I. ASCRC Symbolic Systems Request (3/5/14)
Use to request or renew the general Group III Exception: Symbolic Systems for degree
programs or options. Please complete a separate form for each degree requesting the
exception.
Degree or Degree Option*
Resource Conservation
*For options include all degree requirements followed by the
option requirements.
Dept/Program
College of Forestry and Conservation
Approved Symbolic System(s) FORS 201, STAT 216, SOCI 202, or WBIO 240
II. Endorsement/Approvals
Complete the form and obtain signatures before submitting to Faculty Senate Office
Please type / print name Signature
Date
Laurie Yung
10/2/14
6934/laurie.yung@umo
ntana.edu
Program Chair
Laurie Yung
10/2/14
Dean
10/2/14
Michael Patterson
III: Justification Please explain why the program of study requires over 48 credits for a
first baccalaureate degree:
Requestor
Phone / Email
Students in the Resource Conservation major take a range of credits, depending
on their track/area of emphasis. Some students take fewer than 48.0 credits (once
general education courses are subtracted from the total) and should take 10.0
credits of foreign language. However, some students take far more than 48.0
credits to complete the professional requirements of their track/emphasis and to
ensure that they qualify for federal civil service jobs in hydrology, ecology, range
management, soil science, and other fields. For example, the hydrology civil
service series requires 6 credits of calculus and 6 credits of physics, coursework
that is not required of all Resource Conservation students. To be
competitive/marketable in these professions, students must take additional
coursework and qualify under the federal civil service series relevant to their
track/area of emphasis. This latter group falls well over the 48.0 credit
requirement for an exemption.
To formalize these differences and honor the intent of the new requirements for
foreign language education, we have made a program modification (see program
modification form for details) to now require that all Resource Conservation
students either take 10.0 credits of foreign language OR 9.0 additional credits in
their track/area of emphasis within the major. With this change, we have
mechanisms for tracking and enforcing that students either complete the UM
foreign language requirement or complete more than 48.0 credits (after the
general education courses are subtracted from the total) within the major. This
enables us to continue to offer tracks in highly specialized sciences and provide
students with the space to qualify for federal jobs as hydrologists, ecologists, etc.
At the same time, the new requirement ensures that students who fall below the
48.0 credit bar take 10.0 credits of foreign language as required by UM.
With the new requirements all students in Resource Conservation meet the 48.0
credit threshold and we are thus applying for an exemption for the entire major
(however, please note, as described above, that 10.0 credits of foreign language
will be required for some students, depending on their credits in the major).
Tracks in Resource Conservation include Climate and Environmental Change,
Community Conservation and Sustainable Livelihoods, Ecology of Terrestrial
Ecosystems, Environmental Policy and Resources Planning, International
Conservation, Natural Resource Economics, Range Management and Grassland
Ecology, Watershed Hydrology, Wilderness Studies, and Wildland Fire
Management.
IV. Degree Requirements: (1) List all courses required for the major and the credits
earned. Courses that apply toward the 48-credit threshold include all requirements for the
primary major and designated pre-requisite courses (2) Subtract general education credits
fulfilled by these requirements. Example: If a major requires PHSX 205N-208N (totaling 10
credits), only 4 credits apply towards the 48 credit threshold since 6 credits are needed to fulfill
general education group XI (Natural Sciences).
See Table 1 below.
Total Credits (Excluding General Education Credits): 48
V. Option Requirements:
Resource Conservation does not have any options.
Total Credits (Excluding General Education Credits):
Please note: Programs granted a symbolic-systems exception to the general education modern and
classical languages requirement will have to reapply every four years to keep the exception. The
application will require an up-to-date accounting showing that the 48-credit threshold is exceeded.
Table 1. Total number of credits required Resource Conservation (general education
courses are not counted in the total on the right and are crossed out for clarity).
Course Rubric & #
CORE
REQUIREMENTS
COMX 111A; or THTR
120A
CHMY 121N
BIOB 160N, BIOO
105N, BIOB 170N, or
BIOE 172N
NRSM 200
M 115 or higher
STAT 216, SOCI 202,
or FORS 201
NRSM 210N
FORS 250
FORS 330, NRSM
462, or BIOE 370
NRSM 422, WILD
410, or NRSM 370
NRSM 379, NRSM
424, NRSM 426,
NRSM 475, or PTRM
300
NRSM 449E or NRSM
489E
Plus 21 additional
Course Title
Cr.
Cr. w/o
Gen Eds
Public Speaking; or Intro to Acting
3
General Chemistry
Living Systems, Biological Diversity, Botany, or
Ecology
3
3
Natural Resource Professional Writing
Probability/Linear Math
Statistics, Social Statistics, or Biometrics
3
3
3
3
Soil, Water, and Climate
GIS
Forest Ecology, Range Ecology, or General
Ecology
Natural Resource Policy, Wildlife Policy, or
Wildland Policy
Collaboration in Natural Res Decisions,
Community Forestry and Conservation, Climate
and Society, Environment and Development, or
Recreation Behavior
Climate Change Ethics or Ethics Forestry and
Conservation
CCS 103, CCS 352, CCS 395, and any courses in
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
3
18
18
-
3
credits (to meet the
requirement of 36
traditional letter graded
credits in the College of
Forestry and
Conservation)
Plus 10.0 credits of
foreign language OR 9.0
credits additional
coursework in BIOE,
BIOO, CHMY, ENSC,
ENST, FORS, GEOS,
GPHY, M, NRSM,
PHSX, PSCI, PTRM,
WILD relevant to the
student’s track/emphasis
within the major
FORS, NRSM, PTRM, and WILD
10.0 credits of foreign language OR 9.0 credits
additional coursework in BIOE, BIOO, CHMY,
ENSC, ENST, FORS, GEOS, GPHY, M, NRSM,
PHSX, PSCI, PTRM, WILD relevant to the
student’s track/emphasis within the major
TOTAL CORE CREDITS
9
60
9
48