Natural Resources (BS)
This major, offered by the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment, prepares students for careers related to the management of natural resources. Students develop skills in applying modern technology, concepts and principles dealing with sustainable development, environmental protection and resource conservation.
Competency Requirements
Students successfully completing the courses listed below will have met their General Education information literacy exit requirements for this major. Students passing NRE 4000W Natural Resources Planning and Management will satisfy the writing competency requirement within the major.
All Natural Resources majors must pass the following core requirements:
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NRE 1000E | Environmental Science | 3 |
| NRE 2000 | Introduction to Geomatics | 4 |
| NRE 2010 | Natural Resources Measurements | 3 |
| NRE 3000 | Human Dimensions of Natural Resources | 3 |
| NRE 4000W | Natural Resources Planning and Management | 3 |
| NRE 4094 | Seminar | 1 |
| BIOL 1107 | Principles of Biology I | 4 |
| or BIOL 1108 | Principles of Biology II | |
| or BIOL 1110 | Introduction to Botany | |
| CHEM 1122 | Chemical Principles and Applications | 4 |
| or CHEM 1124Q | Fundamentals of General Chemistry I | |
| or CHEM 1127Q | General Chemistry I | |
| MATH 1060Q | Precalculus | 3 |
| or MATH 1131Q | Calculus I | |
| SPSS 2120 & SPSS 2125 | Environmental Soil Science and Soils Lab | 4 |
| or ERTH 1050 | Earth's Dynamic Environment | |
| PHYS 1201Q | General Physics I | 4 |
| or PHYS 1401Q | General Physics with Calculus I | |
| STAT 1100Q | Elementary Concepts of Statistics | 4 |
| Total Credits | 40 | |
At least one course in the 36-credit group must come from a department other than NRE.
Concentrations
In addition to core requirements, all students must complete one or more of the following concentrations:
- Environmental Sustainability and Conservation (including the option for a pre-approved Education Abroad experience)
- Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation
- Forest Resources
- Water Resources and Climate
(For detailed information, please refer to nre.uconn.edu.)
Environmental Sustainability and Conservation
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ARE 1150 | Principles of Applied and Resource Economics | 3 |
| or ECON 1201 | Principles of Microeconomics | |
| NRE 1235E | Environmental Conservation | 3 |
| NRE 2600E | Global Sustainable Natural Resources | 3 |
| NRE 3245E | Environmental Law | 3 |
| or ARE 2434E | Environmental and Resource Policy | |
| Groups | ||
| One course from each of the following four groups (the same course cannot be used to fulfill more than one group) or Education Abroad (12 credits or equivalent completed abroad of courses pre-approved by NRE): | ||
| Sustainability Concepts | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
ANTH 3339 | ||
| Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Sustainable Urban Ecosystems | ||
NRE 3675 | ||
| Sustainable Societies | ||
| Energy, Environment, and Society | ||
or SOCI 2707W | Energy, Environment, and Society | |
| Environmental Sustainability of Food Production in Developed Countries | ||
| Economics and Social Science | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
ANTH 3339 | ||
ARE 2235 | ||
| Valuing the Environment | ||
| Economics of Energy, Climate, and the Environment | ||
| Economics of the Oceans | ||
| Environmental Economics | ||
| Environmental Evaluation and Assessment | ||
| Environmental Planning and Management | ||
| Human Modifications of Natural Environments | ||
| Environmental Ethics | ||
or PHIL 3216WE | ||
POLS 3239 | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| The Policy-making Process | ||
| Sustainable Societies | ||
| Energy, Environment, and Society | ||
or SOCI 2707W | Energy, Environment, and Society | |
| Natural Resources/Ecologic Science | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| General Ecology | ||
or EEB 2244WE | General Ecology | |
EEB 3247 | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| The Oceans and Global Climate | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Watershed Hydrology | ||
| Meteorology | ||
| Climatology | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Population Dynamics | ||
| Principles and Concepts of Agroecology | ||
| Resource Conservation and Management | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Nature-based Outdoor Recreation Resource Management | ||
| African Field Ecology and Renewable Resources Management | ||
| Wildlife Management | ||
NRE 4165 | ||
| Climate-Human-Ecosystem Interactions | ||
| Water Quality Management | ||
| Fisheries Management | ||
| Forest Management | ||
| Natural Resources Modeling | ||
| Total Credits | 24-26 | |
Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| EEB 2214 | Biology of the Vertebrates | 3 |
| EEB 2244E | General Ecology | 4 |
| or EEB 2244WE | General Ecology | |
| NRE 2345 | Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife | 3 |
| NRE 3335 | Wildlife Management | 3 |
| or NRE 4335 | Fisheries Management | |
| NRE 3345/3345W | Wildlife Management Techniques | 4 |
| or NRE 3385W | Fisheries Techniques | |
| or NRE 4575 | ||
| NRE 4370 | Population Dynamics | 3 |
| Groups | ||
| One course from each of the following four groups (the same course cannot be used to fulfill more than one group): | ||
| Taxonomy or Organismal-Level Group | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Principles of Animal Nutrition and Feeding | ||
| Principles of Animal Genetics | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Biology of Fishes | ||
| Physiological Ecology of Animals | ||
| General Entomology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
or EEB 4261 | Ornithology Laboratory | |
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources (approved by advisor) | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Anatomy and Physiology of Animals | ||
| Principles of Pathobiology | ||
| Habitat or Ecosystem-Level Group | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
EEB 3247 | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources (approved by advisor) | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Total Credits | 23-24 | |
Forest Resources
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NRE 2415 | Dendrology | 3 |
| NRE 2455 | Forest Ecology | 3 |
| NRE 3125 | Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| NRE 3500 | Exurban Silviculture | 4 |
| NRE 4475 | Forest Management | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Land Surveying for Environmental Management and Planning | ||
NRE 4575 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Fundamentals of Arboriculture | ||
| Urban and Community Forestry | ||
| Select two of the following: | ||
| Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife | ||
| Nature-based Outdoor Recreation Resource Management | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Sustainable Urban Ecosystems | ||
| Field Study Internship | ||
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Total Credits | 23-24 | |
Water Resources and Climate
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| NRE 2215E | Introduction to Water Resources | 3 |
| NRE 3125 | Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| NRE 3145 | Meteorology | 3 |
| or NRE 3146 | Climatology | |
| Groups | ||
| Five additional courses from among the following groups, including at least one from the Hydrologic Science group and at least one from the Biological/Ecological Science group: 1 | 15 | |
| Hydrologic Science | ||
| Fluid Mechanics | ||
| Earth Surface Processes | ||
GEOG 3310 | ||
| The Oceans and Global Climate | ||
| Introduction to Ground Water Hydrology | ||
NRE 4165 | ||
| Water Quality Management | ||
| Field Methods in Hydrogeology | ||
| Biological/Ecological Science | ||
EEB 3204 | ||
EEB 3247 | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Atmospheric Science | ||
| Climate and Weather | ||
| Air Pollution | ||
| Meteorology | ||
| Climatology | ||
| Climate-Human-Ecosystem Interactions | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Policy | ||
| Environmental and Resource Policy | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Related Skills | ||
| HAZWOPER | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Land Surveying for Environmental Management and Planning | ||
NRE 4575 | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
Whichever of NRE 3145 Meteorology or NRE 3146 Climatology is used to fulfill the above requirement cannot be used to also fulfill this requirement.
A minor in Wildlife Conservation is described in the “Minors” section.
University General Education Requirements
Every student must meet a set of core requirements to earn a baccalaureate degree, in addition to those required by the student's major course of study and other requirements set by the student's school or college. For more information about these requirements, please see General Education Requirements.
College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources Degree Requirements
Students must meet a set of requirements established by the college in addition to the University's General Education requirements. For more information, see the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources section of this catalog.