Natural Resource Management

Why study Natural Resource Management?

The Natural Resource Management track has a strong social science focus. It assumes that most environmental problems are caused by mistakes in human behavior, and that better scientific information is but one of many factors affecting our ability to solve environmental problems. This track is geared towards those who are interested in working in policy-oriented roles in environmental affairs. Typical career tracks include working for federal, state or local natural resources agencies, environmental consulting firms, governmental liaison offices of private corporations, or non-profit organizations addressing environmental issues.

Preparatory Subject Matter Requirements
Course IDsCourse TitleUnits
Written and Oral Expression
UWP 101 or any course from the UWP 102 or 104 seriesUpper Division Writing4
CMN 1, 3V, 3Y, or DRA 10Communication4
Biological Sciences
BIS 2AEssentials of Life on Earth5
BIS 2BPrinciples of Ecology and Evolution  5
BIS 2CBiodiversity and the Tree of Life5
Geology choose one of the following
GEL 1The Earth4
GEL 50Physical Geology3
Chemistry
CHE 2A or 2AHGeneral Chemistry5
CHE 2B or 2BHGeneral Chemistry5
Physics Complete either 1AB or 7ABC
Physics 1AGeneral Physics3
Physics 1BGeneral Physics3
Physics 7AGeneral Physics4
Physics 7BGeneral Physics4
Physics 7CGeneral Physics4
Economics
ECN 1A, 1AV, or 1AYPrinciples of Microeconomics4
Mathematics
MAT 16A and 16BShort Calculus3, 3
MAT 17A and 17BCalculus for Biology & Medicine4, 4
MAT 19A and 19B and 19CCalculus for Data-Driven Applications4, 4, 4
MAT 21A and 21BCalculus4, 4
Environmental Science and Policy
ESP 1Environmental Analysis4
Depth Subject Matter Requirements
NOTE: Students graduating with this major are required to attain at least a C average (2.0 GPA) in all courses taken at the university in Depth Subject Matter and pass all coursework. See requirements of the College of Agriculture & Environmental Science in the UC Davis General Catalog.
Course IDsCourse TitlePrerequisitesUnits
Global Environment
ESM 120Global Environmental InteractionsOne college-level chemistry and biology course4
Ecology (Choose one of the following)
ESP 100General EcologyBIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; STA 13 recommended4
EVE 101Introduction to EcologyBIS 2A-C; MAT 16A-B or 17A-B or 21A-B; or equivalent4
Policy
ESP 162Environmental PolicyECN 1A or ECN 1AV or ECN 1AY4
Statistics (Choose one of the following - Statistics 100 recommended)
STA 13Elementary StatisticsTwo years of high school algebra or equivalent in college4
STA 100Applied Statistics for Biological SciencesMAT 16B or 17B or 21B with a C- or better4
Environmental Monitoring (Choose one of the following)
ATM 124Meteorological Instruments & ObservationsATM 603
ESM 108Environmental MonitoringESP 100 or EVE 101 or SSC 100 or WFC 100 or equivalent3
ESP 151LLimnology LaboratoryESP 151 (may be concurrent)3
ESP 179Environmental Impact AssessmentESP 1 or the equivalent4
Environmental Data Science (Choose one of the following)
ABT/LDA 150Introduction to GISNone4
ESP 106Environmental Data ScienceSTA 13 or 32 or 100 (can be concurrent)4
Internship
ESM/ESP 92 or 192Internship

Upper division standing, permission of instructor

Variable unit – must take at least 3 units of internship
May complete internship in a different area with prior approval
(e.g.: PLS, SSC, ATM)

3
Capstone
ESM 195Integrating Env Science & ManagementSenior standing in ESM2
Honors Thesis (Optional)
ESM 194HSenior Honors Thesis

Senior standing, Overall GPA of 3.50 or higher

Consent of the lead faculty advisor

2-6
Track Courses
NOTE: Courses taken for the depth subject matter or track cannot be used to fulfill more than one major requirement.
Course IDsCourse TitlePrerequisitesUnits
Select three environmental policy courses
ESP 160The Policy ProcessPOL 1; ECN 1A and STA 13 recommended4
ESP 165Climate PolicyECN 1A or 1AV or 1AY or ESP 1, or consent of instructor3
ESP 166Ocean & Coastal PolicyESP 1 or consent of instructor3
ESP 167**Energy PolicyECN 1A; MAT 16B, 17B, or 21B; or consent of instructor4
ESP 168AMethods of Env Policy AnalysisESP 1 or 10; STA 13 or 100; ECN 1A; ECN 100A recommended5
ESP 169**Water Policy & PoliticsPOL 1 or ECN 1A recommended3
ESP 171Urban & Regional PlanningESP 1 or ESP 161 or ESP 179 recommended4
ESP 172Public Lands ManagementECN 1A and POL 1 recommended4
ESP 174Environmental Justice Policy & PracticeESP 1 or equivalent recommended4
ESP 179Environmental Impact AssessmentESP 1 or the equivalent4
HYD 150Water LawConsent of instructor or upper division standing3
SOC 160Sociology of the EnvironmentSOC 1 or 2 or 3 recommended4
Select one environmental law course
ESP 161Environmental LawUpper division standing;one course in environmental science; POL 1 and UWP 1 recommended4
HYD 150Water LawConsent of instructor or upper division standing3
Select one statistics course
ECN 102Analysis of Economic DataECN 1A and 1B; STA 13 or 32; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B with a C- or better4
STA 101Advanced Statistics for Bio ScienceSTA 100 with a C- or better4
STA 103Applied Stats for Business & EconomicsSTA 13 or 32 or 100; MAT 16B or 17B or 21B all with a C- or better4
STA 106Analysis of VarianceSTA 13 or 32 or 100 with a C- or better4
STA 108Regression AnalysisSTA 13 or 32 or 100 with a C- or better4
STA 130AMathematical Statistics: A Brief CourseMAT 16C or 17C or 21C; STA 13 or 32 or 100; all with a C- or better4
STA 131AProbability TheoryMAT 21C; MAT 22A or 27A or 67, all with a C- or better4
Select two biological processes courses
ENT 104Behavioral Ecology of InsectsIntroductory biology or zoology3
ESM 141**Fire EcologyBIS 2A or PLS 2; BIS 2B or 2C4
ESM/PLS 144Trees & ForestsPLS 2 or BIS 2C4
ESP 151LimnologyBIS 2A and 2B; BIS 2C and ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended4
ESP 155Wetland EcologyBIS 2A or equivalent; ESP 100 or EVE 101 recommended4
EVE 115*Marine EcologyESP 100 or EVE 101 or BIS 2B, or consent of instructor4
PLB/EVE 117Plant EcologyBIS 2A-C; PLB 111 recommended4
PLS 130Grassland EcologyPLS 2 or BIS 2B or BIS 2C or consent of instructor3
WFC 110Biology & Conservation of Wild MammalsBIS 2A-C; EVE 101 or ESP 100 or equivalent (can be concurrent)3
WFC 111Biology & Conservation of Wild BirdsBIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended3
WFC 120Biology & Conservation of FishesBIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended3
WFC 134HerpetologyBIS 2A-C; upper division ecology course recommended3
Select two physical processes courses
ATM 116Modern Climate ChangeNone3
ATM 133Biometeorology MAT 16B; one course in a biological discipline4
ESM 121Water Science & ManagementPHY 10 or GEL 13
ESM 131Air as a ResourceCHE 2A or 10; CHE 2B3
ESP 116NOceanographyGEL 1 or 2 or 16 or 503
ESP 152Coastal OceanographyOffered at the Bodega Marine Lab3
HYD 143**EcohydrologyHYD 10 or 141 or ESP 1 or ESM 100 or ESM 108 or ESM 120 or GEL 1 or 50, or SSC 1004
SSC 100Principles of Soil ScienceCollege-level course in each of CHE, PHY, BIS, and GEL recommended5
Select one remote sensing course
ESM 185Aerial Photo Interpretation & Remote SensingUpper division standing4
ESM 186Environmental Remote SensingMAT 16B; PHY 7C or 9B; ABT 150 rec.; upper division standing5