The College of Forestry and Conservation invites you to study and work in the challenging arena of International Conservation and Development (ICD). The ICD Option provides opportunities for graduate students to develop an integrated understanding of ecological and social aspects of global environmental change, conservation and management, and to apply that knowledge through international professional field assignments. The ICD curriculum and overseas work experience emphasize the integration of biophysical and social dimensions of resource management, and their application towards ecological sustainability and social justice. Defining features of ICD include:
ICD students and faculty address a wide range of issues around the world. ICD students have worked on protected area management, community conservation, watershed management, non-timber forest products, agroforestry, reduced impact logging and wildlife conservation. Students utilize a variety of approaches and generate diverse products based on their fieldwork, including extension education materials, field guides and peer-reviewed journal articles. At present, 55 students have completed ICD studies, eight are currently on international assignments in South America, Africa and Asia, and 12 are on campus completing their M.S. degrees or preliminary coursework.
The ICD program is well known nationally and program graduates have secured professional employment with international and domestic organizations in both the public and private sectors. ICD graduates are currently working with Conservation International, USAID, the National Park Service, the US Forest Service, the US Fish and Wildlife Service and with private international conservation and development firms in the US and around the world.
The ICD Option involves completion of a core curriculum (total 13 credits), additional coursework in a specific area of academic and professional interest, and completion of an international assignment with either the Peace Corps or an international conservation and development organization.
The core curriculum includes: NRSM 571: International Conservation and Development (3 cr), NRSM 575: Sociology of Environment and Development (3 cr), FORS 532: Forest Ecosystem Analysis or other approved ecology course (3 cr), research methods (quantitative and/or qualitative, 3 cr) and FORS 595: Graduate Seminar (1 cr). Specialized coursework is available in any of the fields of study available in the College of Forestry and Conservation. This includes protected area management, rural and environmental sociology, forest management, watershed management, wildlife biology, range management, recreation management, and remote sensing/geographic information systems. Students can also complete coursework in any other field on the UM campus, such as Anthropology, Biological Sciences, Environmental Studies, Geography, and Sociology. ICD courses are small, seminar in format and provide opportunities to pursue independent projects in preparation for international assignments. Students work with faculty advisors to identify and develop specific field projects and benefit from interacting with other graduate students pursuing similar studies.
ICD students can pursue either the M.S. professional paper option (36 credits) or the M.S. thesis option (30 credits); the professional paper option is recommended due to its greater flexibility. Students are expected to complete two semesters of coursework prior to their international assignments (24 credits), and one semester afterwards to complete the professional paper or thesis. Academic credit (1 credit/semester) is available for international work. Individuals who have already served in the Peace Corps or have other international experience may build upon their previous international work in their M.S. studies. Approximately half of ICD students complete international assignments in conjunction with the Peace Corps Masters International Program while the others have developed independent assignments with international conservation or development organizations.
ICD Graduates and M.S. Projects
Student Publications
Admission to ICD requires demonstrated interest in international resource conservation, management and service; an undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or better; GRE scores of 153 verbal and 148 quantitative for tests taken after August 1, 2011 and 500 verbal and 600 quantitative for tests taken prior to August 1, 2011; and three letters of recommendation. Applications are accepted to begin in the Fall semester only due to the sequential nature of some courses and are due the previous January 31. Prospective students should review faculty expertise and interests, and to correspond with faculty members whose interests are similar. College of Forestry and Conservation Students are accepted into the ICD program only if a faculty member is willing and able to serve as a graduate advisor.
The University of Montana seeks to provide funding support for ICD students through teaching assistantships. Applicants interested in financial assistance should indicate an interest in serving as a teaching assistant (awarded on a competitive basis) when submitting their application materials.
Students interested in the Peace Corps should apply for ICD graduate studies at UM prior to applying to the Peace Corps Master International Program. For further information on the Peace Corps see: Masters International, Peace Corps Fellows. 
Married couples are welcome to apply (three married couples have completed ICD studies), but both must qualify individually to be volunteers. Peace Corps benefits include: a readjustment allowance of $6,075 after successful completion of two years training and service, a monthly living allowance for food, housing and incidentals that will permit you to live at the level of host country co-workers, medical and dental care, all local transportation and one year of noncompetitive eligibility for positions with the federal government (upon successful completion of service).
Jill Belsky, Professor – rural and environmental sociologist
Keith Bosak, Assistant Professor - nature-based tourism
Jim Burchfield, Dean - forest social scientist
John Goodburn, Assistant Professor – silviculture
Mike Patterson, Associate Dean of College of Forestry and Conservation, Professor of Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Natural Resource Management
Dane Scott, Associate Professor - ethics and Director of the Center for Ethics
Chris Servheen, Adjunct Research Associate Professor - wildlife conservation;
Stephen Siebert, Professor – tropical forest conservation and management
Laurie Yung, Associate Professor of Natural Resource Social Science; Resource Conservation Program Director
ICD studies can be undertaken with any faculty in the College of Forestry and Conservation. We encourage you to review faculty research and teaching interests and to correspond with faculty whose interests are most similar to your own.
Stephen Siebert, Professor
College of Forestry and Conservation,
The University of Montana,
Missoula, MT 59812
Tel: (406) 243-4661, Fax: (406) 243-6656
Email: steve.siebert@cfc.umt.edu
ICD Coordinator Steve Siebert has worked on forest conservation and agricultural issues in Southeast Asia for 20 years. His recent work has focused on the ecology and management of rattan palms, and biodiversity implications associated with the transition from shade to sun-grown coffee and cacao.
