Bachelors Degree in Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences
Our 14,000-acre lakeside campus and devoted faculty provide unique, hands-on opportunities to survey fish and wildlife populations. From their first semester, our students engage in activities such as small mammal trapping, fish sampling and identification, bird capture and banding, wildlife habitat assessments and amphibian ecology studies. Students will develop their ecological acumen as well as cognitive, social and scientific skills to identify, objectively analyze and problem solve management issues in the wildlife and fisheries disciplines. Coursework is designed to meet the biologist certification requirements of the American Fisheries Society or The Wildlife Society. Additional skills and opportunities include:
Developing technical knowledge and skills such as species identification, calculating population size, live trapping and tagging.
Focusing on longstanding and emerging issues such as invasive species, habitat fragmentation and degradation, climate change and more.
Working directly with faculty on professionally relevant fisheries and wildlife research.
Minoring in Geographic Information Systems (G.I.S.).
Collaborating with the Adirondack Watershed Institute on research, citizen outreach and hands-on stewardship to preserve water quality and combat invasive species.
Participating in the Smitty Creek Watershed long-term monitoring and research project.
Graduating ready to operate within real-world conditions.
With their friendly demeanor, diverse backgrounds and desire for student success, our faculty understand that this degree is a stepping stone to your career. As such, they are diligent in assisting students to receive an extracurricular education through summer field experiences and in-semester experiences, often through the student chapters of The American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society (T.W.S.). Students actively participate alongside wildlife professionals in TWS conclaves and meetings, venturing to places throughout North America. The degree is offered within a standard eight-semester sequence, providing flexibility for summer employment, internships and study abroad. Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences is a challenging program requiring students to be proficient in science and math as a foundation for conducting research.
Key Facts
B.S. degree
Pairs well with the following minors:
GIS
Chemistry
Forestry
Environmental Communications
Career Options
Fisheries technician, biologist or manager
Wildlife technician, biologist or manager
Conservation biologist
Ecologist
Public educator and outreach specialist
Wildlife law enforcement officer
Game warden
Wildlife consultant
Wildlife policy analyst
Graduate School
Research Scientist
Required Courses
Program Core Requirements
Intro to Fisheries and Wildlife Management
Natural History of North American Vertebrates
Biology I
Biology II
General Ecology
Genetics
Chemistry I
Chemistry II
Organic Chemistry
Statistics
Precalculus
Senior Capstone
Fisheries Science Concentration (core)
Aquatic Invertebrates
Ichthyology
Watershed Management
Stream Ecology Management
Limnology
Forest Soils
Fisheries Biology and Management
Fisheries Techniques
Physics
Biological Science Electives
Human Dimension Electives
Wildlife Science Concentration (core)
Plant Biology
Conservation Biology
Zoology Electives (Ornithology, Mammalogy, Herpetology)
Botany Electives
Techniques in Wildlife Management
Wildlife Management
Ecology Electives
Physical Science Electives
Policy, Administration Law Electives
Wildlife Biology Electives
