Degree Details - Miles Community College

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A.S. Natural Resources & Rangeland Management Emphasis

Why Natural Resources & Rangeland Management?

This two-year (65 credit) emphasis utilizes applied plant and animal sciences to manage the northwestern rangelands by balancing competing demands on the environment. Students will consider the soil, plants, and animals as a whole in their resource management plans. They will contemplate domestic grazing, wildlife impact and other land uses within the framework of total resource management. This degree is meant to transfer into a Bachelor of Science program to prepare students for employment with state and federal land management agencies. Some of these agencies include the USDA, US Forest Service, Natural Resource Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, US Dept. of the Interior, US Fish and Wildlife Service, state water management agencies, or parks and recreation agencies. Many positions are also available through private sector employment including mining, oil or forest product companies, consulting firms, water organizations and non-profit conservation and environmental organizations. Livestock producers also choose to take this field of study to improve the rate of return on their investment. Students should consult the catalog of the institution to which they expect to transfer and select appropriate courses in consultation with their advisor.

Upon completion of this program graduates will be able to demonstrate:

Transfer as juniors to a Bachelor of Science Program;
Obtain a strong science background in biology, chemistry, biochemistry, ecology, and the specifics of animal and soil science;
Calculate bioavailability, forage usage, stocking rates, and Animal Unit Equivalent;
Communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
Master basic computer and introductory GIS skills.

NOTE: 3 credits of either Humanities & Fine Arts or History & Social Sciences must meet the Cultural Diversity requirement.

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Total Credits for Program Completion: 65

First Year - Fall Semester 15 Credits		Credits
AGSC 101AGSC 101 - Intro to Ag & Env Resources his course is an overview of the agriculture industry and includes discussion of careers and training or degree programs required for employment in agriculture.	Intro to Ag & Env Resources	1
ANSC 100ANSC 100 - Introduction to Animal Science This course is an introduction to fundamental physical and biological phenomena forming the basis of animal science in agriculture.	Introduction to Animal Science	3
NRSM 101NRSM 101 - Natural Resource Conservation This course is designed to introduce students to the benefits of range management and illustrate how the science of range management can be used on the farm or ranch. Range economics, range management plans, improvement and repair of rangeland and ecosystems will be covered. Co-requisite: NRSM 102.	Natural Resource Conservation	3
NRSM 102NRSM 102 - Montana Range Plants Rangeland inventory and classification methods will be reviewed. Common native and introduced plants will be identified in the field and the classroom. Co-requisite: NRSM 101.	Montana Range Plants	1
WRIT 101WRIT 101 - College Writing I This is an introductory writing course with emphasis on writing to a targeted audience. College Writing I prepares students for success in a wide variety of academic and vocational writing concerns. The writing process, formal voice, audience concerns, close reading strategies, effective styles and techniques, and the use of the computer as a writing tool are covered. Asserting and supporting a central claim and using MLA documentation and format are addressed. Pre-requisite: appropriate placement.	College Writing I	3
BIOB 160/161BIOB 160/161 - Principles of Living Systems & Lab Survey of cellular organization and functions. Topics covered will include biological macromolecules, cell structure and organelles, energy pathways, cell cycle, genetics, and biotechnology.	Principles of Living Systems & Lab	4
First Year - Spring Semester 17 Credits		Credits
M 121M 121 - College Algebra This course covers the concept of functions; complex numbers; and solving systems of equations, sequences, and series. Functions investigated include linear, quadratic, polynomial, exponential, and logarithmic. Students who enter this class with lower than a grade of “B-” in the Pre-requisite course will be required to enroll in a regularly scheduled two hours per week of supplemental instruction and academic support (NC 021) where attendance and participation will be part of the student’s grade in M 121. Pre-requisite: M 095 or appropriate placement.	College Algebra	4
COMX 111COMX 111 - Introduction to Public Speaking This course is intended to help students develop skills in speaking, organizing thoughts, and listening. Major emphasis is placed on the preparation and presentation of formal speeches.	Introduction to Public Speaking	3
BIOB 170/171BIOB 170/171 - Principles of Biological Diversity & Lab This course is an in-depth examination of the five-kingdoms of organisms, with an emphasis on vascular plants and vertebrate animals. Survival strategies, nutrition, reproduction, and ecological and economic importance of organisms will also be covered. Co-requisite: BIOB 171.	Principles of Biological Diversity & Lab	4
WRIT 121WRIT 121 - Intro to Technical Writing This course is designed to prepare students for job-related writing. Students learn to communicate information in order to do a job or make a decision. Topics covered include adapting messages to audiences, organizing paragraphs, revising for style, summarizing information, using definitions in reports, outlining, explaining a process, and researching. Specific applications are individualized according to students' career plans and are chosen from several categories, including effective letter writing, short report writing, proposal writing, research writing, and formal report writing from analyzed data. Pre-requisite: appropriate placement.	Intro to Technical Writing	3
	OR
WRIT 201WRIT 201 - College Writing II This course provides experience in writing essays based on close readings of more demanding texts. Students will come to understand more fully the intellectual demands of an academic discourse community by preparing essays designed to meet more rigorous expectations. WRIT 201 is designed to prepare transfer students to succeed in their junior- and senior-level courses by exposing them to Modern Language Association (MLA) and American Psychological Association (APA) documentation, critical thinking strategies, and logical construction of arguments. Students will complete developed essays that emphasize writing as a process of drafting and revising. Pre-requisite: WRIT 101.	College Writing II	(3)
CAPP 131CAPP 131 - Basic MS Office This course emphasizes the practical aspects of today's computing environment. Instruction includes the basic computer architecture and operation, hardware, operating systems, network communication, ethical issues associated with computers, and aspects of integrated software with an emphasis on business applications. Students will learn beginning to intermediate elements of word processing, database, spreadsheet, and presentation software.	Basic MS Office	3
Second Year - Fall Semester 17 Credits		Credits
CHMY 121/122CHMY 121/122 - Intro to General Chemistry & Lab This is an introductory general chemistry course. Topics covered include measurement systems, atomic structure, chemical periodicity, bonding, chemical reactions, acid-base chemistry, and nuclear chemistry. Prerequisite: M 090 Introductory Algebra or M 100 Introduction to Technical Math, or M 111 Technical Mathematics, ACT score of 18 or higher in Math or Compass Placement score of 44 or higher on the Algebra section. Co-requisite: CHMY 122.	Intro to General Chemistry & Lab	4
NRSM 235NRSM 235 - Range and Pasture Monitoring This course covers methods which can be used by private operators as well as state and federal land managers to identify site potential, inventory forage resources, evaluate range and pasture condition, estimate stocking rates, and measure forage utilization by wildlife and livestock. Pre-requisites: ANSC 100 and NRSM 101/102.	Range and Pasture Monitoring	1
NRSM 240NRSM 240 - Natural Resource Ecology The class will focus on the physical and biotic processes of ecosystem function, including natural and managed ecosystems such as rangelands, wildlife habitat, watersheds, and disturbed environments. This course includes an embedded lab. Pre-requisite: NRSM 101/102 or BIOB 101/102 or BIOB 160/161 or BIOB 170/171.	Natural Resource Ecology	3
ECNS 201ECNS 201 - Principles of Microeconomics This course focuses on model building, production possibilities, frontiers, economic systems, and resource allocation. Market structures will be examined by comparing perfect competition to monopoly, oligopoly, and monopolistic competition. Market power, labor, and public choice will be covered.	Principles of Microeconomics	3
ENSC 245ENSC 245 - Soils his course covers soils and their properties as components of landscapes and ecosystems. The application of soils knowledge to problems in environmental sciences and the management of agricultural, wildland, and urban landscapes will be covered. The course consists of two (2) credits lecture and one (1) credit lab.	Soils	3
	Humanities & Fine Arts Core Requirement	3
Second Year - Spring Semester 16 Credits		Credits
CHMY 123/124CHMY 123/124 - Intro to Organic & Biochemistry & Lab This is an introductory organic and biochemistry course covering functional group organic chemistry and important biochemical structures, concepts, and processes. Pre-requisite: CHMY 121 or CHMY 141. Co-requisite: CHMY 124.	Intro to Organic & Biochemistry & Lab	4
GPHY 284GPHY 284 - Introduction to GIS Science and Cartography This is the first in a series of three courses in Geographic Information Science. Students are introduced to fundamental principles, concepts, and quantitative methods in GIS and modern cartography, with emphasis on spatial data and thematic map design. The embedded lab exposes students to spatial data models and techniques of computer mapping in cartography. This is a three-credit hour course that consists of two hours of lecture and two hours of lab per week. Students completing this course will understand fundamental spatial data models, principles, data processing techniques, and how they are used to create graphic output representing geographic phenomena.	Introduction to GIS Science and Cartography	3
STAT 216STAT 216 - Introduction to Statistics Traditional and resistant estimators of location and spread, fundamentals of inference using randomization and classical methods, confidence intervals, and tests of hypotheses. Pre-requisites: M 095 or M 105 or appropriate placement scores.	Introduction to Statistics	3
	Humanities & Fine Arts Core Requirement	3
	History & Social Science Core Requirement	3

Please refer to the the Current Catalog for specific program details.

Program Guide

Total Credits for Program Completion: 65