Western Carolina University

What makes this program special?
The Natural Resources Management program trains students in the conservation and sustainable use of natural resources.  Natural Resource Management students at Western learn by doing.  Western Carolina University is located in the heart of the southern Appalachian Mountains, and is surrounded by one of the most biologically diverse, temperate ecoregions in the world.  In addition to having 2 National Forests and 2 National Parks located in our back yard; NRM faculty and students actively partner with landowners throughout the region and the world in the assessment and management of their properties.  In addition to an exceptional outdoor laboratory, the NRM program maintains a state-of-the-art computer, GIS, and remote sensing lab.  The Natural Resources Management program offers a BS degree with concentrations in Forest Resources, Landscape Analysis, and Soil and Water Conservation.  The NRM program at Western is listed in Education for the Earth, a Guide to top Environmental Studies Programs (Peterson’s Guides, Princeton, NJ) as 1 of only 17 degree programs in Natural Resources Management in the US.

The Soil and Water Conservation concentration is designed to prepare graduates for employment in managing water or soil resources. Water resource managers are needed in federal and state resource agencies as well as regional, county and city governments. Soil resource managers are prepared for employment by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service and individual county Soil Conservation Districts.

Are there any additional admission requirements?  
There are no additional admission requirements, though students interested in pursuing careers natural resource conservation and management are encouraged to talk with NRM faculty soon after they arrive at Western.  Faculty advisors can steer undecided students toward courses that can help them test the waters.  For students who have already decided to major in NRM, it is important to plan proper course sequences early.

What scholarship monies are available?
All students are considered for merit-based scholarships at the time of admission. Additional scholarships are available based on FAFSA information. Faculty and staff in the NRM program are actively involved in a number of ongoing research, resource assessment, and management projects.  Most of these projects offer paid internship positions for our students.

What will I be able to do with this degree when I graduate? 
The NRM program trains students for front line positions in the conservation and wise use of our natural resources.  When students leave the program they qualify for entry level positions with companies or agencies directly involved in the land and resource management.  These include government agencies such as the US Forest Service, the Peace Corps, the Natural Resource Conservation Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and state and local land management agencies. 

Students also find positions in the private sector with conservation organizations, environmental consulting firms, and forest and timber management companies.  The NRM curriculum also gives students a solid background to pursue advanced graduate study, if they choose.

The demand for trained natural resource managers continues to rise as society struggles to balance economic growth and increased development with resource conservation and protection.

What are the professors like?
All of the NRM faculty hold PhD’s in resource management disciplines and are all active in their professions and in applied research in their fields.  However, NRM faculty are not just academics, they have also accumulated many years of experience as professional resource managers.  NRM faculty develop classes that are highly field oriented, and students spend considerable time working in outdoor settings.

What are the students in the program doing?

• Six students recently presented posters at the Society of American Foresters National Convention in Fort Worth, TX
• Students in a weather and climate class constructed a weather station on campus that provides real-time weather information via the internet
• Watershed Management students are monitoring the impacts of campus construction on a small stream running through campus
• Undergraduate forestry interns have recently begun a study to evaluate the impacts of deer and turkey populations on oak regeneration at the Biltmore Estate in Asheville

Will I be able to participate in internships, clubs and other extracurricular opportunities?
Students are encouraged to join the Natural Resources Management Club.  There are opportunities for students to participate as interns or research assistants in faculty research projects. A number of resource management agencies regularly post cooperative education experiences with the career center on campus.  The office of international studies offers opportunities for studies abroad.  Service learning opportunities are offered through a number of classes.

Contact

Dr. Lawrence G. Kolenbrander
E-mail:  lkolenb@email.wcu.edu
Phone:  828-227-3817
Visit the Natural Resources Management Website