Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Secondary Major

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Shawn Hutchison, Interim Director
118 Seaton Hall
785-532-6727
www.k-state.edu/nres

The natural resources and environmental sciences secondary major prepares students to apply broadly-based scientific knowledge to the use, management, sustainability, and quality of soil, air, water, mineral, biological, and energy resources. The NRES program offers a timely and relevant academic emphasis to broaden the environmental perspective students receive in their primary major.

Government, corporate, and public concerns about natural resource and environmental issues abound. These concerns translate into career opportunities for individuals with interdisciplinary training on how humanity affects global functions.

Because natural resource and environmental issues tend to be so extensive and complex, they exceed the scope of any single discipline. Students in the NRES secondary major study environmental issues from a wide base of academic viewpoints. Involvement with students and professors from other disciplines adds skills typically required in environmental careers.

Enroll by appointment with the director or by electronic form on the webpage.

Major degree requirements

I. Entry requirements

Students must successfully complete the following courses to become eligible to pursue the NRES secondary major. One course in the entry or block elective requirements must qualify as a life science course.

b. Two of the following basic NRES courses

These courses must be from different departments and total a minimum of 6 credit hours. Courses used to meet this requirement may not be used to meet NRES block elective requirements.

AGRON 305 - Soils Credits: 4
AGRON 335 - Environmental Quality Credits: 3
BIOL 198 - Principles of Biology Credits: 4
GEOG 121 - Introductory Physical Geography: Earth Systems Science Credits: 3
GEOG 340 - Natural Resources Credits: 3
GEOL 100 - Earth in Action Credits: 3
GEOL 105 - Oceanography Credits: 3
GEOL 115 - Environmental Geology Credits: 3
GEOL 125 - Natural Disasters Credits: 3
PMC 275 - Introduction to Natural Resource Management Credits: 3

c. One life science course

AGRON 220 - Crop Science Credits: 4
ANTH 280 - Introduction to Biological Anthropology Credits: 4
BIOCH 265 - Introductory Organic and Biochemistry Credits: 5
BIOCH 521 - General Biochemistry Credits: 3
BIOCH 700-799
BIOL 198 - Principles of Biology Credits: 4
BIOL 401 - Organismic Biology Credits: 5
BIOL 303 - Ecology of Environmental Problems Credits: 3
BIOL 330 - Public Health Biology Credits: 3
BIOL 441 - Human Body I Credits: 4
BIOL 433 - Introduction to Fisheries, Wildlife, Conservation and Environmental Biology Credits: 3
BIOL 455 - General Microbiology Credits: 4
BIOL 500-799
HORT 201 - Principles of Horticultural Science Credits: 4
GEOL 650 - Geomicrobiology Credits: 3
This course may be used to meet other requirements

II. Block elective requirements

From the following lists, students must successfully complete a minimum of 5 courses (15 credit hours minimum) from at least four departments. One course must be taken from each of the designated areas (natural, applied, and social sciences/humanities), two courses must be numbered 500 or greater, and three courses must have a prerequisite. These lists are continuously being revised, See the director for the most recent version.