The Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources is for graduate students who plan to pursue an interdisciplinary program in areas such as environmental science, ecosystem management, environmental policy, air and water quality, land-use planning, agriculture and ecology.
Our graduate minors are meant to help students in other programs gain expertise in the contemporary natural and human dimensions of environmental and sustainability issues that relate to their primary program of study.
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Eligibility
To apply for the Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources, a student must be in good academic standing. Students who complete the Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources will have this achievement recognized on their university transcript.
Related areas of study
The Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources is designed to be flexible, to foster creativity, and to enhance graduate student research and professional knowledge. It is intended to be broadly useful to students pursuing degrees in the natural and social sciences and humanities with an interest in areas of study related to the environment. The minor will be designated on your transcript upon completion in recognition of your additional study in this area. Some common fields of study in which knowledge of the environment and natural resources is important include:
- agriculture, horticulture, and crop sciences
- environmental economics
- chemistry
- city and regional planning
- civil, environmental, and geodetic engineering
- ecology
- entomology
- environmental humanities
- environmental policy
- food, agricultural, and biological engineering
- geology
- health sciences such as environmental toxicology or health risk assessments
- horticultural and crop science
- land use planning
- microbiology
- plant pathology
- weed science
- international agriculture
Curriculum & Procedure
Students must complete at least twelve credits from at least three classes to complete the Graduate Minor in Environment and Natural Resources. We recommend that students use the minor either to develop expertise within a concentration area by taking at least three courses in that concentration or to gain exposure to a range of concepts by taking courses across multiple concentrations.
Concentration areas within the minor include the following:
- Ecological Restoration (ER)
- Ecosystem Science (ES)
- Environmental Social Sciences (ESS)
- Fisheries and Wildlife Science (FWS)
- Forest Science (FS)
Students must receive a letter grade of B or better (S for courses graded S/U) in each course of the minor course of study.
Eligible Elective Courses
Students may choose from our graduate-level courses for this minor, using the concentration areas listed above as a guide for a coherent collection of related courses. Follow the link above to contact an advisor to discuss your area of interest and discuss which classes would be most suitable.
If the courses that interest you relate to soil science or to rural/environmental sociology (i.e., courses under the RURLSOC tag), then you should instead consider whether the Graduate Minor in Soil Science or the Graduate Minor in Rural and Environmental Sociology would be a better alignment with your area of interest.
Application Process
Meet with an advisor:
- Students are strongly encouraged to contact the School of Environment and Natural Resources graduate program office before beginning coursework to ensure appropriate course selection.
- Students are strongly encouraged to discuss their academic goals for the minor with their academic advisor in their home program.
Submit a Minors and Interdisciplinary Specialization form:
- Visit gradforms.osu.edu to access the form.
- The Graduation Level/Plan/Degree will correspond to the student’s home department.
- Select ENVNATR-GM – Environment and Natural Resources for the “Designation Name.”
- Include all coursework that fulfills the graduate minor requirements.
Requirements for Completion
Complete 12 hours of graduate-level coursework
- Minimum of three courses offered by the School of Environment and Natural Resources from the list above or other SENR graduate courses by approval from the school.
- Students must receive a grade of B or higher in all minor coursework or an S for S/U grading.
Submit a Transcript Designation request:
- Visit gradforms.osu.edu to complete the Transcript Designation request after all minor coursework has been completed.