Integrated Resource Management (IRM)

Career Opportunities

Highly skilled agriculture and natural resources professionals are needed to meet the demand for sustainable management of land and resources in today's rural and urban communities.

Graduates of this program apply Integrated Resource Management principles to effectively deal with the social and environmental realities that impact today's management of land and animals:

• Preservation and sustainability of agricultural land is vital for food security, wildlife habitat, outdoor recreation and continuing the rural heritage of families and communities.
• Absentee land owners and conservation trusts are acquiring large parcels of land and require skilled land resource managers.
• Demands for preservation of open space and outdoor recreation is increasing in both urban and rural areas.

As an interdisciplinary program, the curriculum applies to professionals seeking to advance their careers in a number of diverse fields:

• Professional land and ranch management
• Animal and cattle production management
• Local, state and regional agencies dealing with land and resource management, such as the Bureau of Land Management and the Forest Service
• Wildlife and forest management
• Extension agencies involved in agriculture and natural resources
• Management of family and corporate ranches, dairies, swine production facilities, fisheries and wildlife areas
• Natural resource conservation
• Breeding associations, drug and seed companies, and Homeland Security
• Agriculture
• Community economic development