Home >> Degree Programs >>Master's Degree Program >>Environmental Planning and Natural Resource Management

Environmental Planning and Natural Resource Management

The specialization in environmental planning and natural resources management deals with the protection and stewardship of air, water, land and other natural resources. Concerns include both the management of natural resources directly, as well as the mitigation of adverse impacts on these resources caused by human settlements and activities. The specialization offers an overview of key environmental issues, and provides the theoretical, methodological, and legal background necessary for the planner to have an effective role in dealing with these issues.

All students in the specialization are expected to develop a broad competence in the range of environmental policy affairs through coursework in environmental ethics, economics, politics, impact assessment methods, pollution control technology, applied ecology, and environmental law. In addition, students will generally develop competence in a specific policy area through the design of a concentration. The goal of the program is to graduate an environmental policy analyst and planning generalist who can envision and organize decision making in the full range of natural resource areas, but who also has special competence in a particular issue.

Coursework

The specialization consists of three required and two elective courses. The required courses are:

URP 5421: Intro to Environmental Planning and Natural Resources Management
URP 5427: Environmental Legislation and Policy
URP 5425: Methods of Environmental Analysis

Two elective courses should be chosen from the following list:

URP 5122: Planning Dispute Resolution
URP 5313: Growth Management Implementation
URP 5389: Urban and Regional Information Systems and Analysis
URP 5422: Coastal Planning
URP 5424: Sustainable Development Planning in the Americas
URP 5428: Pollution Control
URP 5429: Special Topics in Environmental Planning
URP 5731: Planning of Community Infrastructure
URP 5873: Site Design and Land Use Analysis

Students also may choose, with permission of the specialty advisor, the following courses as specialty electives.

CHM 5611: Environmental Chemistry I
CHM 5081: Environmental Chemistry II
CWR 5635: Water Resource Planning and Management
ECP 5311: Natural Resource Economics I
ECP 5312: Natural Resource Economics II
ENV 5045: Environmental Systems Analysis
ENV 5105: Air Pollution Control
GEO 5147: Advanced Geographic Information Systems
GEO 5287: Water Resource Analysis
GEO 5345: Disaster Preparedness and Hazards Mitigation
GEO 5377: Natural Resources Assessment and Analysis
GLY 5298: Environmental Geology
GLY 5820: Principles of Hydrology
LAW 6470: Environmental Law
LAW 7930: Coastal Law
LEI 5555: Analysis and Management of Leisure Systems
PAD 5352: Environmental Management and Policy
PUP 5xxx: Environmental Politics and Policy

Concentrations

Students are encouraged to develop competence in a specific policy area such as water, air quality, solid and hazardous waste, public and environmentally sensitive lands, coastal resources, or natural hazards mitigation. In-depth training in an area of concentration involves the use of the two specialty electives, plus two additional electives, to create a program that focuses on a specific policy issue. Additional course selections are available, both within the department and from other departments, to construct this concentration. Students are encouraged to consult with a specialty advisor in the design of this program.