Barriers and Supports to Pursuing a Natural Resource Degree

Core Ideas Undergraduate interviews emphasized specific barriers to young adults and underrepresented groups pursuing natural resources. The difference between barriers and supports perceived by undergraduates emphasizes the need to design recruitment and retention techniques for specific target populations. By carefully designing support systems for young adults and underrepresented groups, natural resource degree programs can help them overcome barriers and enter the natural resource workforce. Natural resource professions in the United States are facing two problems: a paucity of young adults entering the natural resource field and a lack of cultural diversity in the field. In addition, enrollment in post secondary natural resource degree programs has not increased overall in the past three decades, resulting in a small pool of professionals seeking employment. One reason for dismal enrollment numbers may be the lopsided demographics found in these programs, being one of the major groups most heavily skewed toward white males than any others. This study examines the supports and barriers that influenced post secondary natural resource degree choices of 22 culturally diverse undergraduates attending West Virginia University (a land‐grant university) and Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical University (an 1890/Historically Black University). The supports and barriers were examined through the lens of the Social Cognitive Career Theory using semi‐structured, open‐ended interviews. Results indicated that students from non‐traditional backgrounds experience more barriers, such as discrimination, lack of family support, and financial obstacles. Targeted recruitment and retention techniques are suggested.