General Catalog & Schedule of Classes

	Natural Resources Undergraduate Major (BS, CRED, HBS)	Print Version
	College of Forestry | Forest Ecosystems and Society | Interdisciplinary Program Detail

Paul Doescher, Director
Connie Patterson, Program Coordinator
209 Peavy Hall
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5703
541-737-9135
Email: naturalresources@oregonstate.edu
Website: http://naturalresources.oregonstate.edu/

Undergraduate Major

Natural Resources (BS, HBS) — A collaborative program offered by the colleges of Forestry, Agricultural Sciences, Science, and Liberal Arts. It is administered by the College of Forestry.

Options
Arid Land Ecology
Ecological Restoration
Fish and Wildlife Conservation
Forest Ecosystems
Geosciences and Natural Resources
Human Dimensions in Natural Resources
Individualized Specialty Option
Law Enforcement in Natural Resources
Native Americans and Natural Resources
Natural Resource Education
Natural Resources Conservation and Technology
Natural Resource Policy and Management
Recreation and Tourism Management
Resource Conservation
Soil Resources
Sustainable Agroforestry
Urban Forest Landscapes
Watershed Management
Wildland Fire Ecology

Minor

Natural Resources

Students who graduate with a BS degree in Natural Resources from OSU should be able to integrate technical "field" skills with analytical skills to solve important natural resource problems. The curriculum is designed to help students acquire knowledge enabling them to understand a range of natural resource issues, work with experts in a variety of resource fields, and deal with social and political components of resource management. This program is an interdisciplinary offering supported by the colleges of Agricultural Sciences, Forestry, Liberal Arts, and Science. 

In addition to the baccalaureate core, the three main areas for course work include: the natural resources core (74 credits), breadth requirements (21 credits), and the specialty option (40 credits). Within these areas, students have a number of courses to choose from to fulfill requirements. Students acquire knowledge and background in physical and biological systems, math and statistics, natural resource policy, ecology, economics, and decision making. Breadth is acquired in seven key areas of resource management. Finally, students develop depth in the specialty option, choosing from a number of pre-approved options, or creating an individualized specialty option.

Only two courses used to complete the natural resources major requirements may be taken S/U. Grades of C– or better are required in upper-division natural resources core courses, plus all breadth requirements.

The Natural Resources major is also available at the OSU-Cascades Campus in Bend, the OSU Agricultural Program at Eastern Oregon University, and through the OSU Extended Campus program.

Core and Breadth Requirements for the Natural Resources (BS):
 

Natural Resources Core (74)
 

Animal ID

Choose one course from below:
FW 312. Systematics of Birds (2)
FW 316. Systematics of Fishes (2)
FW 318. Systematics of Mammals (2)
Z 477. Aquatic Entomology (4)

Atmospheric Science

Choose one course from below:
ATS 210. Introduction to the Atmospheric Sciences (3)
ATS 320. *The Changing Climate (3) 
GEO 323. ^Climatology (4)

Biology

BI 101, BI 102, BI 103. *General Biology (4,4,4)
   or BI 211, BI 212, BI 213. *Principles of Biology (4,4,4)

Career Development

FOR 207. Career Development (1)

Chemistry

CH 121. General Chemistry (5)
   or CH 231. *General Chemistry (4) and CH 261. *Laboratory for Chemistry 231 (1)

Communications

Choose one course from below:
COMM 321. Introduction to Communication Theory (3)
COMM 328. Nonverbal Communication (3)
COMM 385. Communication and Culture in Cyberspace (3)
COMM 440. Theories of Conflict and Conflict Management (3)
COMM 442. Bargaining and Negotiation Processes (3)
FOR 360. Collaboration and Conflict Management (3)
FOR 493. Environmental Interpretation (4)

Earth Science

Choose one course from below:
GEO 101. *The Solid Earth (4)
GEO 102. *The Surface of the Earth (4)
GEO 201. *Physical Geology (4)
GEO 202. *Earth Systems Science (4)
GEO 221. *Environmental Geology (4)

Environmental Assessment and Planning

Choose one course from below:
FOR 356. Recreation Resource Planning (4)
FOR/FW 445. Ecological Restoration (4)
FOR 459. Forest Resource Planning and Decision Making (4)
FW 435. ^Wildlife in Agricultural Ecosystems (3)
ANS/FW/SOC 485. *Consensus and Natural Resources (3)
GEO 423. Land Use in the American West (3)
NR 350. *Sustainable Communities (4)
PS 449. ^Topics in Comparative Politics (4)
PS 477. International Environmental Politics and Policy (4)
RNG 421. Wildland Restoration and Ecology (4)
RNG 490. Rangeland Management Planning (4)

General Ecology

Choose one course from below:
BI 370. Ecology (3)
BI 306H. *^Environmental Ecology (3)
BOT 341. Plant Ecology (4)
FOR 240. *Forest Biology (4)
FOR 341. Forest Ecology (3)

GIS

Choose one course from below:
FE 357. GIS and Forest Engineering Applications (3)
FOR 421. Spatial Analysis of Forested Landscapes (3)
FW 303. Survey of Geographic Information Systems in Natural Resource (3)
GEO 365. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4)
GEO 465. Geographic Information Systems and Science (4)
HORT 414. Information Systems in Agriculture (4)

Managing Natural Resources for the Future

NR 201. Managing Natural Resources for the Future (3)
   or Seminars—Natural Resources (1)+(1)  

Mathematics

Choose one course from below:
MTH 112. *Elementary Functions (4)
MTH 241. *Calculus for Management and Social Science (4)
MTH 245. *Mathematics for Management, Life, and Social Sciences (4)
MTH 251. *Differential Calculus (4)

Measurements

Choose one course from the area most related to student's interests:

Biological/Physical Science
BI 371. ^Ecological Methods (3)
BOT 440. Field Methods in Vegetation Science (4)
FOR 321. Forest Mensuration (5)
FOR 422. Research Methods in Social Science (4)
FW 255. Field Sampling of Fish and Wildlife (3)
GEO 451. Environmental Site Planning (3)
HDFS 361. Applied Research Methods (4)
PS 400. Political Analysis (4)
RNG 441. Rangeland Analysis (4)
SOC 418. Qualitative Research Methods (4)

Social Science

FOR 422. Research Methods in Social Science (4)
HDFS 361. Applied Research Methods (4)
PS 400. Political Analysis (4)
SOC 418. Qualitative Research Methods (4)

Natural Resource Decision Making

NR 455. Natural Resource Decision Making (4)

Natural Resource Policy

Choose one course from below:
FOR 460. ^Forest Policy (4)
FOR 462. Natural Resource Policy and Law (3)
GEO 335. *Introduction to Water Science and Policy (3)
PS 474. Natural Resource Policy and Bureaucratic Politics (4)
PS 475. Environmental Politics and Policy (4)
PS 477. International Environmental Politics and Policy (4)

Resource Economics

Choose one course from below:
AREC 351. *Natural Resource Economics and Policy (3)
AREC 352. *Environmental Economics and Policy (3)
FOR 330. Forest Resource Economics I (4)
FOR 432. Economics of Recreation Resources (4)

Society and Natural Resources

Choose one course from below:
ANTH 110. *Introduction to Cultural Anthropology (3)
FOR 251. Recreation Resource Management (4)
FOR 355. Management for Multiple Resource Values (3)
FS 492. Ecosystem Services Ecology, Sociology, Policy (3)

Soil Science

CSS 205. *Soil Science (4) [Taught at EOU LaGrande campus only.]
   or CSS 305. Principles of Soil Science (4) [Taught at EOU La Grande campus only.]
   or  SOIL 205. *Soil Science (4)

Statistics

Choose one course from below:
ST 201. Principles of Statistics (4)
ST 351. Introduction to Statistical Methods (4)

Vegetation ID

Choose one course from below:
BOT 321. Plant Systematics (4)
BOT 414. Agrostology (4)
BOT 425. Flora of the Pacific Northwest (3)
FOR 141. Tree and Shrub Identification (3)
FOR 241. Dendrology (5)
HORT 226. Landscape Plant Materials I: Deciduous Hardwoods and Conifers (4)
HORT 228. Landscape Plant Materials II: Spring Flowering Trees and Shrubs (4)
RNG 353. Wildland Plant Identification (4)

Water Science

Choose one course from below:
FE 430. Watershed Processes (4)
FW 326. Integrated Watershed Management (3)
RNG 355. Desert Watershed Management (3)
OC 331. Introduction to Oceanography (3)
OC 332. Coastal Oceanography (3)

Note: Particular option programs may specify additional core courses to assure that students meet prerequisites for option courses, or develop background in fields important for the option. Students should not assume that the core courses listed above include all of the necessary background in science or math for every option.

Breadth (21)

Students must complete one course from each of the following groups:

Fisheries and Wildlife (Choose one)

FOR/FW/RNG 346. Topics in Wildland Fire (3)
FOR/FW 445. Ecological Restoration (4)
FOR/FW/RNG 446. Wildland Fire Ecology (3)
FW 311. Ornithology (3)
FW 315. Ichthyology (3)
FW 317. Mammalogy (3)
FW 320. Introductory Population Dynamics (4)
FW 321. Applied Community and Ecosystem Ecology (3)
FW 323. Management Principles of Pacific Salmon in the NW (3)
FW 350. *Endangered Species, Society and Sustainability (3)
FW 427. Principles of Wildlife Diseases (4)
FW 435. ^Wildlife in Agricultural Ecosystems (3)
FW 451. Avian Conservation and Management (5)
FW 453/FS 453. Forest Management and Wildlife Conservation (3)
FW 454. ^Fishery Biology (4)
FW 458. Mammal Conservation and Management (4)
FW 465. Marine Fisheries (4)
FW 473. Fish Ecology (4)
FW 481. Wildlife Ecology (4)

Forestry (Choose one)

BOT/FS 415. Forest Insect and Disease Management (5)
FE 370. Harvesting Operations (4)
FOR 341. Forest Ecology (3)
FOR 342. Forest Types of the Northwest (3)
FOR/FW/RNG 346. Topics in Wildland Fire (3)
FOR/HORT 350. Urban Forestry (3)
FOR/RNG 436. Wildland Fire Science and Management (4)
FOR 441. Silviculture Principles (4)
FOR/FW 445. Ecological Restoration (4)
FOR/FW/RNG 446. Wildland Fire Ecology (3)
FOR/FE 456. *International Forestry (3)
FOR 457. Techniques for Forest Resource Analysis (4)
FOR 459. Forest Resource Planning and Decision Making (4)
FOR 460. ^Forest Policy (4)
FS/FW 453. Forest Management and Wildlife Conservation (3)
FS/NR/RNG 477. *Agroforestry (3)
WSE 470. *Forests, Wood, and Civilization (3)

Land and Water (Choose one)

CSS/SOIL 395. *World Soil Resources (3)
CSS/SOIL 466. Soil Morphology and Classification (4)
FE 430. Watershed Processes (4)
FW 456. Limnology (5)
FW 479. Wetlands and Riparian Ecology (3)
GEO 306. *Minerals, Energy, Water, and the Environment (3)
GEO 307. *National Park Geology and Preservation (3)
GEO 308. *Global Change and Earth Sciences (3)
GEO 335. *Introduction to Water Science and Policy (3)
GEO 424. International Water Resources Management (3)
GEO 425. Water Resources Management in U.S. (3)
GEO 429. Topics in Resource Geography (3)
RNG 355. Desert Watershed Management (3)
RNG 455. Riparian Ecology and Management (3)

Political Dimensions (Choose one)

AREC 432. Environmental Law (4)
AREC/PS/SOC 407. Seminar: Current Issues in Rural Policy (4)
BI 301. *Human Impacts on Ecosystems (3)
FOR 351. Recreation Behavior and Management (4)
FOR 352. Wilderness Management (3)
FOR 365. *Issues in Natural Resources Conservation (3)
FOR 454. Managing at the Wildland-Urban Interface (3)
FOR 462. Natural Resource Policy and Law (3)
FW 325. *Global Crises in Resource Ecology (3)
FW 350. *Endangered Species, Society and Sustainability (3)
GEO 300. *Sustainability for the Common Good (3)
GEO 335. *Introduction to Water Science and Policy (3)
GEO 423. Land Use in the American West (3)
HST 481. *Environmental History of the United States (4)
PS 449. ^Topics in Comparative Politics: Environmental Politics and Policy (4)
PS 474. Natural Resource Policy and Bureaucratic Politics (4)
PS 475. Environmental Politics and Policy (4)
PS 476. *Science and Politics (4)
PS 477. International Environmental Politics and Policy (4)
SOC/ANS/FW 485. *Consensus and Natural Resources (3)

Range (Choose one)

FOR/FW/RNG 346. Topics in Wildland Fire (3)
FOR/RNG 436. Wildland Fire Science and Management (4)
FOR/FW 445. Ecological Restoration (4)
FOR/FW/RNG 446. Wildland Fire Ecology (3)
RNG 341. Rangeland Ecology and Management (3)
RNG 351. Range Ecology I-Grasslands (3)
RNG 352. Range Ecology II-Shrublands (3)
RNG 421. Wildland Restoration and Ecology (4)
RNG 441. Rangeland Analysis (4)
RNG 442. Rangeland-Animal Relations (4)
FS/NR/RNG 477. *Agroforestry (3)
RNG 490. Rangeland Management Planning (4)

Resource Values/Philosophy (Choose one)

AG 301. *Ecosystem Science of Pacific NW Indians (3)
ANTH 481. *Natural Resources and Community Values (3)
ANTH 482. *Anthropology of International Development (4)
FOR 453. Nature-Based Tourism (3)
FW 340. *Multicultural Perspectives in Natural Resources (3)
GEO 309. *Environmental Justice (3)
GEO 420. Geography of Resource Use (3)
HST 481. *Environmental History of the United States (4)
PHL 440. Environmental Ethics (3)
PHL 443. *World Views and Environmental Values (3)

Social Issues (Choose one)

ANTH 330. *Evolution of People, Technology, and Society (3)
FOR 351. Recreation Behavior and Management (4)
FOR 352. Wilderness Management (3)
FOR 371. Eco and Adventure Tourism (3)[Cascades Campus only]
FOR 453. Nature-Based Tourism (3)
FOR 459. Forest Resource Planning and Decision Making (4)
FOR 493. Environmental Interpretation (4)
FS 492. Ecosystem Services Ecology, Sociology, Policy (3)
SOC 360. *Population Trends and Policy (4)
SOC 424. Social Psychology (4)
SOC 454. *Leisure and Culture (4)
SOC 456. *Science and Technology in Social Context (4)
SOC 475. Rural Sociology (4)
SOC 480. *Environmental Sociology (4)
SOC 481. *Society and Natural Resources (4)
SOC/ANS/FW 485. *Consensus and Natural Resources (3)
WGSS/WS 440. *Women and Natural Resources (3)

Footnotes:

* Baccalaureate Core Course
^ Writing Intensive Course (WIC)

Major Code: 671

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