The demand for professionals who understand and can manage natural resources to benefit current and future generations is growing rapidly. The Ecosystem Science and Sustainability (ESS) degree program provides students with the knowledge and ability to integrate the latest science into real-world decision making. Our affiliation with CSU’s Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, with a 45-year history of world-class ecosystem research, gives undergraduate students opportunities to gain hands-on research experience while developing solutions to today’s most pressing challenges.

Learn about the challenges humans face in sustainably managing ecosystem services, but also about the amazing ways in which organisms interact with their environments to form complex ecosystems, and cutting-edge integrative solutions for sustainability.

Students begin their degree with core courses that build a strong foundation in the physical and natural sciences. Courses in ecosystem science put that core understanding into the context of natural resources, with coursework in the classroom, laboratory, and field. Courses include:

  • Sustainability Science
  • Systems Theory for Sustainability
  • Information Management for Sustainability
  • Natural Resources Ecology and Measurements
  • Quantitative Reasoning
  • Ecosystem and Earth Systems Ecology
  • Global Perspectives on Sustainability
  • Sustainable Cities
  • Practicing Sustainability
  • Opportunities to join in research, internships, practical and team exercises, and field experiences in the beautiful Rocky Mountains combine with an outstanding classroom education to build a solid foundation for applying sustainable resource management principles.