The Earth Systems Science emphasis area will provide context for understanding the processes that operate within and at the interface between Earth’s lithosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, and atmosphere, i.e., the environments in which bedrock, soil, organisms, water, and air interact. Students pursuing this area of emphasis may choose to pursue the minor in Geological Sciences, which can be partly satisfied with NRES required courses EES 220 and PLS 366 , plus EES 230 and EES 235 , and an additional 5 credits at the 300 level or higher in Earth and Environmental Sciences (EES) or a related field. All courses listed below at the 300+ level would count toward the minor. Students who take EES 385 among their NRES major requirements may also count this course toward the minor.
Individualized System Emphasis Area
With advisor approval, a student may submit a request for an individualized ESEA. The written proposal must include a memo explaining the rationale, a list of proposed courses for the ESEA, an explanation of how those courses meet the intent of the ESEA, and a copy of the student’s Plan of Study which includes the proposed course work. The written proposal must be submitted to the DUS for Steering Committee approval.
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