College of Agriculture and Life Sciences
Curriculum in Ecological Restoration
Ecological restoration is the process of repairing dysfunctional ecosystems to provide essential ecosystem goods and services important to society. The Ecological Restoration degree prepares students for a career that requires an understanding of the causes of land degradation and strategies for recovery of ecosystems damaged, degraded, or destroyed by natural or human causes.
The curriculum focuses on restoration of damaged ecosystems and landscapes, particularly terrestrial, wetland, and riparian systems in diverse settings that span the rural-urban spectrum. The discipline of ecological restoration requires a strong conceptual/ theoretical foundation as well as a practical application component. This degree combines basic sciences, modern technologies, and contemporary ecological knowledge. Students will develop practical capabilities and gain critical understanding of the interaction of biophysical, socio-economic and political drivers that affect land degradation and restoration through a program that incorporates integrated coursework and an internship with ecological restoration practitioners.
Completion of this degree will prepare students to assess the causes of ecosystem degradation and to develop strategies for ecological restoration at multiple spatial scales. Graduates will be equipped for professional careers with environmental consulting companies, governmental and non-governmental land management organizations, and regulatory agencies. This degree program also provides a foundation for students planning to pursue advanced degrees in restoration ecology, disturbed land reclamation, natural resources conservation and management, or related fields. The total number of credit hours required for graduation is 120 hours.
University Core Curriculum
| Required Courses | (Th-Pr) | Cr |
|---|---|---|
| AGEC 105 Introduction to Agricultural Economics | (3-0) | 3 |
| CHEM 101 and 111 Fundamentals of Chemistry I and Lab. | 4 | |
| CHEM 102 and 112 Fundamentals of Chemistry II and Lab. | 4 | |
| ENGL 104 Composition and Rhetoric | (3-0) | 3 |
| MATH 141 Business Mathematics I | (3-0) | 3 |
| MATH 142 Business Mathematics II | (3-0) | 3 |
| POLS 206 American National Government2 | (3-0) | 3 |
| POLS 207 State and Local Government2 | (3-0) | 3 |
| Communication elective1 | 3 | |
| History electives3 | 6 | |
| Humanities elective3 | 3 | |
| Visual and performing arts elective3 | 3 | |
| *KINE 198 Health and Fitness Activity | (0-2) | 1 |
| *KINE 199 Required Physical Activity | (0-2) | 1 |
| 43 |
Ecological Restoration Core Courses
| Required Courses | (Th-Pr) | Cr |
|---|---|---|
| AGRO 301 Soil Science | (3-2) | 4 |
| AGRO 310 Soil Morphology and Interpretations | (1-3) | 2 |
| AGRO 405 Soil Microbiology | (3-2) | 4 |
| BIOL 101 Botany | (3-3) | 4 |
| FRSC 305 Silviculture | (3-3) | 4 |
| RENR 205 Fundamentals of Ecology | (3-0) | 3 |
| RENR 215 Fundamentals of Ecology Laboratory | (0-3) | 1 |
| RLEM 103 Introduction to Ecological Restoration | (1-0) | 1 |
| RLEM 316 Rangeland Communities and Ecosystems or FRSC 304 Forest Ecology |
3 | |
| RLEM 317 Rangeland Vegetation Manipulation | (2-0) | 2 |
| RLEM 320 Landscape Restoration | (2-0) | 2 |
| RLEM 321 Field Studies in Ecological Restoration | (0-1) | 1 |
| RLEM 420 Eco. Rest. of Wetland and Riparian Sys. | (2-2) | 3 |
| RLEM 430 Adv. Restoration Ecology | (3-0) | 3 |
| RLEM 440 Wetland Delineation | (2-3) | 3 |
| RLEM 484 Internship | 3 | |
| WFSC 419 Wildlife Restoration | (2-3) | 3 |
| WFSC 428 Wetland Ecosystem Management | (3-3) | 4 |
| Environmental policy elective4 | 3 | |
| Field sampling methods elective5 | 3-4 | |
| GIS elective6 | 3 | |
| Plant taxonomy elective8 | 7 | |
| Remote sensing elective7 | 3 | |
| Statistics elective9 | 3 | |
| Watershed elective10 | 3 | |
| Free electives | 1-2 | |
Total hours |
120 |
NOTES:
- Communication elective choose from ENGL 210, 301 or AGJR 404.
- Credit by examination may be used to substitute 3 hours of POLS 206 or 207.
- To be selected from the University Core Curriculum. The University Core Curriculum includes a requirement for 6 hours of international and cultural diversity courses. Refer to page 20 for a list of acceptable courses. A course satisfying another Core category, a college/department requirement or used as a free elective can be used to satisfy these requirements. See academic advisor.
- Environmental Policy elective choose from RENR 470, 420; FRSC 406; PHIL 314; WFSC 303 or AGEC 350.
- Field Sampling Methods elective choose from RLEM 315 or FRSC 404.
- Geographic Information System (GIS) elective choose from RENR 405, FRSC 461, GEOG 390 or LAND 461.
- Remote Sensing elective choose from FRSC 398/GEOG 398, RENR 444 or GEOG 361.
- Plant Taxonomy elective choose one from RLEM 303; FRSC 203; HORT 306, 308; or RLEM 302 and choose one course from RLEM 304 or BIOL 301.
- Statistics elective choose from STAT 211 or 302.
- Watershed elective choose one RLEM 301, 305 or AGSM 335.
* See University Core Curriculum, item 7.