Wilderness Management

What it’s about:

Wildlife and wilderness management is an area of applied ecology that deals with the conservation of animal populations, ranging from those that are regularly hunted to those that are considered endangered, and the habitat in which these animals are found.

What the study of this major is like:

Wildlife and wilderness management programs began as game management programs in the 1950s. Back then, people thought game species (mostly birds and mammals) were the only wildlife that needed to be managed. But human population growth inevitably affects animal populations by loss or change of habitat, reduction of food supply, presence of pollutants, and other human-related factors. In recent years, more and more rare and endangered species have been added to the list of wildlife in need of active management.

Wildlife professionals have come to realize that many species that are neither hunted nor endangered are also in need of our attention. Examples include declining populations of amphibians, birds of prey, and neotropical migrant birds; they could all become endangered if they do not receive immediate assistance. As a result of changes in attitudes toward the natural world, many wildlife and wilderness programs study a much broader array of species, and teach the skills needed to protect them, than those traditionally covered in game management programs.

As a wildlife major, you study both resource management and biology. Most of your courses are in biology, but you must also take chemistry, mathematics (through elementary calculus), and statistics. Anatomy and vertebrate zoology courses, such as ornithology and mammalogy, are important, too. Because wildlife biologists must be able to identify plants, at least one plant taxonomy course is generally required. Most other courses in a wildlife and wilderness management program are field-oriented and deal with ecology.

You will probably have to take several lab courses each semester in order to graduate in four years. Most lab courses (beyond introductory biology and chemistry) are strongly field oriented. Wildlife and wilderness management deals with animals living in natural environments; you must therefore be prepared to work with animal populations and their habitats. In the field, you gain experiences in identifying birds and mammals, estimating their populations, and analysing their habitats-you acquire first-hand knowledge of how and where the animals that you study in the classroom live. At many colleges, summer courses give you an opportunity to work full-time on field projects.

If you are comparing wildlife and wilderness management programs, look carefully at the courses offered to see whether programs you are considering favour traditional game management, or whether their coursesreflect a broader, more modern conservation-biology focus.

Career options and trends:

Wildlife biologist; research biologist; environmental educator; environmental consultant; university professor; park or filed naturalist; conservation biologist; wildlife manager.

The job outlook continues to be very competitive. Student hoping to enter this field should complete at least a four-year Bachelor’s of Science degree. Field experience gained through internships and temporary jobs remains an important way to obtain a permanent job. A graduate program leading to a Master’s of Science degree can enhance your marketability for full-time employment and for advancement in the field.

Source: CollegeBoard 2012 Book of Majors