College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education
Become a natural resources professional at Lake State.
You will learn to mitigate wide-ranging issues, participate in hands-on research, develop practical skills, and grow into a freshwater steward and interpreter through the School of Natural Resources. Whether you pursue Parks and Recreation, GIS, or Fisheries and Wildlife, we will prepare you for a successful career.
Learn more about the programs in the School of Natural Resources by clicking the links below.
Explore Our Associate Degree Programs
Geospatial Technology
Completion of this program will provide students with a credential that is in high demand in many different disciplines/industries. The program provides a well-rounded suite of skills including: field-based primary data collection using a variety of survey and global positioning devices; hands-on experience with a variety of geographic information systems including ESRI’s suite of tools; the basics of geospatial analysis; and advanced skill development in interpretation of remote sensing data and aerial photographs, spatial statistics, and geospatial programming.
Students may pursue this program in the context of their major by completing discipline specific projects in the GIS courses and a required minor.
Natural Resources Technology
The natural resources technology program stresses the acquisition of field skills necessary for success in a natural resources agency or organization, as well as the theoretical foundations for these skills. This practical knowledge is enriched by course materials which emphasize communication skills along with the links between society, economics, policy and the natural resource base.
This program can be taken as a stand alone two-year program, can constitute the first half of the bachelor of science in parks and recreation management, or it can be used in conjunction with a three-year criminal justice program to prepare a student for a career in conservation law.
Explore Our Bachelor Degree Programs
Conservation Biology
Our program prepares students for careers where they can make a contribution to mitigating wide-ranging challenges such as invasive species, altered landscapes, species extinctions, or the restoration of degraded aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
Our selection of rigorous field based courses in watersheds, soils, forestry, ecology (general, fish, wildlife or plant), and organisms (mammalogy, ornithology, ichthyology, or entomology) offers an unparalleled set of foundational courses in the natural sciences.
Fisheries & Wildlife Management
The Fisheries & Wildlife Management program places a strong emphasis on understanding relationships between organisms and their habitats by blending a conceptual understanding of fish and wildlife ecology and population dynamics with practical skills obtained during laboratory and field exercises.
Students graduating from this rigorous, applied curriculum can enjoy careers with natural resource management agencies as technicians or biologists.
Parks & Recreation
Having consistently placed students in the parks systems around the region and nation, this program continues to set the standard. We focus on the management of the human and natural resources involved in this vast network of state and national lands.
Students develop practical experience throughout their studies, including attaining an Associate Degree in Natural Resource Technology, and their degree culminates in a Senior Research Project.
Jobs and Internships for Graduates of the School of Natural Resources
Michigan
- Field Work Opportunity for College Students | The Wolves and Moose of Isle Royale (Deadline: March)
- Great Lakes Commission, Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) – Jobs Email Group
- Harvard Forest Summer Research Program in Ecology
- Isle Royale National Park (U.S. National Park Service) Volunteer Opportunity (Unpaid)
- Michigan Association of Conservation Districts, Job Board
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Jobs
- Michigan Environment, Great Lakes, and Energy (EGLE) Jobs
Nationwide
- American Fisheries Society, Job Board
- American Water Resources Job Board
- Appalachian Trail Conservancy
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums Jobs
- Careers in Environmental Consulting
- Conservation Biology & Wildlife, Directory of Internships, Research Opportunities, Scholarships & Fellowships
- Conservation Jobs
- Conservation and Wildlife, Paid Internship Jobs
- Data Science and Sustainability
- EnvironmentalCareer.com
- Environmental Jobs and Careers
- Forestry Careers and Employment
- Georgia Cooperative Extension
- GIS-Focused Jobs
- Herpetology Jobs
- Job Board Database (Search by ‘Job Type=Internship’)
- National Recreation and Park Association Jobs
- Natural Resources Conservation Service
- National Science Foundation/USGS Internship Opportunities | U.S. Geological Survey (Usually for graduate students, but several researchers also take undergraduates)
- The Nature Conservancy
- NOAA Fellowships (Undergraduate fellowships in marine science)
- North American Association for Environmental Education Jobs
- NSF – National Science Foundation (Search for ‘Conservation’)
- Ornithological Societies of America
- Ornithology Exchange
- Physiological Ecology (Job board)
- SAF Career Center
- Science Jobs
- Society for Freshwater Science
- Soil and Water Conservation Society
- State Natural Resource Agencies
- Student Conservation Association
- Student Conservation Association, Indeed.com
- Tennessee Valley Authority
- Texas A&M, Job Board (One of the best overall lists for natural resources careers)
- U.S. Army Corps of Engineers
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Search for careers)
- U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service (Search for jobs and internships)
- U.S. Geological Survey
- USA Jobs
- USDA Forest Service
- Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, Job Postings
- The Wildlife Society, Job Board
Learn more about the College of Great Lakes Ecology and Education.