There are three Masters and one PhD degree route within the Natural Resources and Environmental Studies Graduate Program.

 

The Master of Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (MNRES) is designed to integrate the complementary aspects of resource and environmental issues. It focuses on an interdisciplinary approach to melding traditional science with social science perspectives, and resource planning and management. This degree is designed to attract students from a diverse range of backgrounds and aspirations, who share an interest in looking beyond traditional disciplinary boundaries. The MNRES is the degree route that fully embraces the interdisciplinary philosophy of the Graduate Program. There are three factors that determine whether a student pursues the MNRES degree: 1) student's background; 2) elective courses undertaken at UNBC and 3) thesis/project  topic. Depending on individualized learning objectives, the MNRES degree allows flexibility in choosing a research emphasis in the social, planned or natural environments from an interdisciplinary perspective.

The Master of Arts in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies [MA(NRES)] offers students the opportunity to pursue studies of the social dimensions of human-environment interactions from a community-based or regional perspective. The degree is distinguished by its focus on human perspectives on historical and contemporary resource and environmental issues. It encourages the study of the social, cultural, ethical, economic and political dynamics of resource and land use, and environmental change in northern ecosystems. Students must choose from the following areas of study: Environmental Studies; Geography; or Tourism.
   
The Masters of Science Natural Resources and Environmental Studies (MSc 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 is expected to attract 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; or Recreational Resource Management.

The PhD in Natural Resources and Environmental Studies [PhD(NRES)] offers students the opportunity to develop an advanced level of understanding and training in any one or a combination of scientific discipline(s) related to natural environments, the processes (e.g., biological, chemical, physical) that govern them, or the human dimensions (e.g., social, economic, political, cultural) that interact with them. The PhD(NRES) promotes an integration of the linkages between social, ethical, political, and cultural dimensions, and an understanding of basic ecological, biological, and physical attributes of natural resources. Emphasis is placed upon the student to acquire an interdisciplinary base upon which to found a “disciplinary” area of concentration. Graduates from this program who have an area of concentration and a familiarity with how other disciplines can contribute toward solving environmental problems should be capable of addressing a variety of natural resources and environmental issues from a number of perspectives.