ESRM: Natural Resource and Environmental Management Academic Requirements
In the ESRM: Natural Resource and Environmental Management (NREM) Option, students complete the foundation ESRM coursework and then fill their major elective requirement with coursework in applied aspects of landscape ecology. NREM students learn to create, sustain, and/or alter landscapes for biological diversity.
Landscape ecology is an integrated approach to studying the interaction of physical, biological and social processes on ecological systems at a wide range of spatial scales. The NREM option focuses on applied aspects of landscape ecology that create, sustain and alter landscapes to achieve biological diversity and integrity, as well as social purposes.
The Natural Resources and Environmental Management option is accredited by the Society of American Foresters through 2027.
Students earn a B.S. in Environmental Science and Terrestrial Resource Management. The Option in Natural Resources and Environmental Management is noted on student transcripts only, not the diploma.
Schedules
Schedules are available on the Academic Planning Resources Page.
ESRM: NREM Course Requirements
All pathways in ESRM require the same set of ESRM Core courses, UW General Education requirements, and fundamental Science, Math, and Social Science course content. The only distinction is in the final set of upper division course requirements (40-55 credits, depending on the pathway chosen and the classes selected within that pathway).
Required NREM Option Courses (29 credits)
ESRM 323 (5) Silviculture
ESRM 331 (3) Landscape Plant Recognition
ESRM 350 (5) Wildlife Biology and Conservation
ESRM 381 (4) Wildland Recreation and Amenities Management
ESRM 400 (3) Natural Resource Conflict Management
ESRM 426 (4) Wildland Hydrology
ESRM 470 (5) Natural Resource Policy and Planning
Ecosystem Threats Elective: Choose one course from the following list (3-5 credits)
ESRM 415 (5) Terrestrial Invasion Ecology
ESRM 420 (5) Wildland Fire Management
ESRM 435 (3) Insect Ecology
Adaptive Management Elective: Choose one course from the following list (5 credits)
ESRM 401 (5) Forest Ecology
ESRM 425 (5) Ecosystem Management
ESRM 428 (5) Principles of Silviculture and Their Application
ESRM 461 (5) Forest Management and Economics
SEFS 540 (5) Optimization Techniques for Natural Resources
Economics and Society Elective: Choose one course from the following list (3-5 credits)
ESRM 320 (5) Marketing/Management Sustainability Perspective
ESRM 371 (5) Environmental Sociology
ESRM 403 (4) Econ Development in Developing World
ESRM 423 (3) International Trade, Marketing, and the Environment
ESRM 465 (3) Economics of Conservation
Career Opportunities and Graduate Study
This SAF-accredited option offers students postgraduate opportunities in conservation, land-use planning, natural resource management, and ecological research. Some examples of groups that have interests in natural resource management include Environmental NGOs (e.g., The Nature Conservancy, Trust for Public Land, The World Wildlife Fund), local land trusts, timber and mining companies, state wildlife and natural resource agencies, the U.S. Forest Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Bureau of Land Management, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, environmental consulting firms, and city and county planning offices. The option will also prepare students for graduate work in ecology, conservation biology, natural resources, and land-use planning.
SEFS and Affiliated Faculty in the NREM area
Sándor Tóth (lead), Josh Lawler, Jon Bakker, Greg Ettl, Jerry Franklin, John Marzluff, Monika Moskal, Clare Ryan, Christian Torgersen and Kristiina Vogt.