Environmental Science and Sustainability B.S.

Bachelor of Science - Environmental Science and Sustainability

W.A Franke College of Forestry & Conservation

Degree Specific Credits: 65-95

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.0

Catalog Year: 2021-22

General Education Requirements

Information regarding these requirements can be found in the General Education Section of the catalog.

Summary

Lower-Division Required Courses		14-15
Social Science Requirement		3
Policy Requirement		3
Ecology Requirement		3
Ethics Requirement		3
Experiential Learning Requirement
Concentration		36-59
Climate Science and Environmental Change
Ecosystem Science and Restoration
Environmental Policy and Planning
Resource Conservation
Sustainable Livelihoods and Communities
Water Resources
Upper-Division Writing Requirement		3-9
Total Hours		65 - 95

Lower-Division Required Courses

Note: NRSM 110 will not be required if students declare the major with 60+ credits.

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following courses:
NRSM 110	First Year Seminar in Environmental Science and Sustainability	1
NRSM 210N	Soils, Water and Climate
Oral Communication - Complete one of the following courses:		3
COMX 111A	Introduction to Public Speaking	3
or THTR 120A	Introduction to Acting I
Statistics Requirement - Complete one of the following courses:		3-4
FORS 201	Forest Biometrics
or STAT 216	Introduction to Statistics
or WILD 240	Intro to Biostatistics
Chemistry - Complete the following course:
CHMY 121N	Introduction to General Chemistry	4
Total Hours		14-15

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Social Science Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
NRSM 326	Climate and Society
NRSM 379	Collab in Nat Res Decisions
NRSM 424	Community Forestry & Conservtn
NRSM 475	Environment & Development
PTRM 300	Recreation Behavior
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Policy Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
NRSM 370S	Wildland Conservation Policy/Governance
NRSM 422	Nat Res Policy/Administration
NRSM 427	Advanced Water Policy
WILD 410	Wildlife Policy & Biopolitics
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Ecology Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
BIOE 370	General Ecology
BIOE 447	Ecosystem Ecology
FORS 330	Forest Ecology
FORS 333	Fire Ecology
NRSM 462	Rangeland Ecology
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Ethics Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:
NRSM 349E	Climate Change Ethics/Policy	3
or NRSM 389E	Ethics and Sustainability	3
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Experiential Learning Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
BIOE 342	Field Ecology
BIOE 400	Aquatic Microbial Ecology
BIOE 416	Alpine Ecology
BIOE 439	Stream Ecology
BIOE 440	Conservation Ecology
BIOE 451	Landscape Ecology
BIOE 453	Lake Ecology
BIOE 458	Forest and Fire Ecology
ENST 427	Social Issues: The Mekong Delta
ENST 437	Climate Change: Mekong Delta
FORS 130	Intro Forestry Field Skills
FORS 440	Forest Stand Management
GPHY 385	Field Techniques
NRSM 115	First Year Seminar in Field Studies in Conservation
NRSM 273	Wilderness/Civ Field Stds
NRSM 298	Internship
NRSM 345	Watershed Dynamics
NRSM 398	Internship
NRSM 495	Ecosystem Science and Restoration Practicum
NRSM 498	Internship
NRSM 499	Senior Thesis
PTRM 150	First Year Seminar in Parks, Tourism, and Recreation Management
PTRM 345X	Sustaining Human Soc & Nat Env
PTRM 418	Winter Wilderness Field Studies
PTRM 484	PTRM Field Measurement Tech
WILD 374	Hunter Check Station
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Concentrations

Rule: Must complete one of the following concentrations.

Climate Science and Environmental Change

The Climate Science and Environmental Change concentration provides students with an understanding of climate science, interactions between climate and ecosystems, and the intersections of climate, society, and policy.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 47-48 total credits required.

Foundations

Code	Title	Hours
Complete the following courses:
CCS 103X	Climate Change Science and Society	3
Mathematics Requirement - Complete one of the following:
M 122	College Trigonometry	3-4
or M 151	Precalculus
or M 162	Applied Calculus
Biology Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems
or BIOB 170N	Principles Biological Diversity
or BIOE 172N	Introductory Ecology
or BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Physics Requirement - Complete all of the following courses:
PHSX 205N	College Physics I	4
PHSX 206N	College Physics I Lab	1
Total Hours		14-15

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Climate Science

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following courses:
ERTH 303N	Weather and Climate	3
NRSM 281	Science of Climate Change	3
NRSM 408	Global Cycles and Climate	3
NRSM 418	Ecosystem Climatology	3
Total Hours		12

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Environmental Change

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following courses:
FORS 230	Fire Management and Environmental Change	3
FORS 333	Fire Ecology	3
NRSM 385	Watershed Hydrology	3
Total Hours		9

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Climate and Society A

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following courses:
NRSM 326	Climate and Society	3
NRSM 349E	Climate Ethics and Policy	3
Total Hours		6

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Climate and Society B

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
COMX 349	Communication, Consumption, and Climate
ECNS 445	Intro to Environmental Economics & Climate Change
ENST 427	Social Issues: The Mekong Delta
NPAD 191	Nonprofit Administration Special Topics Course
PHIL 112E	Intro Ethics and Environment
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Climate Solutions

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
BGEN 160S	Issues in Sustainability
BGEN 445	Sustainability Reporting
BMGT 410	Sustainable Business Practices
ENST 391	Special Topics/Experimental Course
ENST 437	Climate Change: Mekong Delta
GPHY 421	Sustainable Cities
NRSM 321	Field Stds Energy Syst Montana
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Ecosystem Science and Restoration

The Ecosystem Science and Restoration concentration spans the range of ecology from microbial to global scales and includes basic and applied science. Students will focus on learning about how ecosystems work, solving pressing environmental problems, and/or helping to restore degraded ecosystems. In the ESR concentration, students can focus on either aquatic or terrestrial ecosystems and tailor their capstone experience to best fit their interests and career path.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 56-59 total credits required.

Lower-Division Required Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following courses:
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems	3
BIOB 161N	Principles of Living Systems Lab	1
BIOB 260	Cellular & Molecular Biology	4
BIOB 272	Genetics & Evolution	4
CHMY 123	Introduction to Organic & Biochemistry	4
M 162	Applied Calculus	4
NRSM 265	Elements of Ecological Restoration	3
Complete one of the following:
GEO 101N	Introduction to Physical Geology	3-4
and GEO 102N	Introduction to Physical Geology Lab
GEO 103N	Introduction to Environmental Geology
and GEO 104N	Introduction to Environmental Geology Lab
BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Total Hours		26-27

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Upper-Division Required Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Complete all of the following courses:
BIOE 370	General Ecology	3
BIOE 428	Freshwater Ecology	3 - 5
or BIOO 335	Rocky Mountain Flora
NRSM 344	Ecosystem Science and Restoration Capstone	5
NRSM 385	Watershed Hydrology	3
NRSM 465	Restoration Ecology	3
or BIOE 447	Ecosystem Ecology
NRSM 494	Seminar in Ecosystem Science and Restoration	1
NRSM 495 or 498 or 499	Practicum, Internship, or Senior Thesis	3
Total Hours		21-23

Minimum Required Grade: C-

ESR Natural Science Electives

Code	Title	Hours
Complete three of the following courses:		9
BIOE 416	Alpine Ecology
BIOE 447	Terrestrial Ecosystem Ecology
BIOE 448	Terrestrial Plant Ecology
BIOE 451	Landscape Ecology
BIOE 458	Forest and Fire Ecology
BIOO 320	General Botany
BIOO 340	Biology & Management of Fishes
BIOO 433	Plant Physiology
ERTH 303N	Weather and Climate
FORS 202	Forest Mensuration
FORS 250	Intro to GIS
FORS 330	Forest Ecology
FORS 331	Wildland Fuels Management
FORS 333	Fire Ecology
FORS 347	Silviculture
FORS 462	Range Ecology
GEO 420	Hydrogeology
GEO 421	Hydrology
GEO 346	Earth’s Changing Climate
GEO 460	Process Geomorphology
GPHY 317	Geomorphology
NRSM 360	Rangeland Management
NRSM 408	Global Cycles and Climate
NRSM 415	Environmental Soil Science
NRSM 418	Ecosystem Climatology
NRSM 462	Range Ecology
NRSM 465	Restoration Ecology
WILD 470	Conservation of Wildlife Populations
WILD 485	Aquatic Macroinvertebrate Ecology
Total Hours		9

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Environmental Policy and Planning

The Environmental Policy and Planning concentration focuses on policy and planning processes at multiple scales. Students are introduced to real-world environmental problems and the policy and planning approaches, strategies, and tools that can be used to deal with them. Coursework covers U.S. public lands, water, and wildlife policy; community, regional, and federal lands planning; conflict resolution and collaboration; markets and economic incentives; and political institutions and processes.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 42-44 total credits required.

Required Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Mathematics Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
M 115	Probability and Linear Mathematics
or M 121	College Algebra
or M 122	College Trigonometry
or M 151	Precalculus
or M 162	Applied Calculus
Biology Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems
or BIOB 170N	Principles Biological Diversity
or BIOE 172N	Introductory Ecology
or BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Complete all of the following courses:
FORS 250	Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt	3
GPHY 465	Planning Principles & Processes	3
NRSM 349E	Climate Change Ethics/Policy	3
NRSM 379	Collaboration in Natural Resource Decisions	3
NRSM 422	Natural Resource Policy & Administration	3
PSCI 210S	Intro to American Government	3
PSCI 361	Public Administration	3
Total Hours		27-29

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Policy and Law Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete two of the following courses:		6
ENST 382	Environmental Law
GPHY 335	Water Policy
NRSM 427	Advanced Water Policy
WILD 410	Wildlife Policy
Total Hours		6

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Planning Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete two of the following courses:		6
FORS 481	Forest Planning
GPHY 466	Environmental Planning
PTRM 485	Recreation Planning
Total Hours		6

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Economics Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
ECNS 433	Economics of the Environment
FORS 320	Forest Economics
GPHY 323	Economics of Rural Areas
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Resource Conservation

The Resource Conservation concentration provides students with the flexibility to design their own emphasis or to focus more generally on natural resource management and conservation. Students in this concentration complete the ESS core as well as the math, biology, and GIS courses outlined below, and then work with their faculty advisor to select additional coursework based on their interests and professional goals.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 55-57 total credits required.

Core Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Mathematics Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
M 115	Probability and Linear Mathematics
or M 121	College Algebra
or M 122	College Trigonometry
or M 151	Precalculus
or M 162	Applied Calculus
Biology Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems
or BIOB 170N	Principles Biological Diversity
or BIOE 172N	Introductory Ecology
or BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Complete the following course:
FORS 250	Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt	3
Total Hours		9-11

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Required Courses

Note: Students in the Resource Conservation option should work closely with their faculty advisor to select courses that align with their interests and professional goals.

Code	Title	Hours
Complete 36 credits of courses with the following course prefixes:		36
FORS	Forestry
GPHY	Geography
NRSM	Natural Resource Management
PTRM	Parks, Tourism & Recreation Management
WILD	Fish, Wildlife Science & Management
Total Hours		36

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Additional Requirements in Area of Emphasis

Note: Alternatively, students can take two semesters of a foreign language or otherwise demonstrate foreign language proficiency.

Code	Title	Hours
Complete 10 credits of courses with the following course prefixes:		10
BIOE	Biology - Ecological
BIOO	Biology - Organismal
CHMY	Chemistry
ENSC	Environmental Science
ENST	Environmental Studies
FORS	Forestry
GEO	Geoscience
M	Mathematics
NRSM	Natural Resource Management
PHSX	Physics
WILD	Fish, Wildlife Science & Management
Total Hours		10

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Sustainable Livelihoods and Communities

The Sustainable Livelihoods and Communities concentration provides students with an understanding of key social and institutional processes involved in transitioning to sustainable economies from global to local levels. Courses address the intersections between environment and development, natural resource governance and collaboration, and pathways to sustainability.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 36-38 total credits required.

Core Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Mathematics Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
M 115	Probability and Linear Mathematics
or M 121	College Algebra
or M 122	College Trigonometry
or M 151	Precalculus
or M 162	Applied Calculus
Biology Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems
or BIOB 170N	Principles Biological Diversity
or BIOE 172N	Introductory Ecology
or BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Complete the following course:
FORS 250	Intro to GIS for Forest Mgt	3
Total Hours		9-11

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Electives

Code	Title	Hours
Complete 5 of the following courses:		15
ENST 225S	Sustainable Communities
GPHY 323S	Economic Geography of Rural Areas
GPHY 421	Sustainable Cities
GPHY 433	Community Resilience
NRSM 379	Collaboration in Natural Resource Decisions
NRSM 424	Community Forestry & Conservation
NRSM 475	Environment & Development
PTRM 451	Tourism and Sustainability
Total Hours		15

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Additional Electives

Code	Title	Hours
Complete 4 of the following courses:		12
BGMT 410	Sustainable Business Practices
ECNS 433	Economics of the Environment
ENST 480	Food Justice and Sustainability
FORS 320	Forest Economics
GPHY 468	Community & Regional Analysis
PTRM 210	Nature-Based Tourism
SOCI 270	Intro to Development Sociology
SOCI 443	Sociology of Poverty
SOCI 470	Environmental Sociology
SOCI 471	Gender and Global Development
Total Hours		12

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Water Resources

The Water Resources concentration prepares students for careers and/or graduate study related to watershed hydrology, water policy, and other aspects of water resources governance and management. Coursework focuses on technical training in fundamental sciences such as physics, chemistry, and biology; more specialized training in hydrology, hydrogeology, geomorphology, and soil science; and the social and political context of water use, allocation, conservation, and management, both with regard to water quality and water quantity issues. Students who complete this concentration will satisfy the education requirements for the Hydrology Series (1315) and Hydrologic Technician Series (1316) civil service qualifications.

Rule: Complete all of the following subcategories. 42-46 total credits required.

Required Courses

Code	Title	Hours
Mathematics Requirement - Complete one of the following:		4
M 171	Calculus I
or M 172	Calculus II
Biology Requirement - Complete one of the following:		3-4
BIOB 160N	Principles of Living Systems
or BIOB 170N	Principles Biological Diversity
or BIOE 172N	Introductory Ecology
or BIOO 105N	Introduction to Botany
Geology Requirement - Complete one of the following sequences:		4
GEO 101N	Introduction to Physical Geology
and GEO 102N	Introduction to Physical Geology Lab
or
GEO 103N	Introduction to Environmental Geology
and GEO 104N	Introduction to Environmental Geology Lab
Complete all of the following courses:
GPHY 335	Water Policy	3
NRSM 210N	Soils, Water, Climate	3
NRSM 385	Watershed Hydrology	3
NRSM 427	Advanced Water Policy	3
PHSX 205N	College Physics I	4
PHSX 206N	College Physics I Lab	1
PHSX 207N	College Physics II	4
PHSX 208N	College Physics II Lab	1
Total Hours		33-34

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Physical Science Course

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3-4
GEO 320	Global Water
GEO 420	Hydrogeology
GEO 421	Hydrology
GEO 460	Process Geomorphology
Total Hours		3-4

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Biological Science Course

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3-5
BIOE 447	Ecosystem Ecology
BIOE 400	Aquatic Microbial Ecology
BIOE 428	Freshwater Ecology
BIOE 439	Stream Ecology
BIOE 453	Lake Ecology
GPHY 474	Remote Sensing for Freshwater Ecology
WILD 485	Aquatic Invertebrate Ecology
Total Hours		3-5

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Additional Required Course

Code	Title	Hours
Complete one of the following courses:		3
ERTH 303N	Weather and Climate
FORS 341	Timber Harvesting and Roads
FORS 434	Advanced Forest Roads
GPHY 317	Geomorphology
NRSM 415	Environmental Soil Science
Total Hours		3

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Upper-Division Writing Requirement

Code	Title	Hours
Complete three of the following courses:		9
BIOE 428	Freshwater Ecology
BIOE 447	Ecosystem Ecology
FORS 330	Forest Ecology
FORS 341	Timber Harvesting & Roads
FORS 347	Multiple Resource Silviculture
FORS 349	Practice of Silviculture
FORS 440	Forest Stand Management
FORS 499	Senior Thesis
NASX 403	Contmp Tribal Resource Issues
NRSM 326	Climate and Society
NRSM 349E	Climate Change Ethics/Policy
NRSM 379	Collab in Nat Res Decisions
NRSM 389E	Ethics Forestry & Conservation
NRSM 462	Rangeland Ecology
NRSM 465	Foundations of Restoration Ecology
NRSM 475	Environment & Development
NRSM 495	Ecosystem Science and Restoration Practicum
NRSM 499	Senior Thesis
PTRM 300	Recreation Behavior
WILD 410	Wildlife Policy & Biopolitics
Total Hours		9

Minimum Required Grade: C-