NMC will offer its natural resources program starting in the Spring 2010 semester.
“The CNMI is home to many unique and precious natural resources that need to be preserved and managed efficiently and sustainably,” NMC President Carmen Fernandez said yesterday.
“We are glad to be offering this program to build local capacity among residents who can take on and confront constantly evolving environmental challenges,” she added.
Fernandez said the associate of science in natural resources management program will provide its graduates with specialized and rigorous training as well as scientific knowledge that spans various natural resource disciplines.
The program aims to prepare students for entry into the natural resource workforce, or for transfer to a bachelor’s degree in agriculture, environmental sciences, or any other related natural resource program at a four-year college or university.
The coursework involves a foundational curriculum that includes classes in liberal arts, the humanities, sciences, political, social and cultural history.
In addition to the core curriculum, the program will expose participants to academic and technical training in agricultural sciences, species and ecosystem management, environmental conservation, plant sciences, coastal resource management and other disciplines.
Also, students will take part in internship opportunities that provide hands-on professional experience in various private and public agencies, in addition to the academic courses.
Fernandez said the program will prepare students for the following careers: environmental or science educator, conservationist, extension agent, field researcher, forest/ wildlife ecologist, geographic information system specialist, land use planner, project manager, public information specialist, public policy assistant, researcher, watershed specialist and wetlands restoration specialist.
The program is supported by funds from the Caribbean and Pacific Consortium, or CariPac, which was established 2005.
The consortium includes institutions of higher education in Guam, the CNMI, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands as well as the land grant institutions in the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands and Palau.
CariPac brings needed funds into agriculture and food science programs.
