Students must select one of the three concentrations as an important component of the Master’s of Natural Resources Conservation: Aquatic Resource Management, Forest Resource Management or Sustainable Communities. The concentrations add context, focus and ways of approaching environmental problems, while occupying roughly ¼ of the coursework (9 credits) in the master’s program. The bulk of the master’s program content lies in the core courses (23 credits), which provide students a broadly applicable experience in natural resources management and policy. The core courses ground student learning in a powerful and universal adaptive management planning framework which includes phases in planning/management and monitoring/evaluation.

The concentration theme culminates in the final project. The 6-credit final project sequence asks graduate students to interpret and apply what they learned in previous courses through the lens of their chosen concentration to address a real-world problem. For example, students in the Forest Resource Management concentration will draw on the forest ecology, natural resource valuation and policy concepts they learned in their three concentration courses as they engage their final project.

In sum, the program is best understood as a Master’s in natural resources policy and management, with a smaller but significant focus on the chosen concentration.