The Master of Resource Management (MRM) degree is a graduate degree program in the School of Resource and Environmental Management at Simon Fraser University in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada. and the university centre of the Westfjords, Iceland. This program is designed for both recent graduates and individuals with experience in the private or public sector in dealing with natural resources and the

environment Environment most often refers to: __NOTOC__ * Natural environment, all living and non-living things occurring naturally * Biophysical environment, the physical and biological factors along with their chemical interactions that affect an organism or ...

. The program seeks students from a range of disciplines including biology, engineering,

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, forestry, geology,

business Business is the practice of making one's living or making money by producing or Trade, buying and selling Product (business), products (such as goods and Service (economics), services). It is also "any activity or enterprise entered into for pr ...

, economics, geography, planning and social sciences. The program is recognized as an accredited sustainable planning program by the Canadian Institute of Planners and the

Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

Degree requirements

The M.R.M. degree requires completion of six required courses (social science in natural resource management, ecology, ecological economics,

earth systems Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. While large volumes of water can be found throughout the Solar System, only Earth sustains liquid surface water. About 71% of Earth's surface ...

, research methods), six elective courses, a

field workshop Field may refer to: Expanses of open ground * Field (agriculture), an area of land used for agricultural purposes * Airfield, an aerodrome that lacks the infrastructure of an airport * Battlefield * Lawn, an area of mowed grass * Meadow, a grass ...

, and a research project. The aim is to increase familiarity and competence in understanding the dynamics of natural resources, the strategies and techniques of natural resource and

environmental planning Environmental planning is the process of facilitating decision making to carry out land development with the consideration given to the natural environment, social, political, economic and governance factors and provides a holistic framework to ...

and management, and the biological, physical, social, economic and institutional implications of resource decisions. Students also become familiar with various quantitative methods of analysis and aids to

decision making In psychology, decision-making (also spelled decision making and decisionmaking) is regarded as the cognitive process resulting in the selection of a belief or a course of action among several possible alternative options. It could be either rati ...

. In the field of natural resources, in particular, it is important that an academic degree provide a foundation for problem-solving as well as creative and critical thinking rather than focus primarily on subject matter such as

fisheries Fishery can mean either the enterprise of raising or harvesting fish and other aquatic life; or more commonly, the site where such enterprise takes place ( a.k.a. fishing ground). Commercial fisheries include wild fisheries and fish farms, both ...

, economics, or forestry. Graduate student research projects required to complete the degree evaluate the effectiveness of existing natural resource management policies and, where appropriate, present alternatives. Students apply a range of approaches including cost-benefit analysis,

simulation modeling A simulation is the imitation of the operation of a real-world process or system over time. Simulations require the use of models; the model represents the key characteristics or behaviors of the selected system or process, whereas the ...

, legal and institutional assessment frameworks, and social surveys to address critical and emerging natural resource management issues on local, national, and international scales. {(cite web, url= http://www.uw.is/the_university_centre_of_the_west_fjords/about_the_university_centre/ ., title= University centre of the Westfjords, accessdate=2016-05-20})

References

External links

Simon Fraser University

School of Resource and Environmental Management, SFU
Land management Master's degrees Simon Fraser University Environmental studies Natural resource management