Apr 03, 2025

2024-2025 University Catalog

Natural Resources and Environmental Science: Sustainability Science Concentration, BS

Location(s): West Lafayette

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About the Program

Natural Resources and Environmental Science (NRES) is an interdisciplinary program that combines broad environmental knowledge and technical competency, with understanding of the economic, policy and human factors of environmental management to develop graduates who are well-equipped to deal with the environmental challenges of the 21st century.

Students can choose from one of six concentration areas: energy and climate solutions, environmental policy and analysis, watershed management, environmental quality and restoration, sustainability science or emerging environmental challenges. NRES graduates work in an exciting variety of environmentally related careers in the public and private sector, including state and federal agencies, consulting firms and non-profits.

Students in the Sustainability Science Concentration choose 21 credit hours of course work in sustainability, economics, and life cycle analysis to learn how to minimize the depletion of natural resources in agriculture, industry, and other sectors in order to balance environmental, social, and economic considerations.

Natural Resources and Environmental Science Website

Natural Resources and Environmental Science Major Change (CODO) Requirements

Degree Requirements

120 Credits Required

Departmental/Program Major Courses (35 credits)

Required Major Courses (11 credits)

AGRY 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
FNR 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
NRES 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 (satisfies Science, Technology & Society Selective for core)
AGRY 33800 - Environmental Field Skills Credits: 1.00 or
NRES 33800 - Environmental Field Skills Credits: 1.00
NRES 20000 - Introduction To Environmental Careers Credits: 1.00
NRES 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
AGRY 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
AGRY 27000 - Forest Soils Credits: 3.00 ♦
NRES 42000 - Environmental Internship Reporting Credits: 1.00 (Capstone)
NRES 49700 - Current Topics In Environmental Sciences Credits: 2.00 (Capstone)

Sustainability Science Concentration Courses (24 credits)

Required Concentration Courses (12 credits)

EEE 23000 - Engineering Economics And Environment Credits: 3.00
EEE 35500 - Engineering Environmental Sustainability Credits: 3.00 ♦
MA 16020 - Applied Calculus II Credits: 3.00
SFS 30200 - Principles Of Sustainability Credits: 3.00 ♦

Sustainability Science Concentration Selectives (12 credits)

Sustainability Science Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 12.00

Other Departmental/Program Course Requirements (63-70 credits)

AGEC 40600 - Natural Resource And Environmental Economics Credits: 3.00 ♦
AGR 10100 - Introduction To The College Of Agriculture And Purdue University Credits: 0.50
AGR 12200 - Introduction To Natural Resources And Environmental Science Academic Programs Credits: 0.50 ♦
ILS 25000 - Introduction To Geographic Information Systems Credits: 3.00
MA 16010 - Applied Calculus I Credits: 3.00 (satisfies Quantitative Reasoning for core)
STAT 30100 - Elementary Statistical Methods Credits: 3.00 (satisfies Information Literacy for core)
BIOL 11000 - Fundamentals Of Biology I Credits: 4.00 ♦ or
BTNY 12000 - Principles Of Plant Biology I Credits: 4.00 ♦
BIOL 11100 - Fundamentals Of Biology II Credits: 4.00 ♦ or
BTNY 12100 - Principles Of Plant Biology II Credits: 4.00 ♦
CHM 11100 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Science #1 for core) or
CHM 11500 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00
CHM 11200 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 ♦ (satisfies Science #2 for core) or
CHM 11600 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00
CHM 25500 - Organic Chemistry For The Life Sciences I Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
CHM 25700 - Organic Chemistry Credits: 4.00 ♦
FNR 22310 - Introduction To Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00 or
POL 22300 - Introduction To Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00
FNR 37500 - Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
SOC 34400 - Environmental Sociology Credits: 3.00 ♦
Microeconomics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Culture Behavioral/Social Science for core)
AGEC 20300 - Introductory Microeconomics For Food And Agribusiness Credits: 3.00
AGEC 20400 - Introduction To Resource Economics And Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00
ECON 25100 - Microeconomics Credits: 3.00
Oral Communication Selective ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Oral Communication for core)
COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication Credits: 3.00
COM 21700 - Science Writing And Presentation Credits: 3.00
EDPS 31500 - Collaborative Leadership: Interpersonal Skills Credits: 3.00
Science Communication Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
ASEC 38500 - Communication Strategies For Controversial Issues In ANR Credits: 3.00
ASEC 48500 - Environmental Communication Credits: 3.00
ASEC 58500 - Science Communication Credits: 3.00
ENGL 42000 - Business Writing Credits: 3.00
ENGL 42100 - Technical Writing Credits: 3.00
ENTM 20100 - Scientific And Technical Communication Credits: 3.00
NRES 48500 - Environmental Communications Credits: 3.00
SFS 48500 - Environmental Communication Credits: 3.00
Written Communication Selective ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00 (satisfies Written Communication for core)
ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00
ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00
HONR 19903 - Interdisciplinary Approaches In Writing Credits: 3.00
Broadening Science Selective - Credit Hours 1.00-3.00
Data Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Ecology Selective - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00
Human Cultures: Humanities Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (satisfies Human Cultures: Humanities for core)
Social Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00 (any AGEC, ANTH, ECON, EDPS, POL, PSY, SOC course from the AG HUM/SOCIAL SCI list)
Written or Oral Communication Selective (20000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00

Electives (15-22 credits)

Electives - Credit Hours: 15.00-22.00

Supplemental Information

Selective courses: Natural Resources and Environmental Science Supplemental Information

College of Agriculture & University Level Requirements

College of Agriculture International Understanding Selective - Credit Hours: 9.00 (Agricultural Engineering, Biological Engineering, Environmental & Natural Resources Engineering - Credit Hours: 6.00)
College of Agriculture Multicultural Awareness Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
College of Agriculture Humanities or Social Science Selectives (30000+ level) (30000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00
Human Cultures: Humanities or Behavioral/Social Sciences Selective (Choose from outside the College of Agriculture) - Credit Hours: 9.00
College of Agriculture Additional Written or Oral Communication Selectives - Credit Hours: 3.00

College of Agriculture Pass/No Pass Policy

College of Agriculture Undergraduate Pass/No Pass Policy

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer courses listed in the Purdue Transfer Equivalency Guide with specific Purdue Subject codes (e.g. BIOL) may be used to fulfill degree requirements at the discretion of the College of Agriculture. However, Agriculture transfer courses listed with “UND” Purdue Subject codes cannot be used for any requirements in the College of Agriculture at Purdue.

GPA Requirements

2.0 GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

GPA Requirements

2.0 GPA required for Bachelor of Science degree.

Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer courses listed in the Purdue Transfer Equivalency Guide with specific Purdue Subject codes (e.g. BIOL) may be used to fulfill degree requirements at the discretion of the College of Agriculture. However, Agriculture transfer courses listed with “UND” Purdue Subject codes cannot be used for any requirements in the College of Agriculture at Purdue.

University Requirements

University Core Requirements

For a complete listing of University Core Course Selectives, visit the University Senate Website.

Human Cultures: Behavioral/Social Science (BSS)
Human Cultures: Humanities (HUM)
Information Literacy (IL)
Oral Communication (OC)
Quantitative Reasoning (QR)
Science #1 (SCI)
Science #2 (SCI)
Science, Technology, and Society (STS)
Written Communication (WC)

Civics Literacy Proficiency Requirement

The Civics Literacy Proficiency activities are designed to develop civic knowledge of Purdue students in an effort to graduate a more informed citizenry. For more information visit the Civics Literacy Proficiency website.

To obtain the Civics Literacy Proficiency, students will complete an educational activity as part of their chosen Civics Literacy Pathway and pass the Purdue Civics knowledge test. The knowledge test can be completed at any time while the pathway is being perused. There are three different pathways:

Civics Event pathway - Attend six approved civics-related events and pass the required exam; or
Civics Literacy Podcast pathway - Complete 12 podcasts created by the Purdue Center for C-SPAN Scholarship & Engagement that use C-SPAN material and pass the required exam; or
Approved course pathway - Complete one of the following approved courses and pass the required exam.

More details about each pathway and how to complete the requirement can be found on the Civics Literacy Student Dashboard in myPurdue.

Upper Level Requirement

Resident study at Purdue University for at least two semesters and the enrollment in and completion of at least 32 semester hours of coursework required and approved for the completion of the degree. These courses are expected to be at least junior-level (30000+) courses.
Students should be able to fulfill most, if not all, of these credits within their major requirements; there should be a clear pathway for students to complete any credits not completed within their major.

Sample 4-Year Plan

Fall 1st Year

AGR 10100 - Introduction To The College Of Agriculture And Purdue University Credits: 0.50
AGR 12200 - Introduction To Natural Resources And Environmental Science Academic Programs Credits: 0.50
AGRY 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
EAPS 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
FNR 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00 or
NRES 12500 - Environmental Science And Conservation Credits: 3.00
CHM 11100 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 or
CHM 11500 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00
MA 16010 - Applied Calculus I Credits: 3.00
Oral Communication Selective ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00
COM 11400 - Fundamentals Of Speech Communication Credits: 3.00
COM 21700 - Science Writing And Presentation Credits: 3.00
EDPS 31500 - Collaborative Leadership: Interpersonal Skills Credits: 3.00
Human Cultures: Humanities Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

16-17 Credits

Spring 1st Year

CHM 11200 - General Chemistry Credits: 3.00 or
CHM 11600 - General Chemistry Credits: 4.00
FNR 22310 - Introduction To Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00 or
POL 22300 - Introduction To Environmental Policy Credits: 3.00
MA 16020 - Applied Calculus II Credits: 3.00
Written Communication Selective ♦ - Credit Hours: 3.00-4.00
ENGL 10600 - First Year Composition With Conferences Credits: 4.00
ENGL 10800 - First Year Composition Credits: 3.00
HONR 19903 - Interdisciplinary Approaches In Writing Credits: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15-17 Credits

Fall 2nd Year

BIOL 11000 - Fundamentals Of Biology I Credits: 4.00 ♦ or
BTNY 12000 - Principles Of Plant Biology I Credits: 4.00 ♦
NRES 20000 - Introduction To Environmental Careers Credits: 1.00
NRES 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
AGRY 25500 - Soil Science Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
AGRY 27000 - Forest Soils Credits: 3.00 ♦
PHYS 22000 - General Physics Credits: 4.00 or
PHYS 23300 - Physics For Life Sciences I Credits: 4.00
Microeconomics Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00

15 Credits

Spring 2nd Year

AGRY 33800 - Environmental Field Skills Credits: 1.00 or
NRES 33800 - Environmental Field Skills Credits: 1.00
BIOL 11100 - Fundamentals Of Biology II Credits: 4.00 ♦ or
BTNY 12100 - Principles Of Plant Biology II Credits: 4.00
SFS 30200 - Principles Of Sustainability Credits: 3.00
STAT 30100 - Elementary Statistical Methods Credits: 3.00
Data Science Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Written or Oral Communication Selective (20000+ level) - Credit Hours: 3.00

17 Credits

Fall 3rd Year

NRES 42000 - Environmental Internship Reporting Credits: 1.00
CHM 25500 - Organic Chemistry For The Life Sciences I Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
CHM 25700 - Organic Chemistry Credits: 4.00 ♦
EEE 23000 - Engineering Economics And Environment Credits: 3.00
ILS 25000 - Introduction To Geographic Information Systems Credits: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

13-14 Credits

Spring 3rd Year

EEE 35500 - Engineering Environmental Sustainability Credits: 3.00
FNR 37500 - Human Dimensions of Natural Resource Management Credits: 3.00 ♦ or
SOC 34400 - Environmental Sociology Credits: 3.00
Ecology Selective - Credit Hours: 2.00-3.00
Social Science Selective: Credit Hours: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 3.00

14-15 Credits

Fall 4th Year

AGEC 40600 - Natural Resource And Environmental Economics Credits: 3.00 ♦
Science Communication Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Sustainability Science Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Sustainability Science Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 1.00

13 Credits

Spring 4th Year

NRES 49700 - Current Topics In Environmental Sciences Credits: 2.00
Sustainability Science Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Sustainability Science Concentration Selective - Credit Hours: 3.00
Elective - Credit Hours: 4.00-9.00

12-17 Credits

Pre-Requisite Information

For pre-requisite information, log in to mypurdue.purdue.edu and click here.

World Language Courses

World Language proficiency requirements vary by program. The following list is inclusive of all world languages PWL offers for credit; for acceptable languages and proficiency levels, see your advisor. (ASL-American Sign Language; ARAB-Arabic; CHNS-Chinese; FR-French; GER-German; GREK-Greek(Ancient); HEBR-Hebrew(Biblical); HEBR-Hebrew(Modern); ITAL-Italian; JPNS-Japanese; KOR-Korean; LATN-Latin; PTGS-Portuguese; RUSS-Russian; SPAN-Spanish)

Critical Course

The ♦ course is considered critical.

In alignment with the Degree Map Guidance for Indiana’s Public Colleges and Universities, published by the Commission for Higher Education (pursuant to HEA 1348-2013), a Critical Course is identified as “one that a student must be able to pass to persist and succeed in a particular major. Students who want to be nurses, for example, should know that they are expected to be proficient in courses like biology in order to be successful. These would be identified by the institutions for each degree program.”

Disclaimer

The student is ultimately responsible for knowing and completing all degree requirements. Consultation with an advisor may result in an altered plan customized for an individual student. The myPurduePlan powered by DegreeWorks is the knowledge source for specific requirements and completion.

Comparative information about Purdue University and other U.S. educational institutions is also available through the College Navigator tool, provided by the National Center for Education Statistics, and through the U.S. Department of Education College Scorecard.