Natural Resources (BS)
The major prepares students for careers related to many aspects of the environment and its resources such as forests, fisheries, water, wildlife, wetlands, and climate, and how humans manage and conserve them. Students will learn in-depth about these topics, the tools and technology used to evaluate them, and how people make decisions about related policies. The major is offered by the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment.
A minor in Wildlife Conservation is described in the “Minors” section.
Location
- Storrs Campus
Modality
- In Person
Requirements
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 | |
| PHYS 1201Q | General Physics I | 4 |
| or PHYS 1401Q | General Physics with Calculus I | |
| PLSC 2120E & PLSC 2125 | Environmental Soil Science and Environmental Soils Lab | 4 |
| or ERTH 1050 | Earth's Dynamic Environment | |
| 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.
Competency Requirements
Students successfully completing the courses listed below will have met their Common Curriculum information literacy requirements for this major. Students passing NRE 4000W Natural Resources Planning and Management will satisfy the writing competency requirement within the major.
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 | |
| Environmental Sustainability | ||
| Sustainable Urban Ecosystems | ||
| Environmental Sustainability of Food Production in Developed Countries | ||
| Sustainable Societies | ||
| Energy, Environment, and Society | ||
| Economics and Social Science | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Sustainability Policy and Management | ||
| 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 | ||
| Global Environmental Politics | ||
| Sustainable Societies | ||
| Energy, Environment, and Society | ||
| Natural Resources/Ecologic Science | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| General Ecology | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| The Oceans and Global Climate | ||
| Climatology | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Watershed Hydrology | ||
| Meteorology | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Population Health and 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 | ||
| 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/2244WE | General Ecology | 4 |
| 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 | |
| NRE 4370 | Population Health and 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: | 3-4 | |
| 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 | |
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources (approved by advisor) | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Total Credits | 26-28 | |
Forest Resources
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| NRE 2415 | Trees and Forests | 3 |
| NRE 2416 | Trees and Forests Lab: Dendrology | 1 |
| NRE 2455 | Forest Ecology | 3 |
| NRE 3425 | Fundamentals of Arboriculture | 3 |
| NRE 3500 | Silviculture: Applied Forest Ecology | 4 |
| NRE 4425 | Urban and Community Forestry | 3 |
| NRE 4475 | Forest Management | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Fisheries and Wildlife | ||
| Nature-based Outdoor Recreation Resource Management | ||
| Sustainable Urban Ecosystems | ||
| Wildlife Management | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Field Study Internship | ||
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources | ||
| Fisheries Management | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Watershed Hydrology | ||
| Foreign Studies in Natural Resources | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Total Credits | 27 | |
Water Resources and Climate
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| NRE 2146 | Climatology | 3 |
| or NRE 3145 | Meteorology | |
| NRE 2215E | Introduction to Water Resources | 3 |
| NRE 3125 | Watershed Hydrology | 3 |
| 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 | ||
| Earth Surface Processes | ||
| Fluid Mechanics | ||
| The Oceans and Global Climate | ||
| Introduction to Ground Water Hydrology | ||
| Water Quality Management | ||
| Field Methods in Hydrogeology | ||
| Biological/Ecological Science | ||
| Wetlands Biology and Conservation | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Ecotoxicology | ||
| Atmospheric Science | ||
| Climate and Weather | ||
| Climatology | ||
| Air Pollution | ||
| Meteorology | ||
| Climate-Human-Ecosystem Interactions | ||
| Climate Change Adaptation Science | ||
| Policy | ||
| Environmental and Resource Policy | ||
| Environmental Law | ||
| Related Skills | ||
| HAZWOPER | ||
| Remote Sensing of the Environment | ||
| Total Credits | 24 | |
- 1
Whichever of NRE 2146 Climatology or NRE 3145 Meteorology is used to fulfill the above requirement cannot be used to also fulfill this requirement.
University Common Curriculum 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 Common Curriculum 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 Common Curriculum requirements. For more information, see the College of Agriculture, Health and Natural Resources section of this catalog.
Learning Objectives
- Students will demonstrate fundamental and applied knowledge of the environment and natural resources management.
- Students will develop awareness, knowledge, and interpersonal skills for effective engagement with diverse stakeholders.
- Students will be able to analyze and evaluate diverse data streams about environmental phenomena.
- Students will develop and use spatial information to describe environmental patterns and processes.