As students make progress completing their UK core and major course requirements, they will start taking self-curated classes within two specialty areas typically around the end of their sophomore year or at the beginning of their junior year. Here is a complete overview of the requirement: 

"Students must select one Analytical Skill Development Area (ASDA or “skills”) and one Environmental System Emphasis Area (ESEA or “systems”) and complete nine hours of course work in each area from the corresponding list of courses shown below following each area’s name and description. Students must select from the courses listed under their chosen ASDA and their chosen ESEA; however, they may request one (1) substitute course per ASDA or ESEA, subject to the approval by both their academic advisor and the DUS for NRES. From the total of 18 hours of ASDA and ESEA course work, all classes must be 200-level or above and at least twelve (12) credit hours must be in 300-level or above courses. Classes taken to complete the ASDA requirement may not count toward the ESEA requirement and vice versa. Research experiences, internships, or apprenticeships can NOT be used to satisfy the ASDA or ESEA requirements, including individualized options."

Summer Field Experience: Robinson Forest

Students in the NRES program are required to participate in a field course during the summer session (NRE 320: Extended Field Experience) at UK's Robinson Forest. Each year the course accommodates roughly 20 NRES students with at least sophomore standing. Students are immersed in field-based activities that allow them to build essential conservation field techniques and explore a variety of disciplines involved in natural resource management. For example, students practice basic methods of soil survey to infer ecological changes across the landscape and make land-use recommendations. Two days are dedicated to developing forest measurement and inventory skills and learning about the forest wood products industry, an important area of knowledge that is not necessarily required for this major. Other topics include dendrology, wildlife identification, forest ecology, benthic macroinvertebrate sampling, water quality monitoring, and surface mining and reclamation in the eastern coal field region. In each new setting, students consider both the natural and human induced factors that impact the system. Robinson Forest is an ideal location for students to learn how to read a natural landscape and draw conclusions about its management, while practicing the skills necessary for a rewarding career in natural resources and environmental science. 

NRE 395 Research

Students arrange to work on a natural resource or environmental research project. Generally, students work with a UK faculty member within a department on campus (e.g., Department of Geography or Department of Forestry and Natural Resources). Students may also work with researchers in other settings (e.g., UK's Center for Applied Energy Research) or at other academic institutions inside or outside of the state. To register for NRE 395, students and their advisors develop a research contract. Research contracts explain the nature of the research, the work to be completed by the student, the outcomes expected (e.g., article, paper, poster), and the time period for completion of the work. Please contact your academic advisor for further guidance.