For more information about this college, including contact information, visit the college website.

NCSU Box 8001
Raleigh, NC 27695-8001

NC State University College of Natural Resources

Bringing science, technology, policy and people together to work for a healthy and sustainable tomorrow.

Vision

We desire to improve the sustainability of the world’s natural resources and improve the economic and social condition of its people through education, innovation, and the discovery and dissemination of new knowledge.

Mission

Our mission is to serve as a leader in our disciplines in North Carolina, the nation and the world. We seek to strengthen natural resource management, enhance environmental quality and conservation values, increase the sustainable yield of forestland goods and services, increase the value and competitiveness of the forest products and natural resource-based industries, expand recreation and tourism opportunities, and enhance the health and well being of our citizens through superior professional education, innovative scientific research, and dissemination of credible and timely information.

Values

We value—

• Academic excellence in all of its forms— the scholarships of discovery, teaching, information transfer and scientific integration.
• Both cutting-edge research in fundamental science and translational research to address practical problems in North Carolina, the nation and the world.
• Diversity of disciplines, people, places and ideas
• Our students, staff and faculty and are committed to nurturing all.

We admire— academic and scientific rigor and dedication

We seek— innovative and creative solutions to today’s problems.

We strive— for collegiality and appreciate friendly service.

We aspire— to leadership in all of our disciplines.

We intend— to make the world a better place for this and future generations.

Student Activities

Each department in the college has student curriculum clubs within the degree programs and/or student chapters of the appropriate national professional organizations. All of these organizations provide opportunities for professional development, for interaction with faculty and other students, and for participation in local, regional, and national student and professional activities. Student representatives from each organization and curriculum serve on the College of Natural Resources Council. The Council provides overall coordination for student activities, allocates funds for student activities, and oversees production of the Pinetum, the College of Natural Resources student yearbook.

CNR Ambassadors

The CNR Ambassador Program highlights the “student face” of the college. The group is composed of leaders from each program in the college, following a college-wide nomination and selection process. Their activities include representing the college in many ways, ranging from mentoring freshmen to working with prospective students, through shadowing experiences, phone calls and campus tours. In addition the Ambassadors represent their programs and the college to outside visitors, such as the Board of Trustees, Foundation officers, and others who would like to know about the CNR student experience at NC State.

Facilities and Laboratories

In addition to standard classrooms and teaching laboratories, the College of Natural Resources has a unique complex of indoor and field facilities that are utilized in the academic programs. CNR computer facilities provide access to disciplinary applications such as geographic information systems, remote sensing, process simulation, and management/planning software as well as to the university computer network. Included are a general computer lab, two classrooms incorporating a flexible landscape, plasma screens and laptop computers providing the breadth of teaching/learning approaches, a high-tech “collaboratory” designed especially for student team project work. Also available are several different analytical and biotechnology facilities, an extensive herbarium, and a wood sample collection. About 95,000 acres of forestland are available for field instruction and research at Chowan Swamp, Bull Neck Swamp, Goodwin Forest, Hill Forest, Hofmann Forest, Hosley Forest, and Schenck Forest. Slocum Camp, the site of the annual forestry and wildlife camps at Hill Forest, contains classrooms, dining facilities, and student and staff housing. Specialized pilot plant laboratories unique to wood and paper science are contained in the Hodges Wood Products Laboratory and the Reuben B. Robertson Pulp and Paper Laboratory. Equipment in the Hodges Laboratory includes computer controlled woodworking machinery, testing for biomaterials, 3-D printer, life cycle analysis software, and numerous other items required to convert sustainable materials into viable products. The Robertson Laboratory is a 50,000 sq. ft. facility, which contains laboratories and modern pulping and paper-making equipment dedicated to teaching and research activities. Examples of equipment are secondary fiber recycling equipment, a thermo-mechanical pulping unit, a pilot-scale paper machine, process control equipment, paper testing laboratory, and pulping digesters.

Fields of Instruction and Work Experience

All curricula in the college have strong components of hands-on field and laboratory instruction and experience, and all either require or strongly recommend on-the-job work experience. All students are required to complete the equivalent of one or more of the following summer activities: camp, internship, practicum, and work experience. The Forest Management and Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology curricula both have required summer camps. Undergraduates enrolled in Parks, Recreation and Tourism Management complete a 9-week internship immediately following the completion of the junior year. All Paper Science majors complete a 12-week internship in an industrial setting approved by the college. Sustainable Materials and Technology students are required to complete a summer internship in the industry. Students in all curricula are encouraged to participate in summer jobs and the cooperative education program to gain work experience.

Outdoor and other practical laboratories are a regular part of some courses. In other courses, field instruction may include longer trips (often on weekends) to privately owned businesses and industries, governmental agencies, state and federal forests, and wildlife refuges.

Honors and Scholars Programs

The College of Natural Resources participates in the University Honors Program, the University Scholars Program, the Women in Science and Engineering (WISE) Program, and the Eco-Village Program in which exceptional new students (freshman or transfer) are selected for special courses and activities that provide an expanded educational experience.

The College of Natural Resources also offers a disciplinary honors program, which provides the opportunity for advanced students with outstanding records to enhance the depth of study in their major field. Students with an overall GPA of 3.0 or better and a major GPA of 3.25 or better are invited to participate in the Honors Program. Students must have at least 40 hours of credit. Honors students develop more rigorous programs of study, frequently taking advanced courses in mathematics, science, or social science, or graduate courses in the chosen curriculum. With the adviser’s consent honors students may substitute preferred courses for normally required courses in order to develop strength in special interest areas. Honors students are required to undertake a program of independent study, which can involve a research problem or special project during their junior or senior year, and they must participate in the senior honors seminar.

Two honor societies in the College of Natural Resources promote and recognize academic excellence: Xi Sigma Pi (for majors within Forestry and Environmental Resources and in Forest Biomaterials) and Rho Phi Lambda (for recreation majors). Advanced undergraduate and graduate students with high academic achievement are invited to become members of these societies. High achieving forest management and natural resources students are also eligible for recognition by two agriculture honor societies, Alpha Zeta and Gamma Sigma Delta. All students are also eligible for recognition by the campus-wide honor societies.

Scholarships

The College of Natural Resources administers a large program of academic scholarships that is separate from the University Merit Awards Program. About 170 academic scholarships (ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 per year), renewable annually, are awarded in several program areas to new, continuing, and transfer students. The scholarships are awarded based on academic excellence and leadership.

Computer Competency

Extensive use of computers and workstations is incorporated throughout all curricula of the College of Natural Resources. Students are expected to use the computer for increasingly complex class assignments and for the preparation of papers and reports. Computing resources are available for student use in the college and elsewhere on campus, but many students find it more convenient to purchase a personal computer. Questions about such purchases should be directed to the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs or the appropriate departmental curriculum coordinator.

International Activities

Students in the College of Natural Resources are exposed to the international dimensions of their programs in a variety of ways. Many faculty members regularly travel abroad and a number are active in major projects in foreign countries, including an international cooperative research project concentrating on Central American and Mexico, faculty exchange programs with Sweden and Finland, and several recent agreements for student exchange programs in Asia and South America. With the faculty’s experiences, the international aspects of many topics are covered in core courses, and several elective undergraduate and graduate courses focus specifically on the international dimensions of natural resource management. In addition, many international students enroll in the college with as many as 21 different countries represented in recent years. There are also in-the-major study abroad opportunities, which are led by CNR faculty, and which range from two-week trips to five-week summer sessions. Recent study trips have included China, Australia, Namibia, Ghana, Sweden, Costa Rica, and Chile. There is also scholarship support to help students take advantage of international job opportunities.

Faculty

Departments

Majors

Minors

Certificates