Natural Resources & Environmental Studies (MSc) at University of Northern British Columbia

Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (NRES) is one stream of the Master of Science degree in the College of Science and Management. This degree is designed for candidates whose research interests have a scientific emphasis and students from science disciplines such as biology, forestry, environmental science, and physical geography, as well as other scientifically oriented areas of resource management. Students studying within the NRES stream will, upon successful completion of the degree requirements outlined herein, obtain a MSc(NRES).

Students must choose from the following areas of study:

• Biology
• Environmental Science
• Forestry
• Geography
• Outdoor Recreation and Tourism Management

All students must complete Graduate Colloquia NRES 701-.5 twice during their course of studies, NRES 700-3 and  a research methods course approved by their supervisor and the Chair of the NRES Graduate Program.

Candidates must complete a minimum of 6 elective credit hours at the graduate level (I.e., at or above the 600 level), selected from the science courses available at UNBC or courses that emphasize a scientific orientation to natural resource issues. A maximum of 3 credit hours from independent studies can be counted towards the elective requirement. Specific details of course work are determined by the research area chosen by each student. The supervisory committee will ensure the appropriate selection of elective courses, and may require a student to complete more than 6 elective credit hours if, for example, weaknesses in the student's background exist (including undergraduate prerequisites for graduate courses) or if additional courses are required for professional accreditation.

The MSc (NRES) also requires the completion of a research thesis (NRES 790-12) in which the student makes a scientific contribution to a traditional science field or to an applied understanding of resources and the environment. Students are required to (a) make an oral presentation of the thesis proposal to the supervisory committee, (b) write an original thesis based on the research completed (in accordance with established UNBC guidelines), (c) give a public lecture on the completed thesis, and (d) present an oral defense of the thesis to the examining committee. All core and elective course requirements must have been satisfied prior to the oral defense.