Wildland Stewardship BS
Total Units Required: 120
The Bachelor of Science in Wildland Stewardship seeks to cultivate the environmental fixers of the future through a transdisciplinary framework that encompasses science, technology, arts, and mathematics. The unprecedented direct impacts of environmental change brought by the climate crisis, declining ecosystem health, dramatic losses of biodiversity, water degradation and scarcity, worsening air quality, and extreme wildfires intersect with the pressing issues of social, environmental, and epistemic justice and thought and practice to address the most salient and complex issues of our times. Students seeking a degree in wildland stewardship will become leaders in the workforce to ethically and effectively address these complex social-ecological problems through a holistic framing of courses intended to provide breadth and individualized specialization with an emphasis on applied high-impact and field-based experiential learning coupled with hybrid teaching modalities.
E-advising Tools
Use the interactive e-advising tools designed to help students graduate within four years. These tools can be accessed through the Student Center in the Portal.
See Course Description Symbols and Terms for an explanation of course description terminology and symbols, the course numbering system, and course credit units.
3 Units 3 Units 1 Unit 3 Units W, GW Grading Requirement
All courses taken to fulfill program course requirements must be taken for a letter grade except those courses specified by the department as credit/no credit grading only.
Some courses require a minimum grade to progress in the program. Minimum grade requirements, including those listed on course requisites, are considered graduation requirements.
Course Requirements for the Major: 63-64 units
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 125 | Basic Drawing | 3 |
| ARTH 452W | Art in California (W) | 3 |
| BIOL 161 | Principles of Ecological, Evolutionary, and Organismal Biology | 4 |
| BIOL 350W | Fundamentals of Ecology (W) | 3 |
| ECON 365 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| ERTH 352 | Recovery of Altered Ecosystems | 3 |
| GEOG 405 | Conservation, Restoration, and Stewardship | 3 |
| MATH 105 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| PSSC 250 | Introduction to Soil Science | 3 |
| RHPM 342 | Systems Management in Maintenance and Operations | 3 |
| RHPM 444 | Environmental Interpretation and Communication | 3 |
| WILD 110 | Introduction to Wildland Stewardship | 3 |
| WILD 210 | Seminar in Tribal Stewardship | 3 |
| WILD 450 | Catchment Considerations | 1 |
| WILD 480W | Community-Engaged Wildland Stewardship Capstone (W) | 3 |
| WILD 489 | Wildland Stewardship Internship | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Environmental Science | ||
| Earth Systems and Physical Geography | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Environmental Impact Analysis | ||
| Public Involvement in Natural Resource Management | ||
| Major Option | ||
| Select one of the following options: | 12-13 | |
| Total Units | 63-64 | |
Major Option Course Requirements
Select at least one of the following options to complete the major course requirements.
Option in Environmental Arts: 12 units
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ARTS 480 | Public Art | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| 2D Design | ||
| Basic Life Drawing | ||
| Students should select one emphasis (e.g., ceramics, printmaking, photography, etc.) and take one introductory and one intermediate course in that emphasis. | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Painting | ||
| Introduction to Printmaking | ||
| Introduction to Photography | ||
| Introduction to Traditional (Film-Based) Photography | ||
| Introduction to Digital Media | ||
| Introduction to Ceramics | ||
| Introduction to Sculpture | ||
| Introduction to Glass Art | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Intermediate Ideation Drawing | ||
| Intermediate Life Drawing | ||
| Intermediate Painting | ||
| Intermediate Portfolio Painting | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking: Intaglio | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking: Silkscreen | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking: Lithography | ||
| Intermediate Printmaking: Relief | ||
| Topics in Photography | ||
| Alternative Photography | ||
| Digital Illustration | ||
| Intermediate Ceramics | ||
| Intermediate Ceramics: Surface | ||
| Intermediate Ceramics: Mold Making | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture: Materials & Methods | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture: Fire Arts and Foundry | ||
| Intermediate Sculpture: The Body and Performance | ||
| Intermediate Glass Art | ||
| Total Units | 12 | |
Option in Fire: 12-13 units
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 445 | Pyrogeography | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| General Entomology | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Waterfowl Biology | ||
| Plant Diversity and Identification | ||
| Applied Ecology | ||
| Ecohydrology | ||
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Environmental Sensing | ||
| Introduction to Geographical Information Systems | ||
| Analysis and Modeling in GIS | ||
| Field Techniques | ||
| Remote Sensing of Environment | ||
| Total Units | 12-13 | |
Option in Human Dimensions of Land Stewardship: 12 units
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| RHPM 240 | Outdoor Recreation Management | 3 |
| RHPM 446 | Recreation Ecology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Nature, Culture, Environment | ||
| Crisis Communication | ||
| Environmental Sociology | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| American Environment | ||
or HIST 341W | American Environment (W) | |
| Environmental Ethics | ||
| American Indian Environmental Philosophies | ||
| Total Units | 12 | |
Option in Water: 12 units
| Course | Title | Units |
|---|---|---|
| ERTH 320 | Water Equity and Power | 3 |
| GEOG 426 | Sustainable Water Systems | 3 |
| Select two of the following: | 6 | |
| Irrigation | ||
| Aquatic Ecology | ||
| Biology of Fishes | ||
| Hydrology | ||
| Wetland Ecology and Management | ||
| Water Resources Management | ||
| Total Units | 12 | |
Electives Requirement
To complete the total units required for the bachelor's degree, select additional elective courses from the total University offerings. Consult with an advisor to help select courses that provide breadth to your University experience and possibly help satisfy credential, professional, or graduate school prerequisites or support completion of a minor.
See Bachelor's Degree Requirements for complete details on general degree requirements. A minimum of 39 units, including those required for the major, must be upper division.
General Education Requirements: 43 units
See General Education and the Class Schedule for the most current information on General Education requirements and course offerings.
American Institutions Course Requirements: 6 units
The American Institutions graduation requirement, as mandated in Title 5, Section 40404, requires that students satisfactorily complete courses in United States history, the US Constitution, and government and American ideals (including California state and local government). At Chico State, HIST 130 meets the US history requirement (US-1), and POLS 155 meets the US Constitution and government requirement (US-2) and the California state and local government requirement (US-3). POLS 155 also fulfills three units of GE Area 4, Social and Behavioral Sciences. See Bachelor’s Degree Requirements for more information.
Diversity Course Requirements: 6 units
You must complete a minimum of two courses that focus primarily on cultural diversity. At least one course must be in US Diversity (USD) and at least one in Global Cultures (GC). See Diversity Requirements for a full list of courses. Many courses taken to satisfy these requirements may also apply to General Education.
Upper-Division Writing Requirement
Writing Across the Curriculum (EM 17-009) requires you to take four Writing (W) courses, two of which are upper-division courses designated for your major. Specifically, you must:
- Take one Writing (W) course.
- Take one Graduation Writing Assessment Requirement (GW) course.
- Complete a GE English Composition (1A) course before taking the GW course.
- Earn a grade of C- or higher to receive GW credit.
See Writing and Math Requirements for details on additional writing requirements you need to complete for graduation.
Major-Designated Courses
Writing (W) Course
GWAR (GW) Course
- WILD 480W Community-Engaged Wildland Stewardship Capstone (W)
Program Learning Outcomes (PLOs) are clear, measurable statements that describe how students demonstrate mastery of the knowledge, skills, and values of the discipline as appropriate to the degree. Graduates of this program are expected to achieve the following PLOs:
- Demonstrate proficiency in applying the principles of land stewardship with critical thinking and data analysis.
- Demonstrate effective oral and written communication skills with diverse audiences and contexts.
- Demonstrate the ability to inform land stewardship decision and policy making with scientific information, indigenous knowledge, and local ecological knowledge.
- Engage in the practice of social-ecological restoration informed by scientific information, indigenous knowledge, and local ecological knowledge.
- Demonstrate an ability to collaborate effectively with various audiences across diverse contexts.
- Understand and apply "best available scientific information" (BASI) in land stewardship with scientific and cultural literacy.
- Demonstrate an ability to observe social-ecological systems and to translate observations into ideation and action through creative inquiry, critical thinking, artistic representation, and problem solving.