College of Natural Resources and Environment
Course Descriptions & Programs of Study
Dean: Paul M. Winistorfer
Associate Dean: Keith Goyne
Assistant Dean of Business, Finance, and Administration: Candice Albert
Director of Academic Advising: Stephanie Hart
Web: www.cnre.vt.edu
Overview
The College of Natural Resources and Environment, through offerings in the Departments of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Geography, and Sustainable Biomaterials, provides an integrated education in renewable natural resource management, conservation, and utilization as well as a valuable perspective for understanding and solving critical contemporary environmental problems at local, regional, and global scales.
All undergraduate programs of the College of Natural Resources and Environment are designed to provide a professional education that starts with core courses emphasizing physical, biological, and social sciences, along with concepts of renewable natural resource management. More advanced courses teach the principles and practices of individual disciplines, along with advanced skills in communications and computer use. Students prepare for professional careers with public agencies responsible for predicting the weather and managing forest, water, wildlife, fish, and recreation resources; with private firms concerned with producing, manufacturing, and marketing wood products; with planning agencies and private firms utilizing skills in environmental and land-use analysis and geospatial techniques; or for graduate studies.
Students may develop additional depth of knowledge and specialized skills through completion of options within a major. Majors offered within the college and options for further specialization are provided below:
Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Fish Conservation
- Wildlife Conservation
Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation
- Environmental Informatics
- Environmental Resources Management
- Forestry
- Environmental Conservation and Society: Water Resources, Policy and Management
- Forest Resource Management option
- Forest Operations and Business option
- Urban and Community Forestry option
Department of Geography
- Geography
- Meteorology
Department of Sustainable Biomaterials
- Packaging Systems and Design
- Sustainable Biomaterials
The college offers minors in Forestry, Urban and Community Forestry, Natural Resource Recreation, Watershed Management, Geographic Information Science, Geography, Meteorology, Sustainable Natural Environments, Wood Science, and Packaging Systems and Design. The college offers pathways minors in Ecological Cities, Blue Planet, Biodiversity Conservation, and Pathways to Sustainability. Contact the respective departments for more information on minors.
Accreditation
The educational programs in Forest Resource Management, Forest Operations and Business, and Urban Forestry qualify graduates as professional foresters and are accredited by the Society of American Foresters, the recognized accrediting body. Graduates in Fish and Wildlife Conservation meet certification requirements of the American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society, respectively. The Sustainable Biomaterials major is accredited by the Society of Wood Science and Technology, the recognized accrediting body. The degree in Meteorology was developed from guidelines recommended by the American Meteorological Society and the National Weather Service; the degree meets requirements of the federal civil service (GS-1340) for a meteorologist.
Honors College
The University Honors Program is available to students in the College of Natural Resources and Environment. The program provides enriched opportunities for highly qualified and motivated undergraduate students. Faculty advisors can provide additional information.
Cooperative Education
The college encourages students to become involved in the Cooperative Education Program, in which students alternate on-campus academic terms with off-campus employment in their areas of interest. Additional information is provided in "Academics".
Exchange Programs
The College of Natural Resources and Environment participates in reciprocal exchange program with the University of Canterbury in Christchurch, New Zealand. Where appropriate, students can also participate in the International Student Exchange Program.
Graduate Programs
The college offers educational programs leading to the M.S., M.F., MNR, and Ph.D. Complete information on these programs is in the Graduate Catalog.
Undergraduate Course Descriptions (NR)
1114: INTRODUCTION TO RENEWABLE NATURAL RESOURCES
Introduction to careers in forestry, wildlife, fisheries,
recreation, and forest products professional fields.
Discussion of current global and regional problems affecting
natural resource professionals.
(1H,3L,2C)
1115-1116 (GEOG 1115-1116): SEEKING SUSTAINABILITY
1115: Strategies to promote sustainability through the
identification, description, and analysis of the dominant
interconnections within and between environmental, social,
and economic systems across local to global scales. 1116:
Perceptions of, conditions of, and strategies to analyze
processes of change within complex systems, and promote
sustainability across local to global scales.
(3H,3C)
1234: FIRST YEAR EXPERIENCE IN NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
Introduction to problem solving related to natural resources
and environmental issues. Developing a sense of identity and
place within the college while acquiring skills and
knowledge that enhance academic success. Exposure to
programs on campus that support sustainability and student
success. Introduction to a variety of career pathways within
natural resources and environmental conservation.
(2H,2L,3C)
1984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
2234: 1ST SEMESTER EXPERIENCE-TRANSFER STUDENTS IN NATURAL RESOURCES & ENVIRONMENT
Problem solving related to natural resources and
environmental issues, focusing on research, writing and oral
presentation skills. Orientation to the college while
acquiring skills and knowledge that enhance academic
success, including university resources and professional/
personal ethics. Introduction to a variety of career
pathways within natural resources and environmental
conservation. Restricted to transfer students.
(2H,2C)
2554 (FREC 2554) (LAR 2554): LEADERSHIP FOR GLOBAL SUSTAINABILITY
Leadership principles and humanities perspectives that help
examine and engage global sustainable development challenges
such as climate change, food-water-energy nexus, rising
middle class, circular economy, and environmental justice.
Topics include collaboration, stories, conflict resolution,
self-awareness, bias, equity, religion, hubris, globalism,
and moral naturalism. Examine trade-offs among economic,
environmental, and social dimensions of sustainable
development. Integration and application of disciplinary
topics including ethics, ecology, evolution, anthropology,
economics, religion, aesthetics, and risk management.
(3H,3C)
2974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
2984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
3954: STUDY ABROAD
Variable credit course.
3964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.
4014 (FREC 4014): NATURAL RESOURCES ECONOMICS
Examination of domestic and international natural resource
use, exploitation, and degradation problems, with special
focus on use of economics to understand why potential
overuse of natural resources exists, and what policy options
are available to correct these problems and ensure
sustainable natural resource use over time. Water, forests,
fisheries, land and exhaustible resources. Permission of
instructor may be substituted for the pre-requisite.
Pre: ECON 2005 or AAEC 1005.
(3H,3C)
4105-4106: LEADERSHIP IN NATURAL RESOURCES
Preparation for leadership roles in the natural resource
professions. Introduction to theories of leadership;
characteristics of effective leaders; leading and working in
interdisciplinary teams. Techniques of meeting facilitation;
written and oral communication skills in a leadership
context. Effects of preferred modes of interacting with
others, perceiving information, making decisions, and
approaching tasks on the ability to lead and work with
others. Consent of instructor.
Pre: FIW 2114 or FOR 2314 or FREC 2314 or GEOG 3104 or SBIO 2124 for 4105; 4105 for 4
106.
(3H,3C)
4444 (GEOG 4444): PRACTICING SUSTAINABILITY
Practicum in sustainability. Synthesize and integrate
knowledge from undergraduate career and apply to real world
problems of sustainability. Topics and projects selected
from opportunities to examine specific local and regional
sustainability issues on the VT campus, in the New River
Valley and the Commonwealth at large. Pre: Senior Standing.
(3H,3C)
4964: FIELD STUDY
Variable credit course.
4974: INDEPENDENT STUDY
Variable credit course.
4984: SPECIAL STUDY
Variable credit course.
4994: UNDERGRADUATE RESEARCH
Variable credit course.