Undergraduate enrollments were obtained by degree programs in natural resources for a representative sample (n=30) of universities having membership in the National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC). Nationally, enrollments dropped to a low point in 1987, increased sharply to a maximum in 1995, and then decreased steadily through the present (2003). This trend differed little among geographic regions

Field, David B.

Force, Jo Ellen

Keathley, Dan

Sharik, Terry L.

Smith, C.T. Tat

English

DigitalCommons@USU

Natural Resources and Environmental Issues Volume 12 University Education in Natural Resources Article 15 2004 Trends in undergraduate enrollment in natural resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003 Terry L. Sharik Department of Environment and Society, Utah State University, Logan David B. Field Department of Forest Management, University of Maine, Orono Jo Ellen Force Department of Forest Resources, University of Idaho, Moscow Dan Keathley Department of Forestry, Michigan State University, East Lansing C.T. Tat Smith Department of Forest Science, Texas A&M University, College Station Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei Recommended Citation Sharik, Terry L.; Field, David B.; Force, Jo Ellen; Keathley, Dan; and Smith, C.T. Tat (2004) "Trends in undergraduate enrollment in natural resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003," Natural Resources and Environmental Issues: Vol. 12 , Article 15. Available at: https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/nrei/vol12/iss1/15 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at DigitalCommons@USU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Natural Resources and Environmental Issues by an authorized administrator of DigitalCommons@USU. For more information, please contact digitalcommons@usu.edu. University Education in Natural Resources Fifth Biennial Conference 2004 55Trends in Undergraduate Enrollment in Natural Resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003 Terry L. Sharik1, David B. Field2, Jo Ellen Force3, Dan Keathley4and C. T. ‘Tat’ Smith5Undergraduate enrollments were obtained by degree programs in natural resources for a representative sample (n=30) of universities having membership in the National Association of Professional Forestry Schools and Colleges (NAPFSC).  Nationally, enrollments dropped to a low point in 1987, increased sharply to a maximum in 1995, and then decreased steadily through the present (2003).  This trend differed little among geographic regions.  Reasons for this seemingly cyclic behavior in enrollment trends are not known, but may be related to basic aspects of the economy and their influence on career choices made by prospective undergraduates.  Interestingly, the most recent downturn in enrollments occurred while many natural resource programs were diversifying their degree offerings to include non-traditional subjects such as environmental studies and science, applied ecology, conservation and ecosystem science, and urban forestry.  This downturn does not bode well for agencies and organizations who, with sharp increases in retirements, are projecting a strong demand for natural resource graduates over the next five years.1Department of Environment and Society, College of Natural Resources, Utah State University, Logan, UT 84322-5215, tlsharik@cc.usu.edu 2Department of Forest Management, College of Natural Sciences, Forestry and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME 04469-5755, field@umenfa.maine.edu 3Department of Forest Resources, College of Natural Resources, University of Idaho,  Moscow, ID 83844-1132, joellen@uidaho.edu 4Department of Forestry, College of Agriculture and Natural Resources, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI, 48824, keathley@pilot.msu.edu 5Department of Forest Science, College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843-2135, tat-smith@tamu.edu 1Sharik et al.: Trends in undergraduate enrollment in natural resourcesPublished by DigitalCommons@USU, 2004

Trends in undergraduate enrollment in natural resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003

Sharik, Terry L

Field, David B

Trends in Undergraduate Enrollment in Natural Resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003

http://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1249&amp;context=nrei

Trends in undergraduate enrollment in natural resources at NAPFSC Institutions, 1980-2003

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