Natural Resources Degree/ Environmental Studies, I really need some advice.

College Majors Science Majors
1

<p>Hello,</p>

<p>I am currently a freshman student at the University of Central Florida and I am an environmental studies major.
I feel like my schools curriculum for environmental studies is lacking in that area and I don't really want to waste my time with it.</p>

<p>I have recently been thinking of moving out of state to the New England area. I was looking to transfer to a school that offers Environmental Studies there but I can't afford $20,000 a year in out of state tuition.</p>

<p>So, I'm thinking about transferring to Oregon State University for their ecampus program because it's online and I wouldn't pay out of state tuition.
I was looking into transfering to the Environmental Science Degree but it is very science/math based and that is not my strong area.</p>

<p>At my current school I am focusing more on values/policy/social aspects of environmental studies, so I am not taking a lot of math and science.</p>

<p>At Oregon State I would need 55 credits in math and science which would be a gully year Biology, full year Chemistry, full year Physics, College Algebra, full year statistics and full year calculus.</p>

<p>I am currently in Intermediate Algebra and even though I am trying so hard, I am stuggling and I'm scared I wont pass.
So with that said, I dont feel like that would be a good choice for me.</p>

<p>However, Oregon State University offers a Natural Resources Degree which is pretty much the same thing as environmental studies.
I would only need College Algebra, one class of statistics, and a full year Biology which I am alright with. It's the other sciences that stress me out.</p>

<p>I applied to the school and I am waiting to hear back but I wanted to talk to someone about this and I dont know who to talk to.</p>

<p>Is a degree in natural resources worth it? Would I be able to find a job out of college? Is it worth the money.</p>

<p>I want to work with environmental non-profit organizations and governmental agencies.
I was also thinking of going to law school and being an environmental lawyer.</p>

<p>I want to take the policy/sociology track in Natural Resources so I would be taking classes that are similar to Environmental Studies, I just wouldn't be taking all that science.
But I am scared that employers will look at my degree and view it as worthless because its called natural resources?</p>

<p>This is the natural resources curriculum for Oregon State:
<a href="http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/undergraduate/nr/NR-curriculum.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/undergraduate/nr/NR-curriculum.pdf&lt;/a>
(The track I want to focus on is human dimensions in naural resources)</p>

<p>This is the curriculum for Environmental Science for Oregon State:
<a href="http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/undergraduate/es/ES-curriculum.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://ecampus.oregonstate.edu/online-degrees/undergraduate/es/ES-curriculum.pdf&lt;/a>
(The one I was interested in was the Sustainability Option)</p>

<p>This is the curriculum for University of Central Florida's Environmental Studies Program:
<a href="http://www.is.ucf.edu/docs/environmental%20studies%20track.pdf%5B/url%5D"&gt;http://www.is.ucf.edu/docs/environmental%20studies%20track.pdf&lt;/a>
(I am currently on the policy and values track)</p>

<p>Does anyone else think that Ucf's lacks compared to the others?</p>

<p>I dont know what to do. I dont know if Natural Resources is worth it.</p>

<p>Also, is it a bad idea if its online?
The degree I receive wouldnt show that it was completed online because I am taking it at a state university-the classes just happen to be online. So an employer wouldnt know, but is it a good idea?</p>

<p>If anyone could please help me, I would appreciate it.
I am at a crossroads and I really dont know what to do anymore.
I feel so stressed out about this, so I would really love some advice.</p>

2

<p>If you’re end goal is to work with environmental non-profit organizations and governmental agencies or go to law school, I would recommend you pursue Economics at your current university and minor in Environmental Science or studies</p>

<p>The Economics degree is very versatile and tbqh the job market for science majors are incredibly bad. Economics can be applied to almost any field (Environmental economics). There’s no point for you to pursue an Environmental Science degree if the science part isn’t necessarily your thing.</p>

<p>The odds of you finding a job right out of college are extremely slim nowadays. Unless you are trying to find just about ANY job such as fast food.</p>

<p>In conclusion, I say that you stay at your current university. Transferring your credits is going to be somewhat of a hassle and an online curriculum will not be in your best interest if you’re trying to actively learn. </p>

<p>My suggestion: Go for an Economics major with a minor in Environmental Science/studies or just supplement the major with environmental science/studies classes. Complete your degree at UCF. You will have so many options if you go this route and it’s a good match for what you want to do.</p>

<p>BTW,you were right about your environmental studies program. It stinks.</p>

3

<p>I’ve heard nothing but good things about OSU’s online Natural Resources degree. I’m planning on transferring there eventually myself, so if you do go I’d love to hear your experiences with it.
I’m a working adult, so the online program is the only way I could do it. I’ve done a lot of research, and I see many jobs at state and county levels who have that degree as a requirement. The ones I’m interested in seem to have either that, or Environmental Science listed. I just finished an AS in Environmental Studies, but I do want a degree that leans more toward biology/ecology/conservation which I think OSU’s allows you to do.
As someone who has hired in past, I can say no one would know unless you told them that you received your degree online. OSU has a great reputation in that field. There are no guarantees with any degree, but I think it’s a good choice if that’s your area of interest.
Good luck, and please update us if you do go into the program.</p>

4

<p>Thanks for your reply!
I was accepted to Oregon State and I am now a Natural Resources student. I start this fall. I’ve completed all my general education credits(except for math haha) at my current University. I have registered for really awesome classes and I can’t wait to start!
I will be taking Global Crises in Natural Resources and Ecology, Women in Natural Resources, Water Soil and Minerals, and Environmental Geology.
All online! Thanks for your advice. I am now following my dreams and I am incredibly excited.
Let me know if you have any questions for me about the program if you are still thinking of applying!</p>

5

<p>Suck it up and go for the science degree. More opportunity.</p>

6

<p>Congratulations. You sound enthusiastic.</p>

<p>Regarding algebra:</p>

<p>I struggled a lot with my standard algebra classes then found the more “advanced” classes that followed (calc, stats, etc.) to be an absolute breeze.</p>

<p>College algebra is a mandatory sequence class where students from totally different skill levels score into the same bracket, the material is generally all over the place, the professor is generally as lost as the students.</p>

<p>In other words, I wouldn’t judge your math/science skill based on struggling in algebra.</p>