Forestry and Environmental Management Major
Bachelor of Science
The College offers a cooperative program with Duke University’s Nicholas School of the Environment and Earth Sciences, which leads to a Bachelor of Science degree from Elizabethtown College and a Master of Forestry or Master of Environmental Management from Duke University. Students undertaking this major gain a wide exposure to the liberal arts by fulfilling the College’s Core Program in addition to courses in the student’s major. The student also gains professional training at Duke in such areas as forest resource management, resource ecology, water and air resources, resource economics and policy, coastal environmental management, or environmental toxicology, chemistry and risk assessment.
In this program, the student spends three years at Elizabethtown College, earning at least 101 credits before transferring to Duke. A grade of B- or better is required in all prerequisite courses. The student spends at least two years at Duke’s School of the Environment. In the first year at Duke, the student completes the undergraduate degree requirements (24 credits) and is awarded the Bachelor of Science degree from Elizabethtown. After an additional two or three semesters, Duke awards the degree of Master of Forestry or Master of Environmental Management. The program leading to a Master of Forestry degree from Duke University is accredited by the Society of American Foresters.
In order to prepare students for the professional program at Duke, the College offers a Preforestry and Environmental Management program with major and minor concentrations in Biology, Business or Political Science. While any undergraduate major can be considered for admission to Duke, the student should take at least one year of biology, mathematics and economics.
Admission to Duke is by application and is based on an evaluation of a student’s undergraduate record, Graduate Record Examination scores, letters of recommendation and interviews. To effectively compete for acceptance, the applicant’s grade point average should be at least 3.50.
There are variations of the schedule described below. For further information, contact Prof. Ronald L. Laughlin of the Biology Department.
Majors must complete all Elizabethtown College Core Program requirements. The following courses should be taken:
Mathematics: (four credits) Mathematics 117, 121 or 251. If Mathematics 251 is not taken for Core, it is strongly recommended as an elective. If Mathematics 121 is not taken, Mathematics 117 will satisfy the calculus requirement.
Natural and Physical Sciences: (eight credits) Biology 111 and Chemistry 105.
Each student completes a major concentration in either
Biology, Business or Political Science, and two minor concentrations totaling 18 credits in the other
two areas with at least six credits in each area.
Biology major concentration recommendations are Biology 111, 112, 313, 313L, 331; two courses from Biology 211, 212, 235, 331, 332 and 347; and Chemistry 105. Minor concentration recommendations are Biology 111, 112, 331; if only six credits are elected, they should be Biology 111 and 112. Chemistry 113 and 114 are required for Environmental Toxicology, Chemistry and Risk Assessment programs.
Business major concentration recommendations are Accounting 101; Economics 101, 102; Business Administration 265, 330, 331 and Computer Science 120. Minor concentration recommendations are any combination of Accounting 101, Economics 102, Computer Science 120, Business Administration 265. Economics 102 is strongly suggested.
Political Science major concentration recommendations are Political Science 111, 301, 361, 471. Minor concentration recommendations are Political Science 361, 471; if only six credits are elected, they should be Political Science 471.
