Humans have impacted huge amounts of our planet. Applied ecology examines and addresses the ecological challenges, and solutions. We trace, analyze, and calibrate. We seek solutions to restore—and sustain—world biomes. Beyond the temperate, deciduous forested systems that surround us in the Lake Superior region, we explore the interactions of climate, plant functional groups, and carbon cycling in peatlands.
Students in our master's of applied ecology program, study glacial retreat, wetland and lakeshore vegetation—and employ networks of forest, rural, and urban landscapes around the globe as laboratories for integrative research. They model nitrous oxide, track carbon cycling, and dig deep to understand and mitigate critical climate-changing interactions between communities and their landscapes.
What Will I Learn?
- Gain advanced understanding of natural and human-dominated ecosystems.
- Be proficient with the tools used for the resolution of contemporary environmental problems.
- Tap into the wide breadth of expertise within our small, friendly academic community. Get to know us, and find who you want to work with.
- 6,500 feet of lab space, 2,000 of greenhouse, 5,397 acres of research forest.
- Research degrees are non-specific, and we intentionally set a low number of required classes, unless your committee requires them.
- Explore your interests with your committee and your advisor to define the optimal educational experience.
If you are working toward your master of science degree, you will select your study program in consultation with your advisor and committee. Course work requirements specific to CFRES are:
- FW 5800—Master's Graduate Seminar (1 credit)
- FW 5810—Research Methods in Natural Resources (2 credits)*
- One upper division statistics class from the list of suggested courses*
* Not required for Peace Corps and Masters of Forestry students, except 4+1
Approval of equivalent courses can be given by the College of Forest Resources and Environmental Science graduate program director in consultation with the student's advisory committee. The advisory committee may specify certain courses in which a student must achieve a grade of B or better.
Degree Options
"Following a warming experiment called SMART,our ecologists contributed to two major meta-analyses on the impact of a warming climate on soil carbon storage and release."