Executing searches with no text in the Search Terms entry field will render no results.
print page

Conservation Social Sciences

Resource Recreation & Tourism (B.S.Res.Rc.)

Forest Products (B.S.For.Prod.)

Conservation Social Sciences Minor

Environmental Communication Minor

Forest Products Minor

Outdoor Recreation Leadership Minor

Parks, Protected Areas, and Wilderness Conservation Minor

Sustainable Tourism and Leisure Enterprises Minor

Environmental Education Academic Certificate

Conservation Social Sciences Graduate Degree Programs

Lawrence A. Young, Dept. Head (19 CNR Bldg. 83844-1139; phone 208/885-7911; e-mail css@uidaho.edu; www.cnrhome.uidaho.edu/css/). CSS Faculty: James R. Fazio, Troy E. Hall, Sam H. Ham, Charles C. Harris, Steven J. Hollenhorst, Edwin E. Krumpe, Tamara J. Laninga, William J. McLaughlin, Sandra L. Pinel, Nick Sanyal, Patrick Wilson. CSS Affiliate Faculty: Yen Hai Le, Gary E. Machlis, Michael R. Whiteman,. CSS Adjunct Faculty: , Carlos M. Chacon, Claudia Charpentier, David N. Cole, Jose A. Courrau, LuVerne D. Grussing, John Haskin, Christine Jakobsen, Bjorn P. Kaltenborn, , Richard A. Meganck, David Ostergren Dietmar Stoian. Forest Products: Thomas M. Gorman, Program Director (102 CNR Bldg. 83844-1132; phone 208/885-9663; fprod@uidaho.edu). Forest Products Faculty: Thomas M. Gorman, Armando G. McDonald, Francis G. Wagner. Forest Products Affiliate Faculty: Louis L. Edwards, John S. Morris, Jay O'Laughlin. Steven R. Shook. Adjunct Faculty: Donald A. Bender, Keith A. Blatner, Michael P.Wolcott.

Programs in the Department of Conservation Social Sciences involve the study of land and its natural resources and the private, non-profit and governmental institutions that determine how land will be allocated and managed. The educational objective of the Department is to prepare professionals and help build the capacity of organizations that protect and conserve the environment. The program prepares conservation professionals for the 21st century who: 1) Possess core skills relating to organizational management and leadership; 2) Are aware of new conservation theories, approaches, and technological applications; 3) Can apply both social theory and practice to current conservation issues; 4) Can work across disciplinary and sector boundaries with diverse stakeholders; 5) Understand and apply key concepts related to protected area recreation and ecotourism, and; 5) Develop and incorporate a personal land ethic into their daily actions and relationships. Students receive a solid educational foundation by studying natural resources and their management. This is coupled with courses in the human dimensions of resource use including a strong emphasis in sociology, psychology, political science, economics, and communication.

The B.S.Res.Rc. degree prepares qualified students for graduate programs focusing on the social dimensions of natural resource and environmental management. Graduates find employment in private businesses; county, state, and national parks and protected areas; educational institutions; environmental non-profit organizations; and a variety of resource-management agencies such as the U.S. Forest Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service, and others. Some students also pursue a second degree in ecology, environmental science, forestry, wildlife and fisheries, or range management to broaden their employability. Still others select foreign language coursework to prepare for careers in international conservation.

It is department philosophy that graduates should be prepared for a wide spectrum of career opportunities related to the human dimensions of conservation. Careers, however, usually begin in one of four general areas: environmental communication/education, parks, protected areas, and wilderness conservation, resource-based recreation and sustainable tourism, or outdoor recreation leadership.

The department also offers thesis and non-thesis graduate programs (M.S. with a major in Natural Resources) that are multidisciplinary and provide students with the opportunity to combine interests in natural resource management and the social sciences. In cooperation with an advisory committee, each student develops a program of studies that supports his or her educational and professional interests. Graduate courses are available in this department and in supporting areas such as forest resources, wildlife management, anthropology, education, communication, political science, sociology, and psychology.

Admission to graduate study normally requires completion of undergraduate course work in the natural and social sciences. Applicants who have completed their undergraduate degrees in fields not closely related may be required to make up deficiencies as determined by their advisory committees. In addition to the university's application requirements, the Graduate Record Examination (or other accepted graduate examination such as GMAT or LSAT) is required for consideration of all candidates from English-speaking countries. Admission is based on undergraduate grades, evidence of ability to complete graduate-level work, letters of recommendation, examination scores, the compatibility of the student's educational and career objectives with areas of concentration in the department, and the availability of departmental graduate faculty.

For additional information, consult the department head (208/885-7911) or visit the department website, www.cnrhome.uidaho.edu/css/.

Forest Products. Wood is a constant part of the lives of the people in this country and throughout the world. Nearly 80 percent of the material going into the construction of a home in the U.S. is wood based. It is also in the paper we use as newspapers, money, books, and packaging. In the U.S., every man, woman, and child consumes over 2,000 pounds of wood per year in the form of various products. The forest products industries rely on a renewable resource (trees) to produce over 5,000 different products for shelter, communications, packaging, and chemicals. Wood not only forms the raw material for the product, it also supplies a large portion of the energy needed by these industries. Many wood-using industries generate more than 50 percent of their energy requirements from wood residues. The industry utilizes almost all the wood fiber that is delivered to the mills and the innovation and modernization now taking place will assure a higher degree of efficiency and a greater level of utilization of the wood fiber. The programs of the Forest Products Program are designed to prepare students for rewarding careers in an array of forest products industries. Outstanding careers range from work with light-frame construction, wood building products manufacture, and business and marketing aspects of forest industries. In addition to jobs in industry, our graduates also obtain positions in a variety of governmental agencies and multinational corporations. A recent survey of graduates from the Forest Products Department showed that 95 percent of the respondents were employed in permanent, forest-products jobs or were in graduate school.

The Forest Products Program cooperates with the wood technology program at Washington State University, the Department of Architecture and Interior Design at the University of Idaho, and the region's forest products industries in carrying out its program responsibilities. The forest products industry actively supports our programs through scholarships for undergraduate students. The program offers two options within the B.S.For.Prod. degree. These are wood construction and design and forest products business management.

Facilities available to the program include: Forest products laboratory equipment (analytical chemistry instruments, polymer characterization instruments, materials processing equipment, universal testing machine, blender, dry kiln, conditioning chambers, and microscopy) provides students with hands-on experience with the manufacture and testing of a variety of forest products and biomaterials. The program offers bachelor's, master's, and doctoral programs. The undergraduate programs are structured, but still allow the student to follow specific interests through course selection from restricted and unrestricted electives. A graduate student's program can be tailor-made to the student's career goals and aspirations. A variety of industrial organizations and public agencies provide funds and facilities to carry out research and this allows the program to offer assistantships and fellowships. While graduate work is often undertaken by students who desire to enter careers in teaching and research, the program is also recommended for students who plan to enter production management and marketing careers. Work at the master's and doctoral levels is designed to enhance the student's professional background and is often pursued by those with backgrounds in forestry, business management, engineering, and other fields. For some students who plan to strengthen their background and enter the industrial and production fields, a non-thesis option at the master's level is available.

Graduate work can be undertaken in each of the program's principal areas: wood construction and design, wood technology and engineering, forest products business management and marketing, wood chemistry, and wood composites. Graduate students' research is closely integrated with that of the department's faculty. Emphasis areas currently include physical and mechanical properties of wood, wood chemistry, wood drying and preservation, technology of adhesives and particleboard, management and marketing in the forest products industry, value added manufacturing opportunities, and wood construction and design. Breadth and diversity of opportunities for graduate students is enhanced by grants, contracts, and the department's cooperative relationships with government agencies, large forest industries, and nearby Washington State University. Preferred preparation for graduate study in forest products is an undergraduate degree in forest products, forestry, forest business management, or civil, mining, or forest engineering, or a related field. Students with other backgrounds may be admitted but will usually be required to complete a number of courses to remove the deficiencies in their preparation.

For additional information, consult the program director (208/885-9663); email: forp@uidaho.edu; or visit the website: www.uidaho.edu/cnr/css/forestproducts

Courses

See the course description section for courses in Conservation Social Sciences (CSS) and Forest Products (ForP).