During their sophomore year, students will be required to formulate an Experiential Learning Curriculum Plan (ELCP) that they wish to pursue in their junior and senior years. Before formulating an ELCP and making it part of their Professional Development Portfolio, students will discuss their interests and their options with the NRS Experiential Learning Coordinator and members of the faculty with whom they might work.

The ELCP will consist of two parts:

1. a dynamic plan of possible experiential learning opportunities that the student hopes to participate in to fulfill his or her educational objectives; and
2. a program evaluation statement from the NRS Experiential Learning Coordinator, along with the signatures of faculty members associated with the student's planned program of study.

Faculty will be able to approve, and thus better anticipate, the number of students with whom they will be working in labs, teaching practicums, and field research projects. Students will be allowed to develop an ELCP with a maximum of 24 credits of experiential learning courses outside of the classroom.

During the fall semester of their sophomore year, students will be required to take NRS 200, Seminar in Natural Resources (now NRS 300). This course will serve to expose students to possible careers in natural resources and pathways to reach their career goals. Such exposure should aid students in the formulation of their ELCP. The seminar will also serve both as a point of contact between students and the NRS Department, and as a bridge between the freshman and junior years.

Also during their sophomore year, students will have their first opportunity to participate in a research or outreach project through NRS 295, Natural Resources Apprenticeship. NRS 295 will be an S/U graded course that will allow students to be active participants in research in the laboratory and field studies of scientists in the Department. At this level of involvement, students will assist scientists and graduate students in data collection, learn analytical techniques in laboratories, and participate in some of the day-to-day activities that take place during research projects. Students interested in outreach teaching will be able to work with Cooperative Extension educators and faculty on a variety of educational programs. The number of students participating in NRS 295 will be determined by the availability of opportunities with researchers and educators; the Experiential Learning Coordinator will serve as a clearinghouse for NRS 295 to help match students with opportunities.