Wildlife Conservation and Policy Program
Our unique, five-year joint-degree program with The Bush School of Government and Public Service enables undergraduate students in Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management to enter the Master of Public Service and Administration program at the beginning of their fourth year. Known as a 3+2 program, this degree enables students to earn bachelor’s degree in three years and a master’s degree in two.
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. Students are prepared for careers in conservation with a foundation in life and physical sciences, mathematics and problem-solving skills that accommodate animals and their habitats within larger ecological systems.
This is made possible through the Boone and Crockett Club’s 2017 expanded endowment in the Texas A&M Foundation to honor Dr. James H. “Red” Duke. As the oldest wildlife conservation organization in North America, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes the conservation and management of wildlife and its habitat to preserve and encourage hunting while maintaining the highest ethical standards of fair chase and sportsmanship in North America.
Program Details
- Degree: B.S. Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management and Master of Public Service Administration
- Credit Hours: 150 total credit hours
Admissions
Admission into the program is competitive, as applicants are required to apply through the department and the Bush School of Government.
Freshman Applicants
Texas A&M University admits students to the university first by the Office of Admissions. Freshman admission is determined based on a combination of SAT/ACT scores, class rank, coursework taken in high school and a student’s activities outside the classroom. It is important that students planning to attend Texas A&M to prepare themselves early in their high school career. For additional information on how to apply, students may refer to the Office of Admissions and Records guidelines for official requirements.
Transfer Applicants
Students are reviewed based on courses they have completed at another college or university and their grade point average on that coursework. Students may apply to transfer after completing 24 hours with a minimum 2.5 GPA. Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management requires completion of BIOL 111 (BIOL 1406) and BIOL 112 (BIOL 1407) with a minimum grade of a B prior to transfer. Priority is given to students who have completed the listed Math, Physics and Chemistry requirements.
4th Year Admission to Bush School
Students must apply to the Bush School during their 3rd year as an undergraduate with the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management. To be considered, students are required to score a minimum of 303 on the GRE and have a GPA of at least 3.25
About Dr. Duke
A Public Servant and Conservationist
Red Duke in his element.
Portrait by Andy Dearwater.
Dr. James “Red” Duke was a renowned trauma surgeon and an accomplished conservationist who was dedicated to helping people and sustaining populations of “big game” animals. Duke earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M in 1950. He was an active student with broad interests that included serving as a yell leader for Aggie athletics. Duke followed his interests in community service by completing his medical degree from UT Southwest in 1960. During his residency at Dallas’ Parkland Hospital, Duke saved the life of Texas Gov. John Connally following the tragic assassination of President Kennedy in 1963.
Duke became well known through his nationally syndicated television program, “Dr. Duke’s Health Reports,” but his service to the public stretched far beyond medicine. Duke advocated for environmental conservation as a founding member of the Texas Bighorn Society, which was successful in re-establishing populations of Bighorn sheep in Texas. Dr. Duke continued to advocate for big game conservation as the president of the Boone and Crockett Club – the oldest conservation organization in North America.
The Boone and Crockett Club began an expansion of their endowment in the Texas A&M Foundation in 2017 to honor Dr. Duke. The Boone and Crockett Dr. James H. “Red” Duke Wildlife Conservation and Policy Program includes the joint-degree program between Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences and the Bush School of Government and Public Service. The Boone and Crockett program at Texas A&M combines science and policy to continue Red Duke’s Legacy of leadership in conservation. Read the full story from the Texas A&M Foundation.
Dr. James H. “Red” Duke and Wild Sheep
Wild sheep live in awe-inspiring mountains. Landscapes that help us recognize our place in the scheme of things–places that also support a wide variety of unique plants and animals. Sheep are robust to the extreme privations of these high places. The four North American sheep that comprise the “grand slam” reveal the subtle changes in color and form that reflect the isolation of life on these “sky islands” along the Continental Divide from the Alaskan arctic to the Mexican desert. However, sheep populations are easily lost. Sheep management requires balancing good science with good judgment about harvest, disease, predators, biodiversity and environmental change.
“Red” Duke was enamored with sheep hunting. He knew that enormous skill and effort required to take the largest rams in a population matched the dedication and drive needed to sustain healthy populations of these animals. He did both – his first trophy on record with the Boone & Crockett Club was recorded in 1967; two decades later he led the Wild Sheep Foundation and the Boone & Crockett Club – organizations that promote policies to conserve wildlife, lands and their relationship with people. The logo for our program features the first sheep in Dr. Duke’s “grand slam”, the Rocky Mountain Big Horn.
Contact Us
LeAnn Hague
Senior Academic Advisor - Change of Major, Graduate Advising, Undergraduate Advising
Faegen Lee
Academic Advisor II - Aquaculture and Fisheries Management Track, Wildlife Management Track, Dr. Red Duke Program