Program Description

The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment offers a Master of Science program that provides advanced, research-based study in the ecology, biogeochemistry, economics, policy, and management of vital natural resources, including water, soil, forests, wildlife, and agricultural crops. Students take an interdisciplinary approach to their research and use the tools of the natural and social sciences, including geospatial methods, to make fundamental and significant contributions toward local, regional, and global sustainability.

Students are supported by a highly productive and internationally recognized faculty, outstanding laboratory facilities, and a diversity of accessible terrestrial, marine, and freshwater field sites. Research conducted by faculty and graduate students has resulted in UNH being ranked second of 316 North American institutions in scholarly contributions to the field of ecology.

Possible career trajectories are diverse. Some graduates pursue private sector environmental and social science consulting. Others seek positions in planning, environmental protection, research, or resource management with federal or state agencies (e.g., NOAA, USDA, EPA, NRCS), private industry, or with non-governmental organizations. Graduates from the environmental economics option may also find careers in agribusiness or banking. Graduates may choose to pursue advanced study at the doctoral level.

Students may choose to specify one of five options:

Ecosystem Science
Environmental Conservation and Sustainability
Environmental Economics
Forestry
Wildlife and Conservation Biology

Requirements for the Program

Degree Requirements

An M.S. degree is conferred upon successful completion of a program of not less than 30 credits for natural resources and the environment options: forestry, environmental conservation and sustainability, environmental economics, ecosystem science, and wildlife and conservation biology.

Course Requirements or Equivalents

Course List
Code	Title	Credits

NR 903	Approach to Research	2
Choose one of the following additional research methods classes:		2-3
NR 905	Grant Writing
BIOL 902	Writing and Publishing Science
BIOL 950	Scientific Communication
GRAD 834	Fundamentals of Citizen and Community Science
Or an alternative with approval from the Graduate Coordinator
NR 993	Natural and Environmental Resources Seminar	2
NR 996	Natural Resource Education ¹	2
or NR 900	Teaching Assistantship Practicum
Select one of the following Data Analysis courses: ²		3-4
ANFS 933	Design, Analysis, and Interpretation of Experiments
BIOL 811	Experimental Design & Analysis
DATA 800	Introduction to Applied Analytic Statistics
ECON 926	Econometrics I
EDUC 904	Qualitative Inquiry in Research
ESCI 801	Quantitative Methods in Earth Sciences
MATH 835	Statistical Methods for Research
MATH 839	Applied Regression Analysis
MATH 840	Design of Experiments I
NR 909	Analysis of Ecological Communities and Complex Data
NR 913	Hierarchical Modeling in Ecology
PPOL 908	Quantitative Methods for Policy Research
PSYC 805	Research Methodology and Statistics I
PSYC 907	Research Methods and Statistics III
SOC 901	Sociological Methods I: Intermediate Social Statistics
SOC 903	Sociological Methods III: Advanced Social Statistics
SOC 904	Sociological Methods IV: Qualitative and Historical Research Methods
Select one of the following:
NR 899	Master's Thesis ³	6
NR 998	Directed Research ⁴	4

¹: If you are supported on a Teaching Assistantship, you are required to take NR 900 Teaching Assistantship Practicum, during your first semester.
²: Or other alternative with approval from the Graduate Coordinator.
³: The thesis option will provide a research-based thesis that is the foundation for a peer-reviewed publication.
⁴: The directed research option is a professionally oriented body of work, most often geared to meet the needs of the stakeholder. The project, designed and conducted by the student, will culminate in a scholarly paper or report that is suitable for publication in the respective field of scholarship.

An approved program of study plan is required during the first semester.

Accelerated Master's

This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.

General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.

Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.

Student Learning Outcomes

Key Learning Objectives:

Knowledge and skills outcomes to ensure graduates of the MS program have mastered their discipline: demonstrate knowledge of theory and practice, as well as critical thinking skills and creativity, in conducting ecological, economic, and policy assessment of natural resource and environmental issues and developing solutions to environmental problems;
successfully employ the field, laboratory, data analysis, and social science skills necessary to perform research concerning natural resources and their management;
design, propose, and execute research addressing fundamental or critical issues in natural resources;
contribute to scholarship through publication and presentation of research findings using diverse media.

Professional outcomes to ensure graduates of the MS program successfully compete for jobs in the public and private sectors:

demonstrate mastery of theory and empirical knowledge in their research concentration and, more generally, in the relevant natural and/or social;
use written and oral skills to communicate effectively with colleagues, stakeholders, and the public;
integrate theory and practice to analyze, assess, and solve environmental and social problems and answer questions across diverse scales from local to global;
develop and employ interdisciplinary relationships and approaches to addressing environmental issues;
interact with professional peers honestly and ethically, and in ways that show cultural sensitivity, inquisitiveness, and propensity for teamwork.

Application Requirements & Deadlines

Apply now

Deadline

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

Fall: February 15
Spring: December 1
Summer: N/A
Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: MA

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

New Hampshire Residents

Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence Form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission or you will not be able to register for classes.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC.

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

Applicants should visit the Natural Resources program website and review the list of faculty in their area of interest. The applicant should contact potential faculty advisors to discuss their interests and determine whether the faculty member(s) may be willing and able to serve as the student’s advisor before applying to the program. See the Natural Resources Faculty List for a current list of faculty.

GRE Optional

The GRE scores are optional, if you wish to provide scores please email the scores directly to the department once you have submitted your application online.

International Applicants

Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.