History and Overview

For more than 60 years, the School of Forest Resources and Conservation (SFRC) has offered professional education in renewable natural resources. Through its majors in Forest Resources and Conservation (FRC) and Natural Resource Conservation (NRC), students earn the Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources and Conservation, awarded by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences (CALS), the degree-granting unit within the Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences (IFAS). A faculty of regionally, nationally and internationally recognized scholars/teachers, dedicated to instructional excellence and student learning, provides instruction.

In addition to these properties, instruction programs use facilities and land made available by private industry and state and federal government agencies.

The school offers scholarships, awards and loans totaling $45,000 per year. In addition, SFRC students compete for other scholarships available through the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences.

Additional information about these funding opportunities is available from the school’s Student Services Office, Room 121 Newins-Ziegler Hall.

Students can pursue majors in forest resources and conservation (FRC) and natural resource conservation (NRC). Graduates of both majors receive the Bachelor of Science in Forest Resources and Conservation (BSFRC). One hundred-twenty hours are required to graduate from the school.

Both majors provide a balanced, interdisciplinary education in environmental sciences and natural resource management. In addition to general education in the arts, history, and humanities, students complete a common set of prerequisite courses in mathematics, biological and physical sciences, social sciences and communications.

Beyond this common set of prerequisites, all students complete five core courses in plant identification, communications, natural resource sampling, natural resource policy and administration, and a capstone course in multiple-use management of natural resources. These core courses provide a thorough understanding of natural ecosystems, as well as the management of these ecosystems for the variety of economic, ecological, and social products and services they provide. Particular stress is placed on the interrelationships between the professional disciplines needed for effective management and conservation of natural resources.

The FRC major provides students a solid understanding of ecology, while developing expertise in the management of these ecosystems to meet society’s demands for the vast array of economic, ecological and social products and services required. The curriculum is broad, with required course work in tree biology, forest ecology, wildlife ecology and management, soil science, forest health, resource inventory and resource economics.

According to their interests, students may select one of four specializations within the FRC major: forest resource management (FRM), urban forestry (UF), international/agroforestry (IAF), or forest science (FS).

The NRC major is designed to allow students to tailor a curriculum that best suits their interests and career goals. Commonly selected areas include environmental education, wetlands ecology, computer information systems, ecotourism, environmental pre-law, and landscape ecology.

In addition to the five courses required of all SFRC students (see above), NRC majors take a minimum of five courses offered by main natural resource units on campus (SFRC, the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, and the Department of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences). Additional course work to complete the required 60 upper-division hours is selected from any unit on campus, allowing students to create a curriculum as narrow and focused, or broad and interdisciplinary, as is designed.

To guide in course selection, students are assigned a faculty members with similar interests. This faculty adviser helps the student formulate his/her curriculum, keeping in mind the student’s eventual career goals.

A more structured version of this major is offered off campus in Milton, Fla., at the West Florida Research and Education Center. Ideal for place-bound students, this version of the major provides a broad ecology and environmental management curriculum.

The school offers a minor in forest resources and conservation for students wishing a general introduction to natural resource management. This minor is ideal for students majoring in a related field (wildlife ecology, soil and water science, environmental science, etc.) as well as students interested in the social aspects of natural resources (students majoring in business, political science, education, food and resource economics, etc).

In consultation with the school’s student services coordinator (Room 121 Newins-Ziegler Hall), students complete the following:

Students must complete the prerequisites for each of these courses before enrollment. Students must declare a minor at least two semesters before graduation.