2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Program Curriculum
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum credit hours required for graduation is 120. Prerequisites or enrollment restrictions may apply to some courses. Consult the undergraduate course catalog or the timetable of classes. | ||
| Degree Core Requirements (19 credits) | ||
| FREC 2214 | Introduction to Land and Field Measurements 1 | 3 |
| FREC 2314 | Forest Biology and Dendrology 1 | 2 |
| FREC 2324 | Dendrology Laboratory | 1 |
| FREC 2614 | Human-Environment Systems 1 | 3 |
| FREC/NR 4004 | Professional Skills in Natural Resources | 1 |
| FREC/NR 4014 | Natural Resources Economics 1 | 3 |
| FREC 4114 | Information Technologies for Natural Resource Management 1 | 3 |
| FREC 4434 | Natural Resource Policy 1 | 3 |
| Subtotal | 19 | |
| Major Requirements (39 credits) | ||
| BIOL 1115 | Principles of Biology Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| BIOL 1116 | Principles of Biology Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry 1 | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| ENSC 3134 | Soils in the Landscape | 3 |
| FIW 2114 | Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation | 3 |
| FREC 2004 | Forest Ecosystems 1 | 3 |
| or FREC 3314 | Forest Ecology and Silvics | |
| FREC 2414 | Field Experience in Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation | 2 |
| FREC/HORT 3354 | Trees in the Built Environment | 3 |
| or FREC 4334 | Principles and Practice of Agroforestry | |
| FREC 3364 | Environmental Silviculture (Pathways 6 Design) | 3 |
| FREC 4214 | Forest Photogrammetry and Spatial Data Processing 1 | 3 |
| or GEOG 4354 | Introduction to Remote Sensing | |
| FREC 4354 | Forest Soil and Watershed Management 1 | 3 |
| FREC 4374 | Forested Wetlands 1 | 3 |
| FREC/AAEC/WATR 4464 | Water Resources Policy and Economics (Pathways 3 and 7) 1 | 3 |
| GEOS 1024 | Earth Resources, Society, and Environment | 3 |
| or GEOS 1004 | Earth Science: Our Past, Present, and Future | |
| GEOS 1124 | Earth Resources, Society and Environment Laboratory | 1 |
| or GEOS 1104 | Introduction to Earth Sciences Laboratory | |
| Subtotal | 39 | |
| Restricted Electives (15 to 16 credits - see accompanying lists) | ||
| Global Environmental Issues Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| International Agricultural Development and Trade (Pathway 3) 1 | ||
| Forests, Society & Climate (Pathway 3 or Pathway 4) | ||
| Forest Carbon Management and Policy | ||
| Climate Change and the International Policy Framework | ||
| Environmental Justice (Pathway 3) | ||
| Geography of Resources 1 | ||
| International Development Policy and Planning | ||
| Circular Economy Analytics for Sustainable Systems | ||
| Global Environmental Issues: Interdisciplinary Perspectives 1 | ||
| Gender, Environment, and International Development 1 | ||
| Law Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Environmental Law | ||
| Agricultural Law | ||
| Legal and Ethical Environment of Business 1 | ||
| Law of Critical Environmental Areas | ||
| Legal Foundations of Planning 1 | ||
| Public Relations Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Grant Proposals and Reports 1 | ||
| Environmental Interpretation (Pathway 1a) | ||
| Multicultural Communication (Pathway 3) | ||
| Principles of Public Relations | ||
| Collaborative Policy-Making and Planning (Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States) | ||
| Urban Environments Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Plants and Greenspaces in Urban Communities (Pathway 4) | ||
| Urban and Community Forestry (Pathway 1a) | ||
| The U.S. City 1 | ||
UAP 2014 | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning | ||
| Land Use and Environment: Planning and Policy 1 | ||
| Water Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Freshwater Ecology 1 | ||
| Aquatic Entomology 1 | ||
| Ecology and Management of Wetland Systems 1 | ||
| Fish Ecology 1 | ||
| Principles of Watershed Hydrology 1,2 | ||
| Watersheds and Water Quality Monitoring 1 | ||
| Wetland Hydrology and Biogeochemistry | ||
| Subtotal | 15-16 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Select free electives to total 120 credits. 2 | 2 | |
| Subtotal | 2 | |
| Pathways to General Education | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| COMM 1015 | Communication Skills | 3 |
| or ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing | |
| COMM 1016 | Communication Skills | 3 |
| or ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing | |
| Select three credits in Pathway 1a | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| FREC/LAR/NR 2554 | Leadership for Global Sustainability | 3 |
| Select three credits in Pathway 2 | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
| AAEC 1005 | Economics of the Food and Fiber System | 3 |
| or ECON 2005 | Principles of Economics | |
| FREC/AAEC/WATR 4464 | Water Resources Policy and Economics 1 | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| MATH 1025 | Elementary Calculus | 3-4 |
| or MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable | |
| MATH 1026 | Elementary Calculus | 3-4 |
| or MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable | |
| STAT 3615 | Biological Statistics 1 | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 6a | 3 | |
| FREC 3364 | Environmental Silviculture 1 | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
| FREC/AAEC/WATR 4464 | Water Resources Policy and Economics | 3 |
| Subtotal | 45-47 | |
| Total Credits | 120-123 | |
Prerequisites or enrollment restrictions may apply to some courses. Some of the listed courses must be taken in sequence to satisfy prerequisites. Be sure to consult the University undergraduate course catalog, timetable of classes, or check with your advisor.
Minimum credit hours required for graduation is 120.
For students interested in pursuing hydrology positions in the federal government, please note:
US Office of Personnel Management: Hydrology Qualification Standards:
Basic Requirements:
Degree: physical or natural science, or engineering that included at least 30 semester hours in any combination of courses in hydrology, the physical sciences, geophysics, chemistry, engineering science, soils, mathematics, aquatic biology, atmospheric science, meteorology, geology, oceanography, or the management or conservation of water resources. The course work must have included at least 6 [credit hours] in calculus (including both differential and integral calculus, e.g., MATH 1025 Elementary Calculus and MATH 1026 Elementary Calculus), and at least 6 [credit hours] in physics (e.g., PHYS 2205 General Physics and PHYS 2206 General Physics).
The Watershed Management minor will facilitate completion of additional water-related coursework that may be beneficial for those seeking federal hydrology positions. For full information, consult your advisor.
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