The undergraduate experience in Natural Resources is rich, varied, and has several features our students have come to value.
Small, friendly environment within a large university. The number of undergraduate majors in Natural Resources is relatively small, i.e., around 180, with a 50-50 gender balance, a diversity of personal experiences and backgrounds, and representing more than 20 U.S. states and territories. On average, about 50 graduate students are also in residence. Most departmental courses are taught within Fernow Hall, the department’s home for faculty, staff, and students.
This moderate size and a department philosophy that emphasizes personal interactions among students, faculty, and staff creates a friendly and supportive environment within the larger Cornell campus. This feature of the department is conducive to honest intellectual exchange and the formation of lasting friendships with fellow students, faculty, and staff.
A diverse and distinguished faculty and outstanding support staff. The department’s 32 faculty and approximately 30 professional academic support staff reflect the range of knowledge and skills required to help students understand and confront today’s pressing issues in conservation of biodiversity, sustainable resource management, and protection of ecosystem services.
Many faculty have received recognition as outstanding teachers, served as advisors to state and federal resource agencies, worked with leading national and international conservation organizations, earned the highest offices within their professional organizations, and served on prestigious committees of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Science Foundation. Most of them serve as resources for the media and local environmental organizations.
In recent years, the faculty has reflected the increasing presence of women and minorities in the field. The department prides itself on having a faculty and staff committed to undergraduate teaching and advising.
Flexibility. The high degree of flexibility within the program allows students to obtain a broadly-based liberal arts education and tailor their coursework within the major to particular environmental interests.
Outstanding field facilities. The department owns and manages outstanding field facilities for teaching and research, including the 1600-hectare Arnot Teaching & Research Forest, where terrestrial work is highlighted, the 160-hectare Cornell Biological Field Station on Oneida Lake providing outstanding opportunities for aquatic, fishery, wildlife and human dimensions studies, and the Little Moose Field Station in the western Adirondacks, supporting a cold-water fisheries ecology and management research program.
Students also may choose to do independent research or work during the summer at the Hubbard Brook Experimental Forest, a 3,160 hectare reserve in the White Mountain National Forest in New Hampshire, New York's 6-million acre Adirondack Park, or in many types of forest, lake, stream, and wetland ecosystems where departmental faculty have on-going research projects.
Many nearby Cornell-owned Natural Areas are visited by students taking any of the several field courses the department offers and are open to students conducting independent research.
Cornell's Laboratory of Ornithology also maintains four miles of trails through forests and wetlands in the Sapsucker Woods Sanctuary, with regular van service between Cornell's main campus and the Laboratory of Ornithology. Several courses with the department visit the Sanctuary as part of their field component.
Programs in Washington, D.C. and other urban environments. Majors in Natural Resources have the opportunity to experience the environmental policy arena in Washington, D.C. and study civic and urban ecology in major metropolitan areas such as New York City and New Orleans. Department faculty members offer an intensive course in Washington, D.C. during the January inter-session.
Students also have the opportunity to participate in the semester-long Cornell-in-Washington program. Students interested in urban ecology and helping people learn how to make their communities and the environment more resilient can work with the department's Civic Ecology Program.
Honors program. An active honors program is available for outstanding juniors and seniors interested in conducting independent research and writing an honors thesis to obtain a degree with Research Honors.
Part-time jobs and internship program. Part-time jobs in the research and extension programs of several faculty offer students many opportunities for career-related work experience. Jobs doing field and lab work with faculty members or graduate students conducting research are available during the summer and academic year.
The department also coordinates an internship program for students seeking relevant work experience to complement their academic studies. Fifteen-or-so formal summer internships are associated with Cornell field stations at Shackleton Point (on Oneida Lake) and the nearby Arnot Forest.
In addition, off-campus faculty collaborations, many with opportunities for undergraduate research participation, include state and federal agencies (e.g., New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit associated with the department), non-governmental organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy), and other academic institutions located throughout the United States and the world.
Prestigious fellowships, scholarships, and undergraduate research funding. Cornell University has an impressive record in obtaining several prestigious fellowships and scholarships for its outstanding undergraduate students. These include the Udall, Goldwater, Rhodes, Marshall, Truman, and Churchill fellows and scholars programs. Students in the Natural Resources major have won several Udall, Goldwater, and Churchill scholarships and are eligible for all the other fellowships and scholarships.
In addition, Cornell University offers research funding for outstanding applicants under the Cornell Presidential Scholars Program, which Natural Resources undergraduates also have won. Once students have begun their program, undergraduate research funding also is often available from the Office of the Dean of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences to outstanding students working in the laboratories of our research faculty.
Study abroad. Students have access to a college-wide international program and a “Cornell Abroad” program for opportunities to learn about and prepare for work abroad. These programs include numerous locations where students may pursue field experiences in outdoor learning, including The School for Field Studies and the Organization for Tropical Studies.
Career Development Office. A college-wide Career Development Office encourages a continuous 4-year developmental process. The office is well supported with library materials, counseling, and services for finding internships, entry-level positions, and career opportunities after graduation.
An amazing library system. Cornell University libraries are among the best in the world. The modern library system allows students, faculty, and staff to access many materials on-line from their dorms or offices. Mann Library, the primary library for the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, is located only steps from the department’s home in Fernow Hall.
Location, location, location. The Cornell University campus is one of outstanding beauty and is located in one of the East Coast’s most scenic regions – the Finger Lakes. Situated between two deep gorges, the campus is surrounded by a diverse landscape of forests, farms, streams, lakes, and wetlands that is readily accessible to adventuresome students. Several state parks offer excellent hiking and Cornell Plantations maintains a wide variety of natural areas for education and research.
The University offers daily bus service from several campus locations to and from New York City, and Ithaca maintains a regional airport serving New York's LaGuardia Airport, Philadelphia International Airport, Detroit International Airport, and Newark International Airport, with connections to the rest of the U.S. and numerous international locations.