Agricultural Resources and Environmental Management Graduate Certificate

The Agricultural Resources and Environmental Management (AREM) certificate program balances study of theoretical principles and practical applications to integrate and develop a new interdisciplinary expertise, aimed at improving land and resource sustainability. Using an anthropocentric approach, we recognize the current extent of human interactions on the environment, and seek solutions that allow humanity to evolve toward a more sustainable relationship with the environment.

The certificate program will prepare students with the interdisciplinary breadth needed to address critical issues such as: air, water, and soil quality; soil, water, and energy conservation; preservation of biodiversity and protection of critical ecosystems; land use and landscape management; watershed assessment and planning; recreational uses and cultural appreciation of the agroecological system; renewable energy production and uses; and global climate change, including causes and mitigation (i.e., carbon sequestration). Emphasis will be on ecological, economic, policy, and human dimensions of these problems and collaborative interdisciplinary approaches to their solution.

AREM Admission Requirements

Admission to the AREM Graduate Certificate program will require that the student (a) has completed a 4-year undergraduate degree or has been accepted by the Graduate School for admission to a graduate degree program at Kansas State University, and (b) has completed at least 3 upper-division (junior-level or higher) undergraduate courses in technical areas consistent with topics included in AREM Subject Matter Platforms A and/or B. The AREM Program Director will determine if the required qualifications have been met by each applicant.

Framework

To receive a Graduate Certificate in AREM, students must complete a minimum of 12 hours of prescribed coursework:
• GENAG 670: Introduction to AREM (2 cr).
• Platform A course (3 cr)
• Platform B course (3 cr)
• Platform A or B course (3 cr)
• GENAG 870: Capstone for AREM (1 cr)

If a student is enrolled in a graduate degree program, no more than three credits may be taken from the student’s home department. In addition, the decision about which AREM courses may count toward graduate program degree requirements is left to the student and his/her supervisory committee in accordance with home departmental policy.

The AREM program will seek to develop and maintain international, collaborative academic partners. Currently, we are partnering with PURPAN (Toulouse, France). We anticipate continuing to conduct AREM Introduction and Capstone courses as synchronous, videoconference courses. Distance education courses will be available, and opportunities for international collaboration through distance education will be possible. Currently, there is one distance learning course on the platform list, AGRON 835; others are under consideration.

Introduction to AREM

GENAG 670 - Introduction to Agricultural Resources and Environmental Management Credits: 2
All students in the certificate program will be required to take this two credit hour survey course on sustainability early in their program. The introductory course will include a combination of lectures, guest speakers, assigned readings, class discussion, and team case-study project. The student learning objectives for the class are for the students to:
1. Understand the meaning of “sustainability”; 8
2. Define and describe key sustainability criteria;
3. Describe interdisciplinary perspectives on environmental issues and how they are approached at different scales and cultures;
4. Recognize and understand basic methods in agro-ecological, economic, and social science disciplines; and
5. Apply systems-level approaches and sustainability concepts to important natural resources and environmental management issues in Kansas, U.S., and the World, including, but not limited to: climate change, prolonging the life of aquifers, sedimentation of reservoirs, preservation of the tallgrass prairie, livestock waste management and confined animal feeding operations, watershed management, and renewable energy.

Platform A: Agro-Ecological Sciences and Engineering

AGRON 615 - Soil Problems Credits: 0-18
OR
AGRON 935 - Topics in Soils Credits: 1-18
AGRON 635 - Soil and Water Conservation Credits: 3
AGRON 835 - Nutrient Sources, Uptake and Cycling Credits: 3
ATM 661 - Watershed Assessment and Management Credits: 3
BAE 560 - Hydrology for Biological Systems Credits: 3
BAE 665 - Ecological Engineering Design Credits: 3
OR
BAE 865 - Advanced Ecological Engineering Design Credits: 3
BAE 669 - Watershed Modeling Credits: 3
OR
BAE 869 - Advanced Watershed Modeling Credits: 3

Platform B: Social Sciences, Economics, and Policy

AGEC 525 - Natural Resource Economics Credits: 3
AGEC 610 - Current Agriculture and Natural Resource Policy Issues Credits: 3
AGEC 825 - Natural Resource Policy Credits: 3
AGEC 925 - Advanced Resource and Environmental Economics Credits: 3
ECON 527 - Environmental Economics Credits: 3
GEOG 761 - Human Impact on the Environment Credits: 3
GEOG 770 - Perception of the Environment Credits: 3
SOCIO 533 - Society, Food, and Agriculture Credits: 3
SOCIO 536 - Society and Natural Resources Credits: 3
SOCIO 831 - Sociology of Agriculture Credits: 3
SOCIO 835 - Environment and Society Credits: 3
SOCIO 934 - Sociology of Rural Development Credits: 3

Capstone for AREM

GENAG 870 - Capstone for Agricultural Resources and Environmental Management Credits: 1
All students in the certificate program will be required to take this one credit hour interdisciplinary capstone course at the end of their program. The capstone course will focus on an interdisciplinary case-study project that will allow the students to exercise their cross-disciplinary expertise gained through fulfilling AREM requirements. The course could also include selected guest lectures on topics relevant to AREM and the case-study projects. The student learning objectives for the class are for the students to:
1. Work effectively in an interdisciplinary, possibly international, project team;
2. Apply basic methods of agro-ecological, economic, and social science disciplines to a cross-disciplinary project; and
3. Apply systems-level approaches and sustainability concepts to important natural resources and environmental management issues in Kansas, U.S., and the World, including, but not limited to: climate change, prolonging the life of aquifers, sedimentation of reservoirs, preservation of the tallgrass prairie, livestock waste management and confined animal feeding operations, watershed management, and renewable energy.
4. Students will be expected to work on a semester-long, applied problem as part of an interdisciplinary team. The groups will be formed and assigned a topic or problem to be solved that is realistic and do-able. Students would make a presentation on their analysis and proposed solutions (possibly by videoconference) as well as deliver a written report. Examples of problems for students to analyze include: • Bioenergy Sustainability of biofuels; food vs. fuels; environmental consequences. • Livestock production systems. Grass-fed vs. confined feeding for beef production (extensive vs. intensive); environmental impacts. • Resource Competition/Urban vs. rural. Competition for land and water; potential impact of climate change; environmental consequences. • Organic agriculture. Global food security; environmental consequences.