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New Mexico State University

Range Science

Undergraduate Programs of Study in Range Science

Are you interested in a career that involves managing the rangelands that are one of America's greatest heritages? A career in rangeland management may involve being outdoors - managing landscapes and working with plants and the livestock and wildlife that eat them. Or maybe you are interested in working with one of the many industries that improve rangelands for greater production! If so, you should consider the field of study called Rangeland Resources.

Rangelands cover nearly 50% of the United States and there are many career opportunities for men and women educated in the field of rangeland resources and their management. Employment possibilities include federal agencies such as Bureau of Land Management, Forest Service, and Natural Resource Conservation Service. Other employment opportunities are with state land agencies, ranches, consulting firms, agribusinesses, education, and research.

The Rangeland Resources program has 7 faculty and is an integral part of the Department of Animal and Range Sciences in Knox Hall. Facilities on the NMSU campus include classrooms and teaching laboratories in Knox Hall, Neale Hall, Gerald Thomas Hall, and Skeen Hall. Greenhouses and livestock are available on campus for hands-on-experiences. Classroom work and laboratories on campus offer experiences in studying watersheds, soils, plant physiology, plant identification, dietary analyses of grazing animals, and rangeland restoration.

Computer applications are taught in nearly all classes and a computer cluster is available for undergraduate use in Knox Hall.

In addition to on-campus facilities, the department manages the Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center, consisting of nearly 64,000 acres north of Las Cruces. For field laboratories and tours, students also have access to the U.S.D.A. Jornada Experimental Range, consisting of 193,000 acres north of Las Cruces. Other areas used for range-livestock research that students can visit in New Mexico are the Corona Range and Livestock Center, Tucumcari Field Station, and the Clayton Livestock Research Center.

Undergraduate Curriculum

Students in Rangeland Resources study biology and chemistry, soils, plant growth and identification, livestock production and nutrition, wildlife management, and land management and restoration. The curriculum is career oriented and seeks to educate individuals for meaningful employment. The Rangeland Resources program at NMSU is accredited by the Society for Range Management, an international society whose main purpose is the promotion of good management of the earth's rangelands.

The BS degree in Range Science prepares you for a variety of rewarding careers in natural resource ecology and management. Our graduates pursue careers with public and private land management agencies, private ranch management, wildlife habitat management, watershed management, consulting, ecosystem restoration, conservation, natural resource science, and graduate study. The coursework required for the degree satisfies the US government GS-454 series requirements for a position as a Rangeland Management Specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service, Bureau of Land Management, or US Forest Service. In addition to the required courses, students select at least 28 credits of elective courses to provide additional breadth and depth in their chosen area of emphasis. The student has flexibility in choosing which elective courses to take. In addition, many of our students participate in cooperative summer work experiences with land management agencies that provide valuable experience in natural resource management. The Range Science program is directed toward broadening a students' experience at NMSU while offering the opportunity to increase their knowledge, and enhance the critical skills necessary for living in today's society.

Core curriculum courses required for the BS degree in Range Management include:

Rangeland Resource Management:

  • Forestry and Society
  • Rangeland Grasses
  • Rangeland Plants
  • Rangeland Communities
  • Watershed Management
  • Rangeland Restoration Ecology
  • Rangeland Resource Ecology
  • Rangeland Analysis
  • Advanced Rangeland Management
  • Introductory Soils
  • Soil Morphology and Classification
  • Principles of Natural Resource Management
  • Introductory Biology
  • Introductory Chemistry
  • Principles of Animal Metabolism
  • General Ecology
  • Plant Physiology
  • Life with Microcomputers
  • Human Communication
  • Introduction to Economics
  • Statistical Applications

For a detailed list of courses, please consult the NMSU Undergraduate Catalog. The catalog is also available from the NMSU Office of Admissions.