Range Science Programs
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.
Anyone interested in majoring in Rangeland Resources has the choice of selecting one of the following 4 options in which to fulfill their degree requirements: Rangeland Resources Management, Ranch Management, Wildlife Habitat Management, and Plant Ecology and Conservation. Along with the courses required for each option, each student is required to complete 38 credits of General Education courses. The student has flexibility in choosing which General Education courses to take. All of these courses are directed toward broadening a students' experience at NMSU while offering the opportunity to improve their knowledge about society, and enhance the critical skills necessary for living in today's society.
The major areas of study and courses offered or required are outlined below:
Rangeland Resources Management: * Introductory Range Management * Range Grasses * Range Plants * Range Improvements * Watershed Management * Range Communities * Range Ecology * Range Analysis * Advanced Range Management * Soils * Wildlife Management * Ranch Economics * Sheep or Beef Production
**Wildlife Habitat Management:** * Range Management
* Range Plants * Range Communities * Watershed Management * Range Improvements * Range Ecology * Range Analysis * Soils * Fishery Management * Wildlife Management * Endangered Species * Habitat Management * Forest/Range Mammals
**Ranch Management: ** * Marketing/Pricing Ag Products
* Ranch Economics * Sheep or Beef Production * Animal Breeding * Agricultural Structures * Weed Science * Economic Entomology * Range Management * Range Plants * Range Communities * Watershed Management * Range Improvements * Range Analysis * Advanced Range Management * Soils * Wildlife Management
**Plant Ecology and Conservation:** * Ecology
* Plant Taxonomy * Ecology of Plants * Plant Community Ecology * Desert Geomorphology * Meteorology/Climatology * Weed Science * Introduction to Forestry * Range Plants * Range Communities * Range Ecology * Range Analysis * Soils
For a detailed list of courses, please consult the [NMSU Undergraduate Catalog](http://prospective.nmsu.edu/" target="_blank). The catalog is also available from the NMSU Office of Admissions.
Graduate Programs of Study in Range Science
The Graduate School at NMSU offers 42 areas of study at the master's level and 19 at the doctoral level. With rapidly expanding facilities, laboratories, and library holdings, the Graduate School offers unique programs of high quality graduate study. The Department of Animal and Range Sciences offers graduate work in range science leading to the Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. Specific areas of study include range ecology, animal and plant nutrition, plant taxonomy, range improvements, disturbed land reclamation, range animal behavior, range animal interactions, range physiology, grazing management, brush and weed control, ecophysiology, and watershed management. Departmental enrollment of graduate students usually numbers about 70 individuals.
The Animal and Range Sciences Department occupies the second and third floors of Knox Hall, a building completed in August, 1981. Approximately 12,300 square feet of floor space is devoted to faculty, technician, graduate student, and secretarial office space. The laboratory space of 14,500 square feet is planned by discipline, including nutrition, range ecology, brush and weed control, range physiology, herbarium, and watershed. Instrumentation available for graduate student use includes a glass house, growth chambers, an atomic absorption spectrophotometer, gas chromotograph, high performance liquid chromotograph, uv/visible spectrophotometer, liquid scintillation counter, and gamma counter. A small animal research building is also available for nutrition/physiology/toxicology with mice, rats, and other small laboratory animals. On campus animal units include a farm (50 beef cows and 400 sheep) with irrigated pastures (approximately 80 acres). Off-campus research locations include the 64,000 Chihuahuan Desert Rangeland Research Center located 20 miles north of Las Cruces, the 26,381 acre Fort Stanton Experimental Ranch located in Lincoln County, and the 190,000 acre Jornada Experimental Range. Other research is conducted throughout the state on public lands in conjunction with the Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Forest Service, Soil Conservation Service, and Bureau of Indian Affairs.
Other Opportunities for Graduate Students
Advanced degrees are most often research oriented. Students are encouraged to become involved in a variety of research efforts in addition to their own thesis work. Research, however, is of little benefit if it is not reported to the agricultural and scientific communities. Presenting results of experiments at scientific meetings and in scientific journals is, therefore, considered to be an integral part of the graduate experience. This process affords students the opportunity to share ideas and to become acquainted with other research programs. Teaching opportunities allow the student to handle a classroom setting.
General Requirements for Graduate Students
Prerequisite for admission as a regular graduate student in the department is the completion of a curriculum substantially equivalent to that required for undergraduate students in animal science at this institution.
Application to the department requires a letter of intent (see below) and three letters of recommendation (see below).
Graduate students must maintain at least a 3.0 grade-point average (4.0 system).
Graduate Assistants: During the fall and spring semesters, assistants must enroll in at least 9 credits (6 of which must be graduate credits).
Enrollment in 11 or 12 credits requires an overload permit.
- Enrollment during summer sessions is not required.
In certain instances, deficiency courses may be required.
Attendance at graduate seminars is urged.
Graduate students are encouraged to adapt their thesis data for submission as a scientific journal or Experiment Station publication.
Financial Assistance
A substantial number of scholarships are available for agricultural students. A list of these awards can be obtained by contacting the Office of Financial Aid. The Department of Animal and Range Sciences also employs several individuals to work on the various livestock units and to assist with research projects. Student employment is not only beneficial from a financial standpoint, but it allows students to gain valuable experience.
For graduate students, a limited number of assistantships are available on a competitive basis. These assistantships are designed to offer the student valuable teaching and research experience. To be eligible for consideration for an assistantship, a person must be admitted as a "regular" student by the Graduate School and have maintained a 3.0 grade-point average (A = 4.0) in the last half of undergraduate or all graduate work. Letters of recommendation from at least three individuals familiar with the student's qualifications will also be requested. Receipt of an assistantship requires the student to maintain a 3.0 grade-point average in all subsequent graduate work. Graduate assistants are considered residents of New Mexico for tuition purposes during their first 12 months, after which they must establish New Mexico residence or pay out-of- state tuition.
Most graduate assistants are contracted under what is termed a half-time assistantship, which means that the student is obligated to contribute 20 hours each week toward departmental activities. These duties are usually divided between teaching and research responsibilities. Research activities directed toward the students' thesis material are performed in addition to those required for the assistantship. Stipends for assistantships are set by the Graduate School and are listed in the current Graduate Bulletin.
Contacts
Range Science Programs:
Tim Ross, Department Head
Animal & Range Sciences, NMSU
Box 30003, MSC 3-I
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Phone: (505) 646-2514; Fax: (505) 646-5441
email: ascience@nmsu.eduApplications and Admission:
Admissions Office, NMSU
Box 30001, MSC 3-A
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone: (505) 646-3121; Fax: (505) 646-6330
NMSU Undergraduate Admissions
NMSU Graduate School Admissions
Graduate Studies:
Chairman, Range Science Graduate Committee
Department of Animal and Range Sciences, NMSU
Box 30001, Dept. 3-I
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8003
Phone: (505) 646-2514; Fax: (505) 646-5441
email: RScience Grad Committee
Scholarships and Financial Aid:
Office of Financial Aid, NMSU
Box 30001, MSC 5100
Las Cruces, NM 88003-8001
Phone: (505) 646-4105, Fax: (505) 646-7381
NMSU Financial Aid Web site