Program Overview

Natural Resources Graduate Major (MNR)

The Natural Resources Graduate Major (MNR) is a 45-credit online degree program offered by Oregon State University. The program is designed for natural resource professionals who require cross-disciplinary competency to find solutions to natural resource problems.

Graduate Areas of Concentration

The MNR program offers several areas of concentration, including:

• Fisheries management
• Forests and climate change
• Geographic information science (GIScience)
• Sustainable natural resources
• Urban forestry
• Water conflict management
• Wildlife management

Program Structure

The MNR program is organized into three sections:

• Core (18 credits)
• Area of emphasis (18 credits)
• Capstone project (9 credits)

Core Courses

The core courses include:

• MNR 511: Introduction to Sustainable Natural Resources (3 credits)
• Select 6 credits from the following courses:
  • FES 535/TOX 535/MCB 535: Genes and Chemicals in Agriculture: Value and Risk
  • FES 536: Carbon Sequestration in Forests
  • FES 545/FW 545: Ecological Restoration
  • FES 547/HORT 547: Arboriculture
  • FES 548: Invasive Plants: Biology, Ecology and Management
  • FES 552/FW 552: Forest Wildlife Habitat Management
  • FES 560: Green Infrastructure
  • FW 519: The Natural History of Whales and Whaling
  • FW 521: Aquatic Biological Invasions
  • FW 527: Principles of Wildlife Diseases
  • FW 535: Wildlife in Agricultural Ecosystems
  • FW 538: Structured Decision Making in Natural Resource Management Lab
  • FW 540: Vertebrate Population Dynamics
  • FW 551: Avian Conservation and Management
  • FW 554: Fishery Biology
  • FW 556: Freshwater Ecology and Conservation
  • FW 558: Mammal Conservation and Management
  • FW 562: Ecosystem Services
  • FW 563: Conservation Biology of Wildlife
  • FW 570: Ecology and History: Landscapes of the Columbia Basin
  • FW 575: Wildlife Behavior
  • FW 576: Fish Physiology
  • FW 579: Wetlands and Riparian Ecology
  • FW 580: Stream Ecology
  • FW 581: Wildlife Ecology
  • FW 583: Species Recovery Planning and Restoration
  • FW 597: Aquaculture
  • MNR 530: Tropical Forest Ecology and Management: A Global Perspective
  • MNR 538: Adapting Forests to Climate Change
  • MNR 550: Climate Change Impacts on Forest Ecosystems
  • NSE 583: Radiation Biology
  • NSE 588: Radioecology
  • SNR 530: Ecological Principles of Sustainable Natural Resources
  • SNR 531: Sustainable Silviculture and Forest Certification
  • SNR 532: Planning Agroforestry Projects
  • SNR 533: Alternative (Non-Timber) Forest Products
  • SNR 534: Reduced Impact Timber Harvest
  • SNR 535: Sustainable Management of Aquatic and Riparian Resources
  • SNR 540: Global Environmental Change

Area of Emphasis

Students may select a certificate listed below or design their own option. A certificate may not be used to satisfy core requirements.

• Geographic Information Science (GIScience)
• Sustainable Natural Resources (SNR)
• Water Conflict Management and Transformation (WCMT)
• Fisheries Management
• Urban Forestry
• Forests and Climate Change
• Wildlife Management
• Design own option (no certificate)

Capstone Project

Select one of the following options:

• Option 1: For students who do not complete a capstone project as part of their Area of Emphasis.
• Option 2: For students who do complete a capstone project as part of their Area of Emphasis. The student must complete 6-7 credits of MNR 560 plus 2-3 credits from an independent study project that was completed as part of the area of emphasis.