Current WFSC and ESSM Students
In January 2020, our department was established after a restructuring of the former Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and Ecosystem and Science Management Departments. The support of our current students still going through the program under the legacy departments is of utmost importance to us. To help with this transition, RWFM degree programs are not currently active. Incoming undergraduate and graduate students will still come in under Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences or Ecosystem and Science Management degree programs.
Legacy Degree Options
Wildlife and fisheries sciences uses the latest in the ecological and management disciplines to provide the most diverse and progressive education available in the conservation of the earth’s biodiversity. The conservation and management of wildlife and fisheries resources require resolution of increasingly complex issues that extend far beyond the bounds of classical biology. Contemporary wildlife and fisheries professionals must be well-versed in the life and physical sciences, mathematics, and the language, philosophy and culture.
Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences
Curricula in wildlife and fisheries sciences are designed to provide both the traditional and contemporary dimensions of academic instruction necessary to transform motivated and intellectually capable students into competent professionals. WFSC offers a Bachelor of Science in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences with a concentration in one of four options.
Renewable Natural Resources
The goal of this core/emphasis structure is to provide students with an identity as a renewable natural resources specialist, while, at the same time, affording the flexibility for preparation for a variety of career tracks. One emphasis focuses on management and the other on policy.
Wildlife Ecology & Conservation
This concentration includes three sub-concentrations: Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Wildlife Ecology, and Conservation Biology. It is designed for students interested in the research, management, and conservation of wildlife and the ecosystems that support it. This option provides considerable flexibility when designing a degree program and allows students to focus on both conservation and management terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems. Job opportunities are available with state and federal agencies; private land management individuals and companies; state, national and international organizations; environmental consulting firms; and various private enterprises.
Fisheries, Aquaculture, and Aquatic Sciences
This concentration is designed for both students interested in the research and management of fish, other freshwater and marine organisms, and the ecosystems that sustain them, as well as controlled production of organisms in aquatic systems. For students interested in the controlled production of organisms in aquatic systems, courses in this concentration are structured to provide the scientific and technological basis of fish culture. Careers are available in state and federal resource agencies; fisheries management companies; nongovernmental conservation organizations; environmental consulting firms; and private consultation. In addition, careers may be available in supporting areas such as quality control, supply, marketing, distribution, finance, consultation as well as domestic and foreign resource development. This option meets American Fisheries Society requirements for certification as an Associate Fisheries Professional.
Vertebrate Zoology (Pre-Professional)
This concentration provides the rigorous training needed for careers in the fields of ichthyology, herpetology, mammalogy and ornithology, with disciplinary expertise in areas such as behavior, ecology, evolution, genetics, molecular biology, physiology and systematics. It is a flexible program that permits the inclusion of courses specifically required by graduate degree programs as well as schools of dentistry, law, medicine and veterinary medicine.
Additional Degree Option
Bachelor of Science/ Master of Public Service Administration Joint-Degree
The Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management and The Bush School of Government and Public Service offers a five-year joint-degree program that allows undergraduate students majoring in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences to enter the Master of Public Service and Administration program at the beginning of their fourth year. The program integrates the science and practice of managing fish and wildlife populations with policies for these public resources on both public and private lands.
Minor
Certifications
Students in consultation with their advisor may choose coursework that will allow certification as either an Associate Fisheries Professional or an Associate Wildlife Biologist. Certification by these professional societies provides standards and guidelines for professional recognition and serve as a mark of accomplishment as well as a measure of status and credibility among peers. Professional certification also may set graduates apart from others in a competitive marketplace and allow a greater range of career opportunities.
