BS in Natural Resource Science and Management with Emphasis in Terrestrial Ecosystems
Degree Program Description
The Natural Resource Science and Management degree with an emphasis in Terrestrial Ecosystems combines interests in wildlife management, conservation, and forestry, focusing on basic and applied concepts important in land management and species conservation. Students with degrees in Natural Resource Science and Management with an emphasis in Terrestrial Ecosystems are accredited by the Society of American Foresters and may find employment as conservation biologists, ecologists, land stewards, and resource foresters.
Major Program Requirements
In addition to completing major program requirements, students must complete the following additional emphasis area requirements:
| Degree Program Requirements-Emphasis Area | ||
| F_W 1100 | Introductory Zoology with Laboratory | 5 |
| or BIO_SC 1500 | Introduction to Biological Systems with Laboratory | |
| or BIO_SC 1010 & BIO_SC 1020 | General Principles and Concepts of Biology and General Biology Laboratory | |
| F_W 2900 | Principles of Wildlife Management | 4 |
| F_W 2600 | Ornithology | 3-4 |
| or F_W 3660 | Mammalogy | |
| or PLNT_SCI 3710 | Introductory Entomology | |
| FOREST 2541 | Forest Utilization | 1 |
| FOREST 2542 | Forest Measurement and Inventory Field Studies | 1 |
| FOREST 2544 | Introduction to Silviculture and Management | 1 |
| FOREST 2340 | Tree Physiology | 3 |
| FOREST 3212 | Forest Health and Protection | 3 |
| FOREST 4330 | Practice of Silviculture | 4 |
| FOREST 4350 | Forest Economics | 3 |
| FOREST 4360 | Forest Measurements | 3 |
| FOREST 4380 | Forest Resource Management | 3 |
| FOREST 4390 | Watershed Management and Water Quality | 3 |
| or ENV_SC 3400 | Water Quality and Natural Resources Management | |
| Professional Electives (Choose 2 Courses) | ||
| Exceptions may be made for related minors, certificates, study abroad, and service learning experiences | ||
| FOREST 3207 | Forest Fire Control and Use | 3 |
| FOREST 3290 | Urban Forestry | 2 |
| FOREST 4341 | Forest Harvesting and the Environment | 3 |
| FOREST 4385 | Agroforestry I: Theory, Practice and Adoption | 3 |
| ENV_SC 2600 | Sustainability Foundations: An Introduction to Sustainability | 3 |
| ENV_SC 4600W | Sustainability Science Problem Solving - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| ENV_SC 4560 | Observing the Earth from Space | 3 |
| NAT_R 4365 | GIS Applications | 3 |
| F_W 4200W | Urban Wildlife Conservation - Writing Intensive | 3 |
| F_W 4500 | Animal Population Dynamics and Management | 3 |
| F_W 4700 | Wildlife Ecology Methods | 4 |
| PRST 2111 | Park Planning and Design | 3 |
| PRST 4250 | Parks, Health and Wellness | 3 |
| PRST 4340 | Recreation Land Management | 3 |
Semester Plan
Below is a sample semester plan for the Terrestrial Ecosystems Emphasis Area. A student’s actual plan may vary due to course choices, course availability, transfer courses, and minors/certificates pursued. Please consult with your advisor prior to registering for courses.
| First Year | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| PLNT_SCI 1500 or BIO_SC 1200 | 4 | F_W 1100 | 5 | ||
| MATH 1100 | 3 | CHEM 1400 & CHEM 1401 | 4 | ||
| NAT_R 1070 | 3 | ENGLSH 1000 | 3 | ||
| ATM_SC 1050 | 3 | NAT_R 2325 | 3 | ||
| SSC 1150 | 2 | ||||
| 15 | 15 | ||||
| Second Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | Summer | Credits |
| FOREST 2151 | 4 | SOIL 2100 | 3 | FOREST 2541 | 1 |
| FOREST 4320 | 5 | SOIL 2106 | 2 | FOREST 2542 | 1 |
| MATH 1400 | 3 | STAT 2500 | 3 | FOREST 2544 | 1 |
| F_W 2900 | 4 | FOREST 3212 | 3 | NAT_R 4950 or 4940 | 3 |
| FOREST 4360 | 3 | ||||
| 16 | 14 | 6 | |||
| Third Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| ABM 2070 | 3 | FOREST 2340 | 3 | ||
| NAT_R 4110 | 4 | PRST 3231 | 3 | ||
| FOREST 4330 | 4 | FOREST 4380 | 3 | ||
| Humanities & Fine Arts WI | 3 | Zoology Course | 4 | ||
| Missouri State Law Requirement | 3 | ||||
| 14 | 16 | ||||
| Fourth Year | |||||
| Fall | Credits | Spring | Credits | ||
| Professional Elective | 3 | NAT_R 4353 | 3 | ||
| FOREST 4390 or NAT_R 3400 | 3 | F_W 4650 | 4 | ||
| F_W 4600W | 3 | FOREST 4350 | 3 | ||
| Social/Behavioral Elective | 3 | Professional Elective | 3 | ||
| Humanities & Fine Arts Elective | 3 | Humanities & Fine Arts | 3 | ||
| 15 | 16 | ||||
| Total Credits: 127 | |||||
Degree Audit
The degree audit is an automated report reflecting a student’s academic progress toward the completion of a degree.
MU students can request a degree audit by logging in to myDegreePlanner. Students may also access myDegreePlanner via myZou, in the Student Center, click on the Academic Progress Tile, then select Request Degree Audit. The audit automatically pulls in the student’s MU course work, transfer courses and courses in progress. This is available to current students, admitted students, and those who last attended less than three terms ago.
Past MU students can request a degree audit by contacting the Academic Advising Unit of the division in which they were last enrolled at MU. For contact information, go to https://advising.missouri.edu/contact/.
Prospective students, can access a preliminary MU degree audit via https://www.transferology.com. Information on the college credits already earned will have to be manually entered before it can be evaluated against current degree requirements.
For additional details on degree audits, go to https://registrar.missouri.edu/degrees-audits/degree-audits/.
Major and Career Exploration
The University of Missouri has many resources to assist you in exploring majors and career possibilities. For guidance, visit the Majors and Careers website or view specific resources below.
- Change your Major. If you are considering changing your undergraduate major or are choosing between several majors, schedule an appointment with an advisor in the Discovery Center by calling (573) 884-9700 or through the Discovery Center service in your MU Connect success network.
- Decided on a Major. If you have decided on a major, visit an academic advisor in the School or College that you are interested in to discuss the process of declaring that major.
- Identify your Interests and Strengths. If you would like to learn more about your career interests, abilities, values, and talents, visit the staff at the MU Career Center. No appointment is necessary to explore career options with one of our staff members.
- Explore MU Majors. If you would like information about MU majors and degree programs, visit Majors at Mizzou or the Degrees, Majors (Degree Programs), Emphasis Areas, Minors and Certificates page in the catalog.
For additional major and career exploration resources, visit Major & Career Exploration in the catalog.