Program Learning Objectives
- Demonstrate critical-thinking problem-solving skills.
- Effectively communicate scientific and technical knowledge in a professional manner.
- Demonstrate competency in scientific and technical knowledge related to forestry, fire and fuels management, and environmental management in the following key areas:
- Forest Ecology and Biology – watershed, vegetation, and stand classification; analysis and prediction of stand dynamics; disturbance ecology;
- Measurement of Forest Resources – forest sampling and inventory, biometrics, GPS, GIS, remote sensing;
- Management of Forest Resources – develop vegetation, fuel, stand, landscape prescriptions and management plans; environmental impact analysis, profitability and valuation analysis;
- Forest Resource Policy and Administration – present and defend management plans, work in interdisciplinary (i.e., ID) teams, apply forest policies and regulations to management decisions.
- Demonstrate proficiency in quantitative skills and information management specific to their discipline areas.
- Exhibit an understanding of their professional and ethical responsibilities as forest managers, natural resources managers, environmental managers, including respect for diversity.
- Promote life-long learning habits by exposing students to the discovery process of applied research and demonstration projects conducted by the faculty.
Degree Requirements and Curriculum
In addition to the program requirements listed on this page, student must also satisfy requirements outlined in more detail in the Minimum Requirements for Graduation section of this catalog, including:
- 60 units of upper-division courses
- Graduation Writing Requirement (GWR)
- 2.0 GPA
- U.S. Cultural Pluralism (USCP)
Note: No Major, Support or Concentration courses may be selected as credit/no credit.
| MAJOR COURSES | ||
| NR 140 | Careers in Natural Resources Management and Environmental Sciences | 1 |
| or UNIV 100 | University Studies | |
| NR 141 | Introduction to Forest Ecosystem Management | 3 |
| NR 204 | Wildland Fire Control | 3 |
| NR 208 | Dendrology | 4 |
| NR 215 | Land and Resource Measurements | 1 |
| NR/LA 218 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (GIS) | 3 |
| NR 260 | Forest Operations | 4 |
| NR 305 | Forest Ecology and Silvics | 4 |
| NR 307 | Fire Ecology | 3 |
| NR 308 | Fire and Society (Upper-Division D) 1 | 4 |
| NR 310 | Global Climate Change (Upper-Division B) 1 | 4 |
| NR 315 | Forest Mensuration | 4 |
| NR 320 | Watershed Processes and Management | 4 |
| NR 326 | Natural Resources Economics and Valuation | 4 |
| NR 335 | Conflict Management in Natural Resources | 4 |
| NR 350 | Urban Forestry | 3 |
| NR 365 | Silviculture and Fuels Management | 4 |
| NR 402 | Forest Health | 4 |
| NR 414 | Sustainable Forest Management | 4 |
| Select from the following: 2 | 12 | |
| Environmental Impact Analysis and Management and Environmental Policy Analysis and Senior Project - Ecosystem Management | ||
| Forest Stewardship Practices and Senior Project - Forest Stewardship | ||
| Concentration (26-28 units) or Approved Electives (14 units) in combination with Free Electives 3, 4 | 14-28 | |
| SUPPORT COURSES | ||
| ASCI 239 | Principles of Rangeland Management 5 | 4 |
| or BIO 227 | Wildlife Conservation Biology | |
| or BIO 363 | Principles of Conservation Biology | |
| or BIO 427 | Wildlife Management | |
| or PHYS 121 | College Physics I | |
| BOT 121 | General Botany (B2 & B3) 1 | 4 |
| BRAE 237 | Introduction to Engineering Surveying | 2-4 |
| or BRAE 239 | Engineering Surveying | |
| BRAE 345 | Aerial Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing | 3 |
| CHEM 127 | General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science I (B1 & B3) 1 | 4 |
| MATH 161 | Calculus for the Life Sciences I (B4) 1, 6 | 4 |
| or MATH 221 | Calculus for Business and Economics | |
| SS 120 | Introductory Soil Science | 4 |
| STAT 217 | Introduction to Statistical Concepts and Methods (GE Electives) 1 | 4 |
| or STAT 218 | Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences | |
| GENERAL EDUCATION (GE) | ||
| (See GE program requirements below.) | 48 | |
| FREE ELECTIVES | ||
| Free Electives | 0-12 | |
| Total units | 180-184 | |
| 1 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
| 2 | Students must choose to take either NR 416, NR 435, and NR 465 or NR 474 and NR 475. |
| 3 | Unless a concentration is declared, the default will be a combination of Approved Electives and Free Electives. |
| 4 | Students who do not declare a concentration are encouraged to use Approved Electives and Free Electives to earn a minor. See the below Approved Electives Guide for recommended minors. |
| 5 | Students in the Watershed Management and Hydrology concentration need to take PHYS 121 and students in the Wildlife Biology concentration need to take BIO 427 to meet prerequisites for courses in the concentration. |
| 6 | Students in the Watershed Management and Hydrology concentration need to take MATH 161 to meet prerequisites for courses in the concentration. |
Concentrations
Approved Electives Guide
Approved Electives are courses that support the below career areas. Refer to number(s) next to each course to identify which courses align with each of the career areas. Consultation with an advisor is recommended prior to selecting Approved Electives; bear in mind your selections may impact pursuit of post-baccalaureate studies and/or goals.
- Climate Change Science
- Environmental Mitigation Strategies
- Environmental Policy and Management
- Environmental Soil Science
- Forest and Environmental Practices
- Geology
- Geospatial Technology
- Sustainable Agriculture
- Urban Forestry
Additionally, a student may earn one or more of the following minors through the appropriate selection of Approved Electives in combination with Free Electives (refer to advising materials for minor):
- Anthropology and Geography
- Biology
- Geographic Information Systems for Agriculture
- Geology
- Indigenous Studies in Natural Resources and the Environment
- Sustainable Environments
- Water Science
| Approved Electives | ||
| Select from the following: | ||
If a course is taken to meet a Major or Support requirement, it cannot be double-counted as an Approved Elective. | ||
| Principles of Organic Crop Production 8 | ||
| Internship in Agriculture 8 | ||
| The Global Environment 8 | ||
| Holistic Management 5, 8 | ||
| Agricultural Economics 8 | ||
| Agricultural Policy 8 | ||
| Agricultural Personnel Management 8 | ||
| Agricultural Communications 5 | ||
| Cultural Anthropology 1 | ||
or ANT 202 | World History Before Writing | |
or GEOG 150 | Human Geography | |
| Biological Anthropology 1 | ||
| Principles of Animal Science 8 | ||
| Introduction to Beef Production 8 | ||
| Systems of Small Ruminant Management 8 | ||
| Advanced Beef Cattle System Management 8 | ||
| California Rangeland & Ranch Resource Management 1,2,3,8 | ||
| Applied Practices for Monitoring California Rangelands 1,2,3,8 | ||
| Vertebrate Field Zoology 2 | ||
| Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates 2 | ||
| Wildlife Management 2 | ||
| Plant Physiology 5 | ||
| Spatial Ecology 2,7 | ||
| Plant Pathology 8 | ||
| Agricultural Machinery Safety 8 | ||
| Agricultural Power and Machinery Management 8 | ||
| Design Graphics and CAD for Agricultural Engineering | ||
| Engineering Surveying 7 | ||
| Aquacultural Engineering 1,2,3,8 | ||
| Irrigation Water Management 5, 8 | ||
| Aerial Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing 7 | ||
| Energy for a Sustainable Society 1 | ||
| Water for a Sustainable Society 1,2,3,8 | ||
| Advanced Surveying with GIS Applications 7 | ||
| Design Principles in Civil Engineering 7 | ||
| Computer Aided Drafting in Civil Engineering 7 | ||
| General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science II 4 | ||
| General Chemistry for Agriculture and Life Science III 4 | ||
| Organic Chemistry: Fundamentals and Applications 4 | ||
| Introduction to Urban Planning 3, 5, 7, 9 | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Planning 5, 7 | ||
| Land Use Law 3, 5 | ||
| Microeconomics 3 | ||
| Environmental Economics 3 | ||
| Sustainable Environments 8 | ||
| Writing Arguments about STEM 1, 2, 3 | ||
| Writing Sustainability 1, 2, 3 | ||
| Environmental Engineering Research | ||
| Rocks and Minerals 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 | ||
| Physical Geography 1 | ||
| Soil Erosion and Water Conservation 4, 8 | ||
| Climate and Humanity 1 | ||
| Global and Regional Climatology 1 | ||
| Applied Meteorology and Climatology 1 | ||
| Field-Geology Methods 6 | ||
| Geologic Mapping 6 | ||
| Geomorphology 4, 6 | ||
| Applied Environmental Groundwater Hydrology 4 | ||
| Applied Environmental Contaminant Transport 4 | ||
| Global Geography 1 | ||
| Applications in Remote Sensing and GIS 1, 7 | ||
| Biodiversity and Biogeography Methods | ||
| Physical Geology 6 | ||
| Geologic Excursions 6 | ||
| Physical Geology Laboratory 6 | ||
| Seismology and Earth Structure 6 | ||
| Igneous Petrology | ||
| Metamorphic Petrology | ||
| Principles of Stratigraphy 6 | ||
| Structural Geology 6 | ||
| Applied Geophysics 6 | ||
| News Reporting and Writing 5 | ||
| Calculus II 6 | ||
or MATH 162 | Calculus for the Life Sciences II | |
| Microbiology 5 | ||
| Microbial Ecology 5 | ||
| Environmental Management 8 | ||
| Special Problems for Undergraduates 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9 | ||
| Resource Law Enforcement 5,9 | ||
| Wildland Fire Control 5, 9 | ||
| Fire and Society 5 | ||
| Technology of Wildland Fire Management 5 | ||
| Social Dimensions of Sustainable Food and Fiber Systems 8 | ||
| Internship in Forest and Natural Resources 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | ||
| Wildland Fire Management 5, 8, 9 | ||
| Urban Forestry 5, 9 | ||
| Drone Assisted Surveying 4 | ||
| Ethnicity and the Land 5 | ||
| Undergraduate Seminar 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | ||
| Special Problems for Advanced Undergraduates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | ||
| Environmental Law 2, 3, 5, 8, 9 | ||
| Indigenous Peoples and International Law and Policy 9 | ||
| Water Resource Law and Policy 2, 3, 5, 8 | ||
| Agricultural Law 1, 2, 3, 4, 8 | ||
| Applied GIS 1, 5, 7, 9 | ||
| Watershed Assessment and Protection 5 | ||
| Wetlands 2, 4, 5 | ||
| Stream Measurements and Water Quality Monitoring 5, 9 | ||
| Wood Properties, Products and Sustainable Uses 5, 9 | ||
| Systems Thinking in Environmental Management 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9 | ||
| Wildland-Urban Fire Protection 5, 9 | ||
| Leadership Practice 3, 5 | ||
| Environmental Ethics 3 | ||
| College Physics II 6 | ||
or PHYS 142 | General Physics II | |
| Landscape Installation and Maintenance 5, 9 | ||
| Plant Propagation 5, 9 | ||
| Organic Enterprise Project 8 | ||
| Environmental Horticulture 8, 9 | ||
| Plant Materials I 5, 9 | ||
| Plant Materials II 5, 9 | ||
| Precision Farming 7, 8 | ||
| Agricultural Entomology 8 | ||
| Weed Biology and Management 5, 8 | ||
| Vertebrate Pest Management 5 | ||
| Abiotic Plant Problems 9 | ||
| Native Plants for California Landscapes 8, 9 | ||
| Organic Crop Production Systems 8 | ||
| Arboriculture 5, 9 | ||
| Insect Pest Management 8 | ||
| Biological Control for Pest Management 8 | ||
| Current Issues in the Strawberry Industry 8 | ||
| American and California Government 3 | ||
| Judicial Process 3 | ||
| World Food Systems | ||
| American Constitutional Law 3 | ||
| Civil Rights in America 3 | ||
| Civil Liberties 3 | ||
| Physical Oceanography 1 | ||
| Introduction to Parks and Outdoor Recreation 3 | ||
| Experience Design 3 | ||
| Leadership and Diverse Groups 2 | ||
| Environmental and Wilderness Education 3 | ||
| Leadership in Outdoor Experiences 3 | ||
| Soil Health and Plant Nutrition 4, 5, 8 | ||
| Soil Morphology 3, 4, 5, 7 | ||
| Soil Plant Relationships 4, 8 | ||
| Soil Ecology 4 | ||
| Environmental Soil and Water Chemistry 4 | ||
| Digital Soil Mapping 3, 4, 5, 7, 9 | ||
| Forest and Range Soils 4, 5, 7, 9 | ||
| Soil Judging 4 | ||
| Appropriate Technology for the World's People: Development 8 | ||
| Basic Viticulture 8 | ||
| Advanced Viticulture - Fall 8 | ||
| Advanced Viticulture - Winter 8 | ||
| Advanced Viticulture - Spring 8 | ||
| Winegrape Vineyard Management 8 | ||
Any SCM course and any upper-division AG, ANT, BIO, BOT, BRAE, CHEM, COMS, CRP, EDES, ERSC, GEOG, GEOL, JOUR, LA, MCRO, NR, PLSC, RPTA, SS or UNIV courses | ||
General Education (GE) Requirements
- 72 units required, 24 of which are specified in Major and/or Support.
- If any of the remaining 48 units is used to satisfy a Major or Support requirement, additional units of Free Electives may be needed to complete the total units required for the degree.
- See the complete GE course listing.
- A grade of C- or better is required in one course in each of the following GE Areas: A1 (Oral Communication), A2 (Written Communication), A3 (Critical Thinking), and B4 (Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning).
| Area A | English Language Communication and Critical Thinking | |
| A1 | Oral Communication | 4 |
| A2 | Written Communication | 4 |
| A3 | Critical Thinking 1 | 4 |
| Area B | Scientific Inquiry and Quantitative Reasoning | |
| B1 | Physical Science (4 units in Support) 2 | 0 |
| B2 | Life Science (4 units in Support) 2 | 0 |
| B3 | One lab taken with either a B1 or B2 course | |
| B4 | Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning (4 units in Support) 2 | 0 |
| Upper-Division B (4 units in Major) 2 | 0 | |
| Area C | Arts and Humanities | |
| Lower-division courses in Area C must come from three different subject prefixes. | ||
| C1 | Arts: Arts, Cinema, Dance, Music, Theater | 4 |
| C2 | Humanities: Literature, Philosophy, Languages other than English | 4 |
| Lower-Division C Elective - Select a course from either C1 or C2 | 4 | |
| Upper-Division C 3 | 4 | |
| Area D | Social Sciences - Select courses in Area D from at least two different prefixes | |
| D1 | American Institutions (Title 5, Section 40404 Requirement) | 4 |
| D2 | Lower-Division D | 4 |
| Upper-Division D (4 units in Major) 2 | 0 | |
| Area E | Lifelong Learning and Self-Development | |
| Lower-Division E | 4 | |
| Area F | Ethnic Studies | |
| F | Ethnic Studies | 4 |
| GE Electives in Areas B, C, and D | ||
| Select courses from two different areas; may be lower-division or upper-division courses. | ||
| GE Electives (4 units in Support plus 4 units in GE) 2 | 4 | |
| Total units | 48 | |
| 1 | Recommended course to satisfy GE Area A3: ENGL 147. |
| 2 | Required in Major or Support; also satisfies General Education (GE) requirement. |
| 3 | Recommended course to satisfy GE Area Upper-division C: NR 360 or ENGL 316. |
San Luis Obispo, California 93407