Wildlife Science - MS

Graduate students of the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife value scholarship in all its forms - discovery, integration, application, and teaching. We value understanding for its own sake, for the betterment of people, and for the conservation of the natural world.

Learner Outcomes for M. S. Students

Students will produce a professionally written thesis that meets peer-review publication standards. Students will be able to prepare and deliver a professional quality oral presentation. Students will be able to effectively communicate in discussions with peers and the general public. Students will demonstrate the ability to solve problems, evaluate evidence and recognize bias; ability to adjust conclusions/approaches in face of new data or interpretation tools. Students will demonstrate in-depth knowledge of the area of expertise and general breadth in the field. Students will demonstrate an understanding of ethical issues in fisheries and wildlife sciences.

The Wildlife Science graduate program in the Department of Fisheries and Wildlife emphasizes wildlife research concerning the interaction of wildlife with land uses, migratory bird biology, forestry-wildlife relationships, endangered species management, and population dynamics. 

Areas of Concentration in Wildlife

Animal-habitat relationships; behavior; conservation biology; community studies; ecology of birds, small and large mammals including cetaceans and pinnipeds, and herptiles; ecology of avian and mammalian predators; ecology of waterfowl and upland game birds; effects of parasites, diseases, and environmental contaminants; nutrition; population; population dynamics; reproductive biology; toxicology of pesticides; wildlife ecology; wildlife-forestry interactions.