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2025-2026 Undergraduate & Graduate Catalog [In Progress]

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Ecological Restoration, Undergradaute Certificate

The Ecological Restoration certification program is embedded within the Natural Resources and Environmental Management program and housed in the Biology Department (www.gvsu.edu/biology). The certification program provides knowledge, skills, and practical experience to Natural Resources and Environmental Management (NREM) students who are interested in the restoration, conservation, and stewardship of terrestrial, wetland, and aquatic ecosystems to the benefit of the plants, animals, and humans that rely on them.

Program Coordinator: Todd A. Aschenbach, Ph.D., Biology Department.

Reasons to Study Ecological Restoration

Employment. Ecological restoration is the process of assisting the recovery of an ecosystem that has been degraded, damaged, or destroyed. As an applied science, ecological restoration requires the expertise of a variety of natural resource and environmental management professionals. It is a growing, multi-faceted, and multi-disciplinary field that provides employment opportunities at the local, state, federal, and tribal levels in both the private and public sectors.

Application. The knowledge, skills, and experiences obtained through the study and practice of ecological restoration are applicable to a wide variety of natural resource and environmental management professions including wildlife habitat management, soil and water conservation, wildland fire management, conservation biology, watershed and wetland management, outdoor recreation, forestry, environmental economics and policy, fisheries and aquatic sciences, and applications in geographic information systems. This applicable knowledge and skill base prepares students to pursue careers with conservation agencies, environmental consulting firms, and education and advocacy organizations.

External Recognition. The course requirements for the Ecological Restoration Certificate are directly aligned with course requirements for the Society for Ecological Restorations Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner-in-Training (CERPIT) certification. This external certification program is for those that are designing, implementing, overseeing, and monitoring restoration projects throughout the world to ensure that ecological restoration is held to a high professional standard. Completion of the Ecological Restoration Certificate assures employers that students have the basic knowledge and skills to engage in ecological restoration as recognized by an external professional society. Note: students do not get external CERPIT certification upon completion of the GVSU Ecological Restoration Certificate. However, completion of the Certificate creates a seamless application process for those students that wish to pursue the CERPIT certification from the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Unique. GVSU is the only academic degree program aligned with CERPIT certification in Michigan and one of only 10 aligned institutions in the Midwest.

Coursework

Students are required to complete all required courses for the natural resources and environmental management major. In addition, students must complete a minimum of 15 credit hours to receive the ecological restoration certificate:

Required Courses

Choose one of the following:

Choose two of the following:

A majority of the credit hours needed to satisfy the ecological restoration certificate are required natural resources and environmental management (NREM) courses or courses that help satisfy categorical requirements in the NREM major.

Admissions

For new students, visit the Admissions website for undergraduate requirements. Upon acceptance and for current students:

  • Declare your certificate via myBanner (Login to Banner Self-Service, click on Student, Student Records, Add a Certificate or Badge to your Program, Select the appropriate certificate from the drop down list, and click Submit)
  • Speak with the certificate coordinator (Dr. Todd Aschenbach) to ensure criteria are being met (you will be able to track your progress toward the certificate in myPath as well!)
  • Once you are done with the requirements, apply to receive the certificate via myBanner.
  • Once the completion of your certificate has been verified, the certificate will be posted to your student record and will be viewable on your transcript.

If you are in need of assistance please submit any questions or comments.