Natural Resources

Program Overview    
The Natural Resources Master's Program at Oregon Tech prepares students to apply techniques of scientific research to real-world biological problems encountered in business, industry, government, and education.    
The Natural Resources Master's Program is open to all applicants, regardless of their undergraduate field of study. However, the following criteria must be met:

• Baccalaureate Degree: Graduate students must have a bachelor's degree from an accredited university or institution. The degree should include basic courses in biology, ecology, and at least 12 credits of upper-division science.
• Students applying to the MS Program must have a suggested 3.0 overall GPA
• Letters of recommendation: Submit two letters of recommendation addressing the student’s qualifications and aptitude to succeed in the program.
• A letter of support from a potential faculty mentor. 

Choosing a Faculty Mentor

A Faculty Mentor serves as an academic advisor and will help guide you to completion of your degree. Having a faculty mentor is a requirement of acceptance to Natural Resources Program. Here are our recommendations for choosing a Faculty Mentor:    
Review our list of Natural Science faculty to help you find faculty members whose area of research aligns with your academic interests. Faculty will want to know background information about your academic experience before they agree to be your mentor. Draft an email to your potential mentor and attach one pdf file that includes a cover letter, CV, transcripts, and names and contact addresses of three references.  The faculty members will likely request interviews with their most promising candidates before deciding about whether to serve as your mentor.  Once a faculty member commits to serving as your mentor, they will provide a recommendation letter for your application package.

The number of students each faculty is willing to take on at one time is dependent on their availability. Please don’t be discouraged if faculty members respond with “no” or “not at this time.”

Apply Now

Students must fill out an application for Oregon Tech, provided below.  You will also need to send your cover letter indicating your professor of choice, CV, names of three references, and transcripts in a single PDF to the Graduate Coordinator, Christy VanRooyen – Christy.VanRooyen@oit.edu

Master's Program Curriculum

The Natural Resources 3+2 Programs offer students the unique opportunity to graduate with both a Baccalaureate and a Master's degree in five years. 
Students interested in the Natural Resources 3+2 Program must declare their major as Bachelor of Science in Biological Health Science or Environmental Science.

In the third year of the program, students must apply to the Natural Resources 3+2 Program. Upon acceptance, students begin graduate coursework the following summer.

The application for admissions to the 3+2 plan must include:

1. An Oregon Tech transcript
2. Two letters of recommendation from two Oregon Tech faculty members
3. A statement of research interests
4. Complete a graduate admission application.
5. Pay the admission application fee.

Students must meet the following qualifications: 

• Must have declared BHS, ENV, or Civil Engineering as your major
• Must have achieved an overall grade point average of 3.0 on a 4.0 scale.
• Must have achieved a grade point average of 3.25 in required science coursework.
• Must have completed 100 credits, including twelve upper-level credits in science.
• Prior to enrolling in the first 500-level course, students are expected to have completed a significant portion of the requirements for their undergraduate major.

If you are interested in the 3+2 Program, please speak with your Faculty Advisor.