Forestry Programs

Forestry (BS)

Forestry is the application of scientific principles to the sustainable management of forest resources, including a wide range of ecosystem services (e.g., non-timber forest products, wildlife, medicinal herbs, and craft materials), fresh water, and biodiversity. The primary goal of the forestry program is to train technically competent forest and natural resources managers who understand the ecological notions that underpin human use of forest resources.

Graduates of the Forestry Program meet all federal requirements for employment as a professional forester. Students receive training in the various techniques used to determine resource quantities and qualities, economic values, and social constraints in the management of natural resources. Students who major in forestry are not required to take a minor. A summer field course is required of all students prior to their graduation. Students who wish to pursue graduate degrees should talk to an advisor about recommended coursework.

The BS in Forestry offers two concentrations of study – Forestry Management and Wildland Fire. The Forestry Management concentration focuses on the management of timber as well as a wide range of ecosystem services produced by private and public lands. The Wildland Fire program, one of the few in the country, offers state of the art instruction in the use and management of fire on the broad landscapes of the west. In this era of rapid environmental change, these forestry fields are in increasing demand. After graduation, New Mexico Highlands University forestry students are prepared to meet that demand and embark on exciting and rewarding careers. The NMHU Forestry Program is provisionally accredited by the Society of American Foresters.

Concentration in Forestry Management

Required Courses: 54 credit hours

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4)

FORS 2010C Forestry Field & Safety Practices (4)

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4)

FORS 2030 Water Resources (3)

FORS 3050 Natural Resources Economics (3)

FORS 3070 Wildland Fire Management (3)

FORS 3100C Mensuration and Biometrics (3)

FORS 3130C Dendrology (3)

FORS 3300 Natural Resources Law and Policy (3) or

GEOL 4120 Geologic Resources, Law and Environmental Policy (3)

FORS 3400 Quantitative Methods (3)

FORS 4020 Silviculture (3)

FORS 4100 Forest Management (3)

FORS 4120C Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (4)

FORS 4160C Soil Science (4)

FORS 4240C Wildland Pest Management (3)

FORS 4260 Professional Ethics (1)

FORS 4920 Applied Forestry Research (3)

Additional Requirements: 16-17 credits

BIOL 3030C Plant Structure and Function (4)

CHEM 1215 General Chemistry 1 for STEM Majors (3)

CHEM 1215L Chemistry Lab 1 for STEM Majors (2)

GEOL 1110C Physical Geology (4)

MATH 1430 Applications of Calculus 1 (3) or

MATH 1510 Calculus 1 (4)

Electives: 6-8 credits hours (In consultation with academic advisor, students may choose from FORS 3120,4000, 4080, 4170, 4180, 4200,4330, 4510, 4520, 4530, 4560, or 4610.)

Major Total: 76 - 79 credit hours

Core Requirements: 21 credit hours

Flex Requirements: 10 credit hours

Extended Requirements: 8 credit hours

Proficiency Requirements: 11-17 credit hours

Total for degree: 126-135 credit hours*

*A minor is not required. Additional credit hours may be required to meet the total degree credit requirement if proficiency or other required courses are waived for content only. English and Math proficiency credits do not count toward the total degree credit requirement. New Mexico Highlands University requires a minimum of 45 upper-division units for the degree.

Concentration in Wildland Fire

Required Courses: 64 credit hours

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4)

FORS 2010C Forestry Field and Safety Practices (4)

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4)

FORS 2030 Water Resources (3)

FORS 3050 Natural Resources Economics (3)

FORS 3070 Wildland Fire Management (3)

FORS 3100C Mensuration and Biometrics (3)

FORS 3130C Dendrology (3)

FORS 3300 Natural Resources Law and Policy (3) or

GEOL 4120 Geologic Resources, Law and Environmental Policy (3)

FORS 3400 Quantitative Methods (3)

FORS 4020 Silviculture (3)

FORS 4100 Forest Management (3)

FORS 4120C Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (4)

FORS 4160C Soil Science (4)

FORS 4240C Wildland Pest Management (3)

FORS 4260 Professional Ethics (1)

FORS 4520C Prescribed Fire Practices (4)

FORS 4550C Wildfire Fuels & Modeling

FORS 4560 Fire and Landscape Ecology (3)

FORS 4920 Applied Forestry Research (3)

Additional Requirements: 16 - 17 credits

BIOL 3030C Plant Structure and Function (4)

CHEM 1215 General Chemistry 1 for STEM Majors (3)

CHEM 1215L Chemistry Lab 1 for STEM Majors (2)

GEOL 1110C Physical Geology (4)

MATH 1430 Applications of Calculus 1 (3) or

MATH 1510 Calculus 1 (4)

Electives: 3-6 credits hours (In consultation with academic advisor, students may choose from FORS 4000, 4080, 4170, 4180, 4200, 4330, 4510, 4520, 4530, 4560, or 4610.)

Major Total: 83-87 credit hours

Core Requirements: 21 credit hours

Flex Requirements: 10 credit hours

Extended Requirements: 8 credit hours

Proficiency Requirements: 11-17 credit hours

Total for degree: 133-143 credit hours*

*A minor is not required. The number of proficiency credit requirements will vary based on student placement scores. New Mexico Highlands University requires a minimum of 45 upper-division units for the degree.

Major in Conservation Management (BA)

Conservation Management provides students with skills to integrate the diverse array of social, political, legal, institutional, cultural, economic, ecological, and biophysical considerations inherent in attaining environmental and resource management goals.

This degree prepares students for a variety of careers in research, industry, education, government, or public service. Students must complete a total of 43 to 46 hours in Anthropology, Biology, Chemistry, Forestry, and Geology. New Mexico Highlands University requires at least 45 credit hours in upper (3000-4000 level) courses. The BA in Conservation Management requires completion of a minor.

Core: 34 credit hours

BIOL 2110C Principles of Biology: Cellular and Molecular (4)

CHEM 1215 General Chemistry (3)

CHEM 1215L General Chemistry Lab (2)

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4)

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4)

FORS 2030 Water Resources (3)

FORS 3050 Natural Resources Economics (3)

FORS 3300 Natural Resources Law and Policy (3) or

GEOL 4120 Geologic Resources, Law and Environmental Policy (3)

FORS 3400 Quantitative Methods (3)

FORS 4120C Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (4)

FORS 4260 Professional Ethics (1)

Electives: 9-12 credit hours

Upper-division electives from Forestry, Geology, Biology or Anthropology chosen in consultation with your advisor.

Major Total: 43 – 46 credit hours

Core Requirements: 21 credit hours

Flex Requirements: 10 credit hours

Extended Requirements: 8 credit hours

Proficiency Requirements: 11-17 credit hours

General Electives to 120 (if needed): 4-7 credit hours

Minor: 20 credit hours minimum

Total for degree: 120 credit hours*

*A minor is required. The number of proficiency credit requirements will vary based on student placement scores. New Mexico Highlands University requires a minimum of 45 upper-division units for the degree.

Minor in Wildland Fire

Required Courses: 18 credit hours

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4) *

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4) *

FORS 3070 Wildland Fire Management (3)

FORS 4560 Fire and Landscape Ecology (3)

*Select an additional elective for each if course is used for the major.

Choose one:

FORS 4510 Project Fires and Post-Fire Rehabilitation (3)

FORS 4520C Prescribed Fire Practices (4)

Electives: 1 – 9 depending on major*

*Choose electives in consultation with minor advisor.

Minor Total: 18 credits hours

Minor in Wildlife Management

Required Courses: 18 credit hours

BIOL 4940C Field Zoology (3)

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4) *

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4) *

FORS 3170 Principles of Wildlife Management (3)

FORS 4200 Wildlife Habitat Management (3)

*Select an additional elective for each if course is used for the major.

Electives: 1 – 9 depending on major*

*Choose electives in consultation with minor advisor.

Minor Total: 18 credits hour

Minor in Forestry Management

Required Courses: 20 credit hours

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4) *

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4) *

FORS 3100C Mensuration & Biometrics (3)

FORS 3130C Dendrology (3)

FORS 4020 Silviculture (3)

FORS 4100 Forest Management (3)

*Select an additional elective for each course if it is used for the major.

Minor Total: 20 credits hour

Minor in Sustainability and Conservation

BIOL 1170C Conservation Biology in a Changing World (4) or

FORS 1010C Ecosystems and Humans (4)

SOCI 1110 Introduction to Sociology (3)

BIOL 2620C Ecology & Evolution (4) or

FORS 2020C Terrestrial Ecology (4)

NAHS 3750 Land Grant, Acequia and Reservation Communication (3)

ANTH/SOCI 4190 Environmental Sociology (3)

BIOL 4900 Independent Study* (1-4) or

FORS 4990 Independent Research* (1-4)

*Student interested in doing their independent studies or independent research in other fields (such as Sociology, Anthropology, or Cultural Studies) can do so with the approval of one of the hosting departments, via course substitution.

Choose 6 credits from the following:

(Student must take at least one course from each of the two foci (i.e., Sustainability and Conservation in Biophysical systems or Social Equity, Economy and Policy)

Conservation and Sustainability in Biophysical Systems

BIOL 3890C Ecology (4)

BIOL 4250C Marine Biology (4)

BIOL 4300 Livestock Management (3)

BIOL 4400 Conservation Biology (3)

BIOL 4570 Advanced Wildlife Management (3)

BIOL 4880C Soil Ecology (4)

FORS 3060 Introduction to Plant Production (3)

FORS 3070 Wildland Fire Management (3)

FORS 3170 Principles of Wildlife Management (3)

FORS 4000 Surface Hydrology (3)

FORS 4060C Plant Production 1 (3)

FORS 4080C Limnology (4)

FORS 4160C Soil Science (4)

FORS 4180C Aquatic Ecology (4)

FORS 4330C Water Science (4)

FORS 4530 Toxicology in Life Sciences (3)

FORS 4560 Fire and Landscape Ecology (3)

GEOL 3010C Environmental Geology (4)

GEOL 4210C Environmental Groundwater Hydrology (4)

Social Equity, Economy, and Policy

ANTH 4150 Development and Sociocultural Change (3)

ANTH/SOCI/GNDR/CJUS 4380 New Social Justice Movements: A World of Protest, Cultural Resistance and Community Building (3)

ANTH 4800 Issues in Applied Anthropology (3)

ANTH 4810 Cultural Resource Management (3)

BUSA 3460 Leadership Ethics (3)

CJUS 4250 Social and Transformative Justice (3)

ENGL 3070 Writing as Advocacy (3)

FORS 3050 Natural Resources Economics (3)

FORS 3300 Natural Resource Law and Policy (3)

FORS 4260 Professional Ethics (1)

GEOL 4120 Geologic Resource, Laws, and Environmental Policies (4)

PSYC 3770 Environmental Psychology

POLS 4170 The Legislative Process (3)

SOCI 4120 Social Stratification (3)

SOCI 4930 Race and National Identity (3)

Minor Total: 24-27 credit hours

Master of Science in Natural Sciences Concentration in Environmental Science and Management

Required Core Courses: 15 credit hours

FORS 5250 Field Safety Practices (1)

BIOL 6000 Research Methods in Life Science (3)

FORS 6200 Advanced Topics in Natural Resource Management (2/2) *

FORS 6250 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Natural Resource Management (3)

FORS/BIOL 6500 Graduate Seminar in Life Science (1/1/1/1) **

*Repeated for credit with different subject matter for a total of 4 credits.
**Repeated 4 times for a total of 4 credits.

Thesis or Independent Study/Independent Research Credits

Thesis Option:

FORS 6990 Thesis (VC 1-7) *
*Students register for thesis until complete which may exceed the one credit-hour minimum. No more than 7 thesis credits can be counted towards the student’s program of study. Students choosing the thesis option are required to form a thesis advisory committee and submit a program of study and thesis proposal within the first semester of study. Students are further required to complete a written thesis, following the guidelines established in the Graduate Handbook, and present the thesis orally to the thesis committee.

Non-Thesis Option:

FORS 6900: Independent Study (3) OR

FORS 6920: Independent Research (3)

Students choosing the non-thesis option are required to form an independent study/independent research advisory committee and submit a program of study and independent study/independent research proposal within the first semester of study. Students are required to submit a written document and present an oral presentation of the independent study/independent research to the advisory committee. Students are also required to pass a comprehensive exam with a grade of 75% or greater. The exam is to be compiled by the student’s committee chair with questions submitted by faculty who taught courses within the student’s program of study. The advisory committee chair will administer the exam and the exam will be graded by the faculty who contributed the questions.

Elective Credit Requirements:

Students are required to take a minimum of 12 (thesis) and 22 (non-thesis option) elective credits. With the advice and consent of an adviser, students choose 5000- and 6000-level courses offered in forestry, geology, biology, chemistry, mathematics, or other appropriate disciplines to develop their program of study.

Degree Total:

Thesis: ≥ 34 credit hours
Non-Thesis: ≥ 40 credit hours

Master of Science in Natural Sciences Concentration in Forestry

Required Core Courses: 9 credit hours

FORS 5250 Field Safety Practices (1) or

BIOL 5590 Fundamental Principles of Laboratory Safety (1)

FORS 5890 Applied Ecology and Environmental Restoration (3)

FORS 6140 Concepts and Principles in Forest Ecology and Management (3)

FORS/BIOL/GEOL 6500 Graduate Seminar in Natural Sciences (1/1) *
*Repeated twice for a total of two credits.

Additional Required Core Courses- Thesis Option (≥ 7 credit hours)

BIOL 6000 Research Methods in Life Science (3)

FORS 6250 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Natural Resource Management (3)

FORS 6990 Thesis (VC 1-7) *

*Students register for thesis credits each semester until completion, which may exceed the one credit-hour minimum. No more than 7 thesis credits can be counted toward the student’s program of study.

Additional Required Core Courses- Non-Thesis Option (≥1 credit hour)

FORS 6900 Independent Study (1-5) *

*Students register for independent study credits each semester until completion, which may exceed the one credit-hour minimum. No more the 5 thesis credits can be counted toward the student’s program of study.

Elective Courses

Thesis Option

In addition to the required core courses and thesis credits listed above, students shall work with their advisor and other advisory committee members to select elective courses for inclusion in the student’s program of study. These electives shall be selected with the advice and consent of the student’s advisor with the intention of selecting coursework that will be support the student’s research needs and the development of breath and depth of knowledge in the student’s chosen field of study. Electives shall be chosen from the 5000- and 6000-lelve courses offered in Forestry, Biology, Geology, Chemistry, Anthropology or other disciplines as appropriate to the student’s research and chosen field of study.

Non-thesis Option

Student must complete 3-12 credit hours in each of the following restricted elective areas, for a total off at least 24 credit hours of electives. No more than 12 credit hours from any one restricted elective area may be included in a program of study to satisfy this requirement. A current list of which courses may be used to satisfy restricted elective requirements in each area may be obtained from the Department of Forestry’s Graduate Program Coordinator. In instances where the student wishes to include a course on their program of study which does not yet appear on the Department’s list of acceptable restricted electives for each area, the student and their committee shall inquire with the Department of Forestry’s Graduate Program Coordinator who shall confirm the restricted elective area(s) satisfied by the course after consultation with the Department Chair.

Area A: Ecology and Biology

FORS 5080C Limnology (4)
FORS 5150C Dendrology (3)
FORS 5160C Soil Science (4)
FORS 5220C Forest Pathology (3)
FORS 5280C Forest Entomology (3)
FORS 5310C Terrestrial Ecology (4)
FORS 5350C Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4)
FORS 5530 Toxicology in Life Science (3)
FORS 5610 Atmospheric Science (3)
FORS 6200C Advanced Topics in Natural Resources Management (2)
FORS 6350 Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 6900 Independent Study (1-4) *
BIOL 6000 Research Methods in Life Science (3)

Area B: Measurement of Forest Resources
FORS 5110C Mensuration and Biometrics (4)
FORS 5120C Surveying and Geographic Information Systems (4)
FORS 5130 Ecological and Environmental Monitoring (3)
FORS 5350C Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 6200C Advanced Topics in Natural Resources Management (2)
FORS 6250 Advanced Quantitative Methods in Natural Resources Management (3)
FORS 6350 Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 6900 Independent Study (1-4) *
BIOL 6000 Research Methods in Life Science (3)

Area C: Forest Resource Policy, Economics, and Administration

FORS 5350C Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 5400 Integrated Natural Resources Management (3)
FORS 6020 Environmental Assessment (NEPA) (2)
FORS 6200C Advanced Topics in Natural Resources Management (2)
FORS 6400 Recreational Resource Management (2)
FORS 6350 Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 6900 Independent Study (1-4) *

Area D: Silviculture and Forest Management
FORS 5000 Surface Hydrology (3)
FORS 5020 Silviculture (3)
FORS 5050 Wildland Fire Management (3)
FORS 5100 Forest Management (3)
FORS 5170 Watershed Management (3)
FORS 5200 Wildlife Habitat Management (3)
FORS 5350C Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 5890 Applied Ecology and Environmental Restoration (3)
FORS 6200C Advanced Topics in Natural Resources Management (2)
FORS 6350 Selected Topic in Natural Resources Management (1-4) *
FORS 6900 Independent Study (1-4) *

Exit Requirements

Thesis Option

Students are required to form a thesis advisory committee and submit a program of study and thesis proposal within the first semester of study. A total of at least 34 credits are needed with at least 15 credits of 6000-level courses.

Students are further required to complete a written thesis, following the guidelines established in the Graduate Handbook, and present the thesis orally to the thesis committee. Upon successful completion of any deficiencies and all POS coursework, and submission of the graduation clearance paperwork, the student will be nominated to candidacy for the M.S. degree.

Non-thesis Option

Student choosing the non-thesis option are required to from an independent study advisory committee and submit a program of study within the first semester. Four to seven elective credits must be taken at the 6000-level to meet the 15 credits the graduate school requires at that level. A sufficient number of elective credits must be included in the student’s program of study such that the number of credits from required core courses, thesis credits, and elective credits is equal to or greater than 37 credits.

Student are further required to complete an independent study. This independent study should be a project of internship focused on practical land management, either on private property, public land, or in a concert with professional foresters. Students should develop and submit an independent study proposal to their independent study advisory committee for approval in their first semester of study. In their last semester of study, in cooperation with an advisory committee, students must develop and complete a written professional paper and deliver a public, oral presentation of the independent study they performed. Students are also required to pass a comprehensive exam with a grade of 75% or greater. The exam is to be compiled by the student’s committee chair with questions submitted by faculty who taught courses within the student’s program of study. The advisory committee chair will administer the exam and the exam will be graded by the faculty who contributed the questions.