TREES Course Requirements

Requirements listed here are in addition to requirements listed in GCAC-208 Dual-Title Graduate Degree Programs. To qualify for the TREES dual-title intercollege degree, students must satisfy the requirements of the major degree program in which they are enrolled, including the communication/foreign language requirements, if any.

In addition to the requirements of their home department, TREES students must satisfy the minimum requirements in the dual-title intercollege program described here. Final course selection, including which courses will satisfy both the graduate major program and dual-title program requirements, is determined by the students with approval by their dual-title program advisors and their major program advisors.

A student in TREES must complete 15 credits of TREES course work beyond the bachelor's degree in addition to curricular requirements for the master's or doctoral degree in the student's primary program. These courses are required for both the M.S./M.A. and Ph.D. degrees.

Required Courses

The following courses are required for all TREES students:

All dual-title intercollege degree candidates should enroll in TREES/HDNRE 590 in their first semester.

Elective Courses

Students must also draw additional courses from at least two pools that provide the most breadth for the student as determined by the program chair. Examples of pre-approved courses in each of the three pools are listed below. Substitutes require graduate advisor endorsement and approval by a TREES program chair.

Society Pool:

ANTH 559 Human Ecology
ANTH 560 Ecology, Evolution, and Human Behavior
ANTH 588 Method and Theory in Archeology
ARCH 550 Ethics in the Built Environment
GEOG 530 Human-Environment Seminar
RSOC 508 Sociology of Agriculture
RSOC 517 International Rural Social Change
RSOC 555 Human Dimensions of Natural Resources

Landscape Pool:

FOR 565 GIS Based Socio-Ecological Landscape Analysis
GEOG 414 Principles and Applications in Landscape Ecology
GEOG 453 Geospatial Applications in Water Resources & Aquatic Ecosystems
GEOG 482 Making Maps That Matter With GIS
GEOG 565 Selected Topics in Geographic Information Science
GEOG 587 Conservation GIS
LARCH 510 Graduate Seminar in Landscape Architecture
SOILS 510 Advanced GIS

Environment Pool:

AGECO 418 Nutrient Management in Agricultural Systems
ARCH 412 Integrative Energy and Environmental Design
CE 561 Surface Hydrology
CE 576 Environmental Transport Processes
EME 551 Safety, Health and Environmental Risks in Energy and Mineral Production
GEOG 430 Human Use of the Environment
METEO 561 The Global Carbon Cycle
PHYS 580 Elements of Network Science and Its Applications
SOILS 571 Ecosystem Nutrient Cycles

Practical Experience

Students are also required to obtain practical experience outside of the normal classroom setting.

TREES 594 Independent Study (at least 1 credit) usually consists of a semester spent in a "lab rotation" attending the research meetings of TREES faculty whose research program provides a complement to the student's major department. These lab rotations are worked out in consultation with a TREES program chair and the student's advisor. Students must then complete and obtain the signature of the lab host on this Lab Host Agreement Form.
A graduate-level Internship (typically TREES 595, though the internship credit can reside in the student’s home department or in a related program). Internship proposals require advisor endorsement and approval by a TREES program chair. Student must prepare and submit an application to have their internships approved for TREES using this TREES Internship Application Form. An additional Informational Sheet to assist with TREES internship selection and applications can be downloaded here.