Natural Resources and Environmental Communication and Engagement - Post-Baccalaureate Certificate

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S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources

Department of Environment and Society

Director: Courtney Flint, Department of Environment and Society
Location: Natural Resources 316
Phone: (435) 797-8653
E-mail: courtney.flint@usu.edu

Graduate Program Description

The Natural Resources and Environmental Communication and Engagement Post-Baccalaureate Certificate (NRECE) Program is administered by the Department of Environment and Society, S.J. and Jessie E. Quinney College of Natural Resources. The Department of Environment and Society is an interdisciplinary department focused on research, outreach/extension, and teaching on human-environment interactions; it espouses community engagement in research, outreach, and learning and is USU-designated as a community-engaged department.

The NRECE Program provides an opportunity for, and certification of, knowledge- and skill-building in environmental communication and community engagement. Program outcomes focus on a broad range of communication strategies within the knowledge and action domains of natural resource management and the socio-ecological and environmental sciences. The program emphasizes a modern, two-way approach to collaborating and partnering with communities and stakeholders, with a more critical perspective on improving how environmental science communication occurs. Curriculum draws on a suite of courses with communication and engagement content both within and beyond the Department of Environment and Society.

The certificate curriculum consists of three components, for a total of 14-16 credits: (1) four courses (for a minimum of 10 credits) with communications and/or engagement content from an approved list of course options; (2) one departmental seminar course (1 credit) that introduces a range of environmental science topics; and (3) a three-credit capstone requirement met either through a communication, engagement, or outreach component of the student’s master’s thesis or doctoral dissertation or through an independent project, whichever works best for the student.

Certificate

Students who complete the program receive a certificate in Natural Resources and Environmental Communication and Engagement. Notification of this certificate appears on the student’s transcript.

Admission Requirements

For admittance into the NRECE Post-Baccalaureate Certificate Program, a graduate student must: (1) be accepted by the School of Graduate Studies at Utah State University for graduate study (current or provisional); and (2) meet with the NRECE Program Director to discuss personal interest in completing the NRECE Certificate with respect to professional goals.

Student Advisement

Graduate students seeking to complete the NRECE Certificate will work with their major faculty advisor, as well as with the NRECE Program Director, for support in understanding and meeting the requirements of the certificate.

Required Courses

Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.

Communications and/or Engagement Courses (10-12 credits)

Take a minimum of four courses, for a minimum of 10 credits, from the following course list. Additional courses options may be approved by the NRECE Program Director.

ADVS 6650 - Science Communication 3 credit(s)
ASTE 6200 - Principles and Practices of Extension Education 3 credit(s)
ASTE 6370 - Grant Writing and Management 3 credit(s) or
ASTE 7370 - Grant Writing and Management 3 credit(s)
CAS 6889 - Environmental Risks and Decision Making 1 credit(s)
ENVS 6000 - Human Issues in Natural Resources 3 credit(s) or
ENVS 7000 - Human Issues in Natural Resources 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6030 - Building Community Environmental Resilience 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6300 - Conservation Psychology 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6410 - Translational Ecology 3 credit(s)
ENVS 6600 - Advanced Natural Resource Interpretation 3 credit(s)
NEPA 6210 - Clear Writing for NEPA Specialists 2 credit(s)
NEPA 6230 - Risk Communication for NEPA Specialists: Strategies and Implementation 1 credit(s)
WATS 6400 - Communicating Science: A Short Course for Graduate Students 1 credit(s)
WILD 6100 - Scientific Communication for Natural Resource Professionals 2 credit(s)

Departmental Seminar or Colloquium Course (1 credit)

Take at least one credit of a departmental seminar or colloquium series that introduces a range of environmental science topics.

ENVS 6800 - Environment and Society Departmental Colloquium 1 credit(s)
ENVS 6870 - Ecology Seminar 1 credit(s)
ENVS 7800 - Environment and Society Departmental Colloquium 1 credit(s)
WATS 6800 - Watershed Sciences Departmental Seminar 1 credit(s)
WATS 6870 - Ecology Seminar 1 credit(s)
WATS 7800 - Watershed Sciences Departmental Seminar 1 credit(s)
WILD 6800 - Wildland Resources Departmental Seminar 1 credit(s)
WILD 6870 - Ecology Seminar 1 credit(s)
WILD 7800 - Wildland Resources Departmental Seminar 1 credit(s)
Or as approved by the NRECE Program Director

Capstone Project (3 credits)

Register for 3 credits of appropriate level of Directed Study; thesis credits can substitute for Directed Study for MS and MA students.

ENVS 6910 - Directed Study 1-6 credit(s)
ENVS 7910 - Directed Study 1-6 credit(s)