Natural Resources Undergraduate Major (BS, HBS)
This program is available at the following locations:
- Corvallis
- Ecampus
- OSU-Cascades
Options available:
- Conservation Law Enforcement
- Ecological Restoration
- Fish and Wildlife Conservation
- Forest Ecosystems
- Human Dimensions in Natural Resources
- Individualized Specialty
- Integrated Conservation Analysis
- Landscape Analysis
- Natural Resource Education
- Policy and Management
- Urban Forest Landscapes
- Wildland Fire Ecology
Students who graduate with a BS degree in Natural Resources from OSU should be able to integrate technical field or laboratory skills with analytical skills to solve critical natural resource problems. The curriculum is designed to help students acquire knowledge about a range of natural resource issues, work in interdisciplinary teams, and deal with social and political aspects of resource management.
Students acquire knowledge in biophysical and social sciences, math, and statistics. They will learn holistic resource management approaches that emphasize the inter-connectedness of humans and the environment. In addition, students will develop a toolbox of resource management skills such as communication, collaboration, analysis, assessment, and planning. They explore conservation and management of key resources which include fish and wildlife, land and water resources, and a wide range of ecosystems from forests to rangelands. Students develop disciplinary depth in a focused area through a required specialty option, choosing from a number of preapproved options, or creating an individualized (student designed) specialty option.
The Natural Resources major is also available at the OSU-Cascades campus in Bend and through the OSU Ecampus program. The Natural Resources major is an interdisciplinary program administered by the College of Forestry.
Contact Information
Ron Reuter, Director
Terina McLachlain, Program Manager
116L Peavy Forest Science Center
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331-5703
Phone: 541-737-2088
Email: terina.mclachlain@oregonstate.edu
Website: https://www.forestry.oregonstate.edu/undergraduate-programs/natural-resources
Major Code: 671
Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:
- Describe ecological processes, including human impacts that influence ecosystem change, natural succession and the future sustainability of natural resources.
- Characterize natural resources and be able to quantify at least one of these resources.
- Envision desired future conditions in an area to achieve a set of natural resource-related objectives, prescribe management actions needed to achieve those objectives, and evaluate success of these actions.
- Describe how the use, management, and allocation of natural resources are affected by laws, policies, economic factors (both market and non-market), and characteristics (including demographic, cultural, ethnic, and “values” differences) of private and public resource owners and users.
- Communicate effectively, orally and in writing, with audiences of diverse backgrounds.
- Work effectively with, and within, interdisciplinary and diverse groups to resolve management problems and achieve management objectives.
Only two courses used to complete the Natural Resources major requirements may be taken S/U.
A Specialty Option is required for the Natural Resources major.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Major Requirements | ||
| Interdisciplinary Foundations | ||
| FES 485 | *CONSENSUS AND NATURAL RESOURCES | 3 |
| NR 201 | MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE | 3 |
| NR 202 | NATURAL RESOURCE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS | 3 |
| NR 455 | NATURAL RESOURCE DECISION MAKING | 4 |
| Advanced Communication | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| *COMMUNICATING GLOBAL AGRICULTURE & NATURAL RESOURCES ISSUES | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO COMMUNICATION THEORY | ||
| SMALL-GROUP PROBLEM SOLVING | ||
| COMMUNICATION IN ORGANIZATIONS | ||
| INTERCULTURAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| NONVERBAL COMMUNICATION | ||
| COMMUNICATION AND CULTURE IN CYBERSPACE | ||
| THEORIES OF CONFLICT AND CONFLICT MANAGEMENT | ||
| BARGAINING AND NEGOTIATION PROCESSES | ||
| FOREST AS CLASSROOM | ||
| EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATION OF ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGE SCIENCE | ||
| CRITICAL THINKING FOR NATURAL RESOURCE CHALLENGES | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL INTERPRETATION | ||
| *SCIENCE WRITING | ||
| ^ENVIRONMENTAL WRITING | ||
| Biological Sciences | ||
| Biology | ||
| Select one group of courses from the following: 1 | 12 | |
| *ENVIRONMENTAL BIOLOGY: ECOLOGY, CONSERVATION, GLOBAL CHANGE and *ANIMAL BIOLOGY: GENES, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION OF LIFE and *HUMAN BIOLOGY: ANATOMY, PHYSIOLOGY AND DISEASE | ||
| *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY I and *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY II and *INTRODUCTORY BIOLOGY III | ||
| *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: CELLS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: ORGANISMS and *PRINCIPLES OF BIOLOGY: POPULATIONS | ||
| Chemistry | ||
| CH 121 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY | 5 |
| or CH 231 & CH 261 | GENERAL CHEMISTRY and *LABORATORY FOR CHEMISTRY 231 | |
| Climate Science | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| +*CLIMATE SCIENCE | ||
| *SNOW, SMOKE, AND STORMS: CLIMATE CHANGE IMPACTS IN THE PNW | ||
| *GLOBAL CHANGE BIOLOGY | ||
| ^CLIMATOLOGY | ||
| *INTRODUCTION TO CLIMATE CHANGE | ||
| Earth or Soil Science | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 4 | |
| *SOIL SCIENCE | ||
| +*PLANET EARTH | ||
| *PHYSICAL GEOLOGY | ||
| *EARTH SYSTEMS SCIENCE | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL GEOLOGY | ||
| *PHYSICAL GEOGRAPHY | ||
| SOIL SCIENCE and *FOREST SOILS LABORATORY FOR SOIL 205 (or SOIL 206) | ||
| Ecology | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| MARINE ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGY | ||
| PLANT ECOLOGY | ||
| FOREST ECOLOGY | ||
| Mathematics and Statistics | ||
| Mathematics | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 4 | |
| +*PRECALCULUS II: TRIGONOMETRY | ||
| *CALCULUS FOR MANAGEMENT AND SOCIAL SCIENCE | ||
| *MATHEMATICS FOR MANAGEMENT, LIFE, AND SOCIAL SCIENCES | ||
| *DIFFERENTIAL CALCULUS | ||
| Statistics | ||
| ST 243Z | ELEMENTARY STATISTICS I | 4 |
| or ST 351 | INTRODUCTION TO STATISTICAL METHODS | |
| Resource Management | ||
| Animal ID | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 2-4 | |
| FOREST ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| TERRESTRIAL VERTEBRATE IDENTIFICATION AND NATURAL HISTORY | ||
| SYSTEMATICS OF BIRDS | ||
| SYSTEMATICS OF FISHES | ||
| SYSTEMATICS OF MAMMALS | ||
| BIOLOGY OF INSECTS | ||
| HERPETOLOGY | ||
| AQUATIC ENTOMOLOGY | ||
| Environmental Assessment and Planning | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| ECOSYSTEM SERVICES | ||
| *LAND USE PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES | ||
| LAND USE IN THE AMERICAN WEST | ||
| PLANNING PRINCIPLES AND PRACTICES FOR RESILIENT COMMUNITIES | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL ASSESSMENT | ||
| RANGELAND RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| HABITAT ANALYSIS 1: HABITAT USE AND MOVEMENT | ||
| RANGELAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING | ||
| *SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT | ||
| ^AG AND ENVIRONMENTAL PREDICAMENTS: A CASE STUDY APPROACH | ||
| *SUSTAINABLE COMMUNITIES | ||
| PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE RECREATION | ||
| PLANNING FOR SUSTAINABLE TOURISM | ||
| SCIENTIFIC METHODS FOR ANALYZING NATURAL RESOURCE PROBLEMS | ||
| *EVALUATING SUSTAINABILITY THROUGH LIFE CYCLE ANALYSIS | ||
| Fisheries and Marine Sciences | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| INTRODUCTION TO MARINE BIOLOGY | ||
| *OCEANS IN PERIL | ||
| MARINE ECOLOGY | ||
| BIOLOGY AND CONSERVATION OF MARINE MAMMALS | ||
| INTRODUCTORY POPULATION DYNAMICS | ||
| MANAGEMENT PRINCIPLES OF PACIFIC SALMON IN THE NORTHWEST | ||
| COASTAL ECOLOGY AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| ^FISHERY BIOLOGY | ||
| FISH ECOLOGY | ||
| WILDLIFE ECOLOGY | ||
| *OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| +*INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| COASTAL OCEANOGRAPHY | ||
| Forestry | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| *INTERNATIONAL FORESTRY | ||
| *FOREST BIOLOGY | ||
| FOREST ECOLOGY | ||
| FOREST TYPES OF THE NORTHWEST | ||
| URBAN FORESTRY | ||
| WILDLAND FIRE ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MANAGED FORESTS | ||
| *AGROFORESTRY | ||
| TOPICS IN WILDLAND FIRE | ||
| SILVICULTURE PRINCIPLES | ||
| Land and Water | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-5 | |
| WATERSHED PROCESSES | ||
| FOREST WATERSHED MANAGEMENT | ||
| INTEGRATED WATERSHED MANAGEMENT | ||
| FRESHWATER ECOLOGY AND CONSERVATION | ||
| WETLANDS AND RIPARIAN ECOLOGY | ||
| *MINERALS, ENERGY, WATER AND THE ENVIRONMENT | ||
| *NATIONAL PARK GEOLOGY AND PRESERVATION | ||
| *GLOBAL CHANGE AND EARTH SCIENCES | ||
| *INTRODUCTION TO WATER SCIENCE AND POLICY | ||
| CONFLICT, COOPERATION, AND CONTROL OF WATER IN THE US | ||
| THE WORLD'S WATER | ||
| RIPARIAN ECOHYDROLOGY AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ECOSYSTEMS OF WILDLAND SOILS | ||
| SOIL SYSTEMS AND PLANT GROWTH | ||
| ^WORLD SOIL RESOURCES | ||
| SOIL MORPHOLOGY AND CLASSIFICATION | ||
| Range | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| WILDLAND FIRE ECOLOGY | ||
| ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION | ||
| TOPICS IN WILDLAND FIRE | ||
| PRINCIPLES OF RANGELAND ECOLOGY AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ECOLOGY OF GRASSLAND ECOSYSTEMS | ||
| ECOLOGY OF SHRUBLAND ECOSYSTEMS | ||
| RANGELAND RESTORATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| VEGETATION MONITORING AND ANALYSIS | ||
| RANGELAND-ANIMAL RELATIONS | ||
| RANGELAND MANAGEMENT PLANNING | ||
| Vegetation ID | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| PLANT SYSTEMATICS | ||
| FLORA OF THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST | ||
| MYCOLOGY | ||
| DENDROLOGY | ||
| LANDSCAPE PLANT MATERIALS I: DECIDUOUS HARDWOODS AND CONIFERS | ||
| LANDSCAPE PLANT MATERIALS II: SPRING FLOWERING TREES AND SHRUBS | ||
| WILDLAND PLANT IDENTIFICATION | ||
| Wildlife Management | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| PRINCIPLES OF FISH AND WILDLIFE CONSERVATION | ||
| INTRODUCTORY POPULATION DYNAMICS | ||
| APPLIED COMMUNITY AND ECOSYSTEM ECOLOGY | ||
| ^WILDLIFE IN AGRICULTURAL ECOSYSTEMS | ||
| AVIAN CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION IN MANAGED FORESTS | ||
| MAMMAL CONSERVATION AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| WILDLIFE ECOLOGY | ||
| ANIMAL BEHAVIOR | ||
| Social and Political Dimensions | ||
| Ethics and Philosophy | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| *ECOSYSTEM SCIENCE OF PACIFIC NW INDIANS | ||
| *ANTHROPOLOGY, HEALTH, AND ENVIRONMENT | ||
| ECOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY | ||
| *NATURAL RESOURCES AND COMMUNITY VALUES | ||
| *ANTHROPOLOGY OF INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT | ||
| *MULTICULTURAL PERSPECTIVES IN NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| *TRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL HISTORY OF THE UNITED STATES | ||
| CRITICAL THINKING FOR NATURAL RESOURCE CHALLENGES | ||
| NATURE IN STORYTELLING OVER THE CENTURIES | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL ETHICS | ||
| *WORLD VIEWS AND ENVIRONMENTAL VALUES | ||
| *SUSTAINABILITY, JUSTICE, AND ENGAGEMENT | ||
| Natural Resource Policy | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| ENVIRONMENTAL LAW | ||
| ^PUBLIC LANDS POLICY AND MANAGEMENT | ||
| ^FOREST POLICY | ||
| FOREST POLICY ANALYSIS | ||
| ^FOREST POLICY AND REGULATION | ||
| FISHERIES AND WILDLIFE LAW AND POLICY | ||
| INTRODUCTION TO OCEAN LAW | ||
| US ENERGY POLICY | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| Political Issues | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| *PESTS, PLAGUES AND POLITICS | ||
| *ENDANGERED SPECIES, SOCIETY AND SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| *WHEN SCIENCE ESCAPES THE LAB: SCIENCE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| *THE POLITICS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | ||
| ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| SCIENCE AND POLITICS | ||
| INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL POLITICS AND POLICY | ||
| Economics | ||
| AEC 250 | *INTRODUCTION TO ENVIRONMENTAL ECONOMICS AND POLICY | 4 |
| or ECON 201 | +*INTRODUCTION TO MICROECONOMICS | |
| Social Issues | ||
| Select one course from the following: | ||
| *HUMAN IMPACTS ON ECOSYSTEMS | ||
| *HUMAN ECOLOGY | ||
| *ISSUES IN NATURAL RESOURCES CONSERVATION | ||
| *GLOBAL CRISES IN RESOURCE ECOLOGY | ||
| *HUMAN DIMENSIONS OF CLIMATE CHANGE | ||
| *TRANSFORMING ENVIRONMENTAL CONFLICTS | ||
| *SUSTAINABILITY FOR THE COMMON GOOD | ||
| RESILIENCE-BASED NATURAL RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| *WHEN SCIENCE ESCAPES THE LAB: SCIENCE AND RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| *OCEANS, COASTS, AND PEOPLE | ||
| SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| RURAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| *ENVIRONMENTAL SOCIOLOGY | ||
| *SOCIETY AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| SOCIAL DIMENSIONS OF SUSTAINABILITY | ||
| RECREATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT | ||
| OUTDOOR RECREATION MANAGEMENT ON PUBLIC LANDS | ||
| NATURE, ECO, AND ADVENTURE TOURISM | ||
| COMMUNITIES, NATURAL AREAS, AND SUSTAINABLE TOURISM | ||
| *PARKS AND PROTECTED AREAS MANAGEMENT | ||
| *WOMEN AND NATURAL RESOURCES | ||
| Spatial Analysis | ||
| Select one course from the following: | 3-4 | |
| PRECISION AGRICULTURE | ||
| GIS AND FOREST ENGINEERING APPLICATIONS | ||
| SURVEY OF GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS IN NATURAL RESOURCE | ||
| *FOUNDATIONS OF GEOSPATIAL SCIENCE AND GIS | ||
| GISCIENCE I: GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEMS AND THEORY | ||
| Specialty Option 2 | 37 | |
| Remaining Bacc Core and Electives | 36-54 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |
- *
Baccalaureate Core Course (BCC)
- ^
Writing Intensive Course (WIC)
- +
Core Education course. Applies only to students admitted to an OSU undergraduate degree from Summer 2025 onwards
- 1
The 200-level BI 2XX series is required for some specialty options
- 2
A Specialty Option is required for the Natural Resources major. The Specialty Option for the Natural Resources major is an additional 37 credits (minimum) with at least 20 upper division credits. The Specialty Option has a required minimum GPA of 2.25. Up to 6 credits of internships, projects or study abroad can be used to fulfill requirements in the Specialty Option
Major Code: 671
Degree plans are subject to change and the following is only an example of how students may complete their degree in four years. Students should consult their advisor to determine the best degree plan for them. Contact details for advisors can be found on the Academic Advising page.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credits | |
| Chemistry | 5 | |
| Mathematics | 4 | |
| HHS 231 | *LIFETIME FITNESS FOR HEALTH | 2 |
| WR 121Z | *COMPOSITION I | 4 |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| NR 201 | MANAGING NATURAL RESOURCES FOR THE FUTURE | 3 |
| Climate Science | 4 | |
| Political Issues | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Physical Activity Course (PAC) | 1 | |
| Bacc Core: Speech | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| NR 202 | NATURAL RESOURCE PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS | 3 |
| Earth or Soil Science | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Writing II | 3 | |
| Bacc Core: Western Culture | 3 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Biology I with Lab | 4 | |
| Statistics | 4 | |
| Ethics & Philosophy | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Cultural Diversity | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| Biology II with Lab | 4 | |
| Spatial Analysis | 4 | |
| Economics | 4 | |
| Bacc Core: Literature & The Arts | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Biology III with Lab | 4 | |
| Vegetation ID | 3 | |
| Forestry | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Ecology | 4 | |
| Animal Identification | 3 | |
| Fisheries & Marine Sciences | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Winter | ||
| Range | 4 | |
| Advanced Communication | 4 | |
| Wildlife Management | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| Environmental Assessment & Planning | 4 | |
| Social Issues | 4 | |
| Spatial Analysis | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Land & Water | 4 | |
| Natural Resources Policy | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 3 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 3 | |
| Credits | 14 | |
| Winter | ||
| FES 485 | *CONSENSUS AND NATURAL RESOURCES | 3 |
| Specialty Option Course | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 4 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| NR 455 | NATURAL RESOURCE DECISION MAKING | 4 |
| Specialty Option Course | 4 | |
| Specialty Option Course | 4 | |
| Elective | 3 | |
| Credits | 15 | |
| Total Credits | 180 | |