Students in the Natural Science Pathway must complete the following in addition to the NREM Basic and Core courses

• CHEM 162+L  - General Ghemistry II and the lab

• PHYS 151 +L - College Physics I and the lab (or higher)

• NREM 304+L - Fundamentals of Soil Science and the lab (Fall Semester Only)

Suggested courses that would be beneficial to take but are not required:

• MATH 140X - Precalculus

  • This is the prerequisite for MATH 203 or higher and for PHYS 151. Otherwise, students must score a 2 or higher on the UH Math Placement Exam. 

• MATH 241  - Calculus I

  • While all students are required to take a basic or applied calculus course (NREM 203, MATH 203, 215), consider taking MATH 241  and 242, if you score high enough on the math placement exam. These will help students interested in the Image and Data Science specialization and others interested in graduate school and research as a career.

• Basic coding course: ICS 102 (Intro to data science) , ICS 111 (Intro to Java) or ICS 111A (Intro to Python) 

  • All great for preparing for technology and programs used in NREM, especially so for image and data sciences

• BIOL 265 and 265L - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and the lab

  • Students interested in either the Plant Ecology, Conservation, and Management or the Wildlife Ecology and Management specializations are recommended to take this course, as it is a prerequisite for many specialization electives. 

• NREM 429  - Spreadsheet Modeling for Business and Economic Analysis

  • This classes teaches students how to visualize and model large datasets using spreadsheet software. While intended for students in the social science pathway, all students can benefit from these skills.

Specialization electives

Students must take 18 upper division (300+) courses in the natural sciences, with approval from your NREM  Faculty Advisor. We maintain a list of courses in NREM and other departments that students have taken in the past and that are generally approved as specialization electives. 

NREM courses that count as Natural Science electives 

• NREM 311 - Current Topics in Plant Science

• NREM 380 - Tropical Forestry/Agroforestry

• NREM 410 - Methods in Wildlife Management and Conservation

• NREM 412 - Environmental Biochemistry

• NREM 437 - Applied UAS Operations for Agriculture and Environment

• NREM 450 - Wildlife Ecology and Management

• NREM 460 - Sustainable Nutrient Management in Agroecosystems

• NREM 461 - Soil and Water Conservation

• NREM 463 - Irrigation and Water Management

• NREM 467 - Natural Resources Conservation Planning

• NREM 475 - Plant Nutrient Diagnosis in the Tropics

• NREM 480 - Applied Forest Ecology

Special topics courses are listed as NREM 491 - Topics in Natural Resources and Environmental Management. As these topics can vary widely, some may be able to count as specialization electives. Check with your NREM advisor.

Graduate-level NREM courses (600-level) are open to well-prepared undergraduate students. Talk to your NREM advisor and the course instructor if you are interested. See the UHM catalog for a complete list of course descriptions.

For a full list of common specialization electives, download this document.

See the Academic Planning page for help planning when to take courses.

Once you have chosen a pathway and specialization, you will be assigned an NREM faculty member in that area as your academic advisor.  Your NREM advisor 

• approves your choice of specialization electives, 

• helps you identify and approves internship opportunities, and 

• discusses ways you can use your NREM degree, e.g. jobs, graduate education, and other opportunities. 

The main faculty advisors for the natural science pathway are listed below. You can learn more about them at our NREM People webpage. 

Natural Science Pathway Advisors

• Dr. Travis W. Idol,  idol@hawaii.edu Tropical Forestry and Agroforestry

• Dr. Mahealani Toyama, mykanesh@hawaii.edu  Coastal/Marine Ecology and Conservation

• Dr. Creighton Litton, litton@hawaii.edu Forest Ecology and Global Change Biology

• Dr. Tomoaki Miura,  tomoakim@hawaii.edu Image and Data Sciences

• Dr. Melissa Price,  pricemel@hawaii.edu Wildlife Ecology

• Dr. Yin-Phan Tsang, tsangy@hawaii.edu  Stream Ecology, Hydrology, and Data Sciences

Natural Science Pathway Undergraduate Lead

Zachary Fujioka, ugleadns@hawaii.edu

Students in the natural science pathway generally complete internships that involve field work or natural science monitoring and research. There are opportunities working in labs to analyze soil, water or plant samples; entering and summarizing data; curating plant or animal samples or collections in a museum; growing plants in nurseries; monitoring or caring for wildlife; managing aquatic or marine organisms in hatcheries; or even working in aquariums or zoos. Many students work with stewardship organizations in natural resource management that also involves educating volunteers and youth or community groups. Some find international opportunities to explore and learn about natural resource conservation, invasive species management, and community efforts to sustain and protect wild areas. 

To learn more, visit the Internships page.