Natural Resources and Society

Photos of College of Education, Heath and Human Sciences Indigenous Knowledge for Effective Education Program (IKEEP) and Cultivating Indigenous Research Communities for Leadership in Education (CIRCLES) students at the McCall Outdoor Science School (MOSS) campus.

Understand the human dimensions of natural resources.

The Department of Natural Resources and Society equips tomorrow’s leaders with the skills and knowledge to make a real impact as pioneers, professionals and informed citizens. We create and share knowledge to drive change.

Solving today’s natural resource challenges demands creativity, teamwork and expertise across social and biophysical sciences. Award-winning faculty bring real-world problems into the classroom and take learning into the field. Faculty and students work together on issues ranging from local communities to global challenges.

Academic programs

Undergraduate degrees and programs

The Department of Natural Resources offers a B.S. in natural resource enterprise management, an innovative undergraduate program that explores the business, policy and management of natural resources.

Department faculty also contribute to the policy, planning and management emphasis within the B.S. in Environmental Science, helping you understand the social, economic and policy dimensions of environmental challenges.

You can further customize your undergraduate experience by adding a minor or certificate that complements your major and expands your expertise in natural resources and environmental science: 

  • Environmental communication minor
  • Natural resource conservation minor
  • Remote sensing of the environment undergraduate certificate

Read our viewbook to learn more about natural resource enterprise management.

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Interested in learning more about our new undergraduate program in Natural Resources Enterprise Management?

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College of Natural Resources internship with Palouse Land Trust

B.S. Natural resources enterprise management: stewardship emphasis

Learn to communicate and manage today’s conservation and natural resource issues in a variety of professional settings with a Bachelor of Science in natural resources enterprise management, stewardship emphasis.

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Vandal Ventures

B.S. Natural resources enterprise management: development emphasis

Prepare to help people enjoy the great outdoors while protecting and conserving our natural lands with a Bachelor of Science in natural resources enterprise management, development emphasis.

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Graduate certificates

Graduate-level students can advance your skills and gain specialized knowledge through graduate certificates offered by the Department of Natural Resources and Society:
 

Inside U of I — NRS

Current students, staff and faculty can have access to additional resources on the Inside U of I NRS page.

Access internal resources
A group of students listen to a woman speaking inside a room filled with pictures of salmon and nature landscapes.

The business of the outdoors

Our new bachelor’s degree teaches students the business of outdoor recreation and nonprofit management.

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Meet our team

Meet the expert faculty and dedicated staff who will guide and support you throughout your journey as a Natural Resources and Society student

Department Leadership

  • Jaap Vos

    Professor of Planning and Natural Resources; Director of the Environmental Science Program; Department Head

  • Erin Rishling

    Administrative Specialist II

Faculty

  • Ming-Hsun Cheng

    Assistant Professor of Energy and Environment

  • Jan U.H. Eitel

    Associate Professor

  • Karla Eitel

    Director, McCall Field Campus; Professor of Place-Based Environmental Education

  • Mary Engels

    Assistant Professor

  • Elise Kokenge

    Director of CNR Graduate Studies, Assistant Research Professor 

  • Nathan Moody

    Instructor, Natural Resources Management

  • Greg Latta

    Associate Research Professor of Forest Economics; Director, Policy Analysis Group

  • Travis Paveglio

    Professor of Natural Resource Sociology 

  • Chelsea Pennick (McIver)

    Associate Director of Policy Analysis Group and Research Assistant Professor of Natural Resources Policy and Administration

  • David Roon

    Environmental Science Program Associate Director, Clinical Assistant Professor of Conservation Biology

  • David Smith

    Assistant Professor

  • Shanny Spang Gion

    Assistant Professor of Tribal Water

  • Jaap Vos

    Professor of Planning and Natural Resources; Director of the Environmental Science Program; Department Head

  • Kenneth E. Wallen

    Associate Professor of Human Dimensions of Fish and Wildlife

  • Patrick Wilson

    Associate Professor of Natural Resource Policy

  • Chris Zajchowski

    Assistant Professor of Parks, Tourism and Recreation Ecology