Undergraduate Degrees
Colorado State University has been involved in recreation resource management since 1937, and we are very proud of our tradition and national/international reputation.
The concentrations within our major are similar in their first two years in providing a quality array of courses in communications, arts and humanities, and natural and social sciences. During the junior and senior years, you focus more on specific departmental courses.
Undergraduates can choose from four areas of interest in the Department of Human Dimensions of Natural Resources:
- Environmental Communication
- Global Tourism
- Natural Resource Tourism
- Parks and Protected Area Management
Independent Study and Study Abroad are also options.
Environmental Communication
Environmental communication develops expertise in communicating with and educating the public in order to enhance enjoyment of natural resources and facilitate informed public participation in the decision-making process.
The curriculum emphasizes course work in foundations of natural resource management, social science theory and research methodologies, communication theory and techniques, public relations, leadership, and management. The curriculum allows students to pursue positions with public, private, and nonprofit organizations that aim to increase public awareness and education on environmental/natural resource management issues, involve the public in decision-making with a goal of consensus building and decision ownership, and enhance the quality of people's recreational experiences.
Global tourism prepares students for careers with private, for-profit enterprises that provide services to tourists.
Additionally, opportunities can be found with some non-profit and governmental organizations in various countries. Specific jobs might include ecotourism operator, conference and event planner, marketing director, tourism information center director, park concession manager, and convention and visitor bureau director.
The curriculum is focused on a unique blend of subjects. Business and tourism topics provide students with planning, management, and entrepreneurship skills essential in the tourism industry. Because sustainable tourism requires a healthy natural environment, the environment is another area of study. Finally, students are provided cross-cultural experience by learning a second language, studying at a university abroad, and participating in an international internship.
Natural Resource tourism prepares students for careers in natural resource related tourism positions in the private, public, and non-profit sectors.
Opportunities are available in resorts, tour companies, outfitting and guiding companies, major corporations, ecotourism companies, cruise lines, etc. Public sector opportunities are available with state travel and tourism offices, as well as national and international tourism offices. Non-profits such as travel and tourism bureaus, hotel and lodging associations, meeting planner groups, and ski/tour associations value natural resource tourism graduates.
The curriculum emphasizes courses in tourism management, marketing and planning, natural resources, business, and social science to develop appropriate skills for work in recreation and tourism enterprises.
Parks and protected area management graduates develop expertise in managing and planning public lands and waters, and providing quality outdoor recreational experiences to their visitors.
The concentration is oriented to employment with government agencies from the federal to local levels, including local open space and natural area programs. The department works closely with Federal and Colorado resource management agencies and non-profit land management organizations.
The department works internationally with several Central American, South American, and Asian countries as establishment of parks and outdoor recreation programs has become a worldwide trend. The curriculum emphasizes natural resource management and recreation with supporting courses in the social sciences, natural sciences, and communications.
Conservation Biology is a scientific discipline and management context that deals with the diversity of life in ecosystems. Humans have tremendous effects on other species and ecosystems on Earth, and Conservation Biology considers these effects, and how our impacts can be altered to sustain diverse and healthy ecosystems.
Conservation Biology encompasses a wide range of biological sciences such as genetics, evolution, and physiology, as well as a wide range of ecological sciences such as biodiversity, competition, predator/prey relations, and long-term dynamics.
This university-wide undergraduate program addresses contemporary environmental issues that deal with biological diversity and prepares students to play an active role in the maintenance of biological diversity
The Interdisciplinary Program in Conservation Biology in the College of Natural Resources at Colorado State University is essentially a minor that can be included with a wide range of majors to form a strong Bachelor's Degree program.
To declare the Interdisciplinary Studies Program in Conservation Biology, visit the Forest and Rangeland Stewardship office in Forestry room 123 to pick up the form. For questions or further information, contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
