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Wildlife Biology - Terrestrial

Chad Bishop, Wildlife Biology, Director

The Wildlife Biology Program combines the best features of a liberal arts curriculum with scientific preparation in wildlife conservation. The Program provides students with an extensive knowledge in ecology, population biology, conservation biology, and critical thinking and quantitative skills. Our students receive a strong academic and scientific background with an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning. The educational requirements for certification by The Wildlife Society can be met within the framework of the undergraduate program.

While some employment opportunities exist in wildlife conservation for students with the baccalaureate degree, we encourage students to continue their education through the master's degree to qualify for most state, federal, and private positions.

Two concentrations are offered in the Wildlife Biology Program: terrestrial and aquatic. They both follow the same schedule of courses for the freshman and most of the sophomore year and then pursue different curricula for the last two years. Each leads to a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. The University is well-suited for instruction in wildlife biology because of the excellent opportunities for field instruction and research at Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Flathead Lake Biological Station, and the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and Bandy ranches. The Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, the Division of Biological Sciences, and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit facilitate research.

High School Preparation: In addition to general University admission requirements, the student should elect four years of mathematics and three years of science, including biology, chemistry and physics.

Wildlife Biology Honors - Track

The honors curriculum is designed particularly for students with strong academic records who intend to do graduate work. Entrance into this emphasis is open only to students who, at the beginning of the junior year of the wildlife biology program, have a grade-point average of 3.5 or above and who petition the faculty for entrance.

Honors students must complete either WILD 370, WILD 470 and WILD 494 (terrestrial option) or BIOO 340, BIOE 428 and WILD 494 (aquatic option). Honors students are encouraged to enroll also in WILD 499. The balance of the coursework for the junior and senior years will be developed in consultation with the honors student's faculty.

All students in the honors emphasis are required to meet with their faculty advisor prior to autumn semester registration of their junior and senior years to work out their course schedules.

Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Biology; Terrestrial Concentration

W.A Franke College of Forestry & Conservation

Degree Specific Credits: 84-85

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.5

Catalog Year: 2021-22

Note: Experiential Learning is required - Students have several options to fulfill this requirement - list is available from the Wildlife Advisor in Forestry 103C.

General Education Requirements

Information regarding these requirements can be found in the General Education Section of the catalog.

Summary

Major Required Courses

29

Major Required Courses - Terrestrial Concentration

22

Outside Major Required Courses

20-21

Advanced College Writing Requirement

13

Total Hours

84-85


Major Required Courses

Code

Title

Hours

Complete all of the following courses:

BIOB 160N

Principles of Living Systems

3

BIOB 161N

Prncpls of Living Systems Lab

1

BIOB 260

Cellular and Molecular Biology

4

BIOB 272

Genetics and Evolution

4

BIOE 370

General Ecology

3

BIOE 371

Gen Ecology Lab (equiv to 271)

2

WILD 180

Careers in Wildlife Biology

2

WILD 346

Wildlife Physiological Ecology

3

WILD 410

Wildlife Policy & Biopolitics

3

or NRSM 422

Nat Res Policy/Administration

WILD 480

The Upshot--Appld Wildlife Mgt

3

WILD 494

Senior Wildlife Seminar

1

Total Hours

29

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Major Required Courses - Terrestrial Concentration

Code

Title

Hours

Complete all of the following courses:

BIOO 335

Rocky Mountain Flora

3

NRSM 360

Rangeland Mgt (equiv 260)

3

or FORS 347

Multiple Resource Silviculture

WILD 370

Wildlife Habitat Cons & Mgmt

4

WILD 470

Conserv of Wildlife Populatns

4

Complete two of the following courses:

8

BIOO 340

Biology and Mgmnt of Fishes

BIOO 470

Ornithology

BIOO 475

Mammalogy

Total Hours

22

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Outside Major Required Courses

Code

Title

Hours

Complete all of the following courses:

CHMY 121N

Introduction to General Chemistry

4

CHMY 123

Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry

4

CHMY 124

Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab

2

COMX 111A

Introduction to Public Speaking

3

M 162

Applied Calculus

4

or M 171

Calculus I

STAT 216

Introduction to Statistics

3-4

or WILD 240

Intro to Biostatistics

Total Hours

20-21

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Advanced College Writing Requirement

Code

Title

Hours

Complete any three of the courses from the following lists:

The following courses are required in the Terrestrial Concentration:

13

BIOE 371

Gen Ecology Lab (equiv to 271)

BIOO 470

Ornithology

BIOO 475

Mammalogy

WILD 470

Conserv of Wildlife Populatns

The following courses are additional options that can also be used to fulfill the Advanced College Writing requirement:

BIOB 483

Phylogenics and Evolution

BIOE 342

Field Ecology

BIOE 403

Comparative Vert Anatomy

BIOE 409

Behavior & Evolution Discussion

BIOE 428

Freshwater Ecology

BIOE 447

Ecosystem Ecology

BIOL 484

Plant Evolution

BIOO 320

General Botany

BIOO 434

Plant Physiology Lab

FORS 330

Forest Ecology

FORS 341

Timber Harvesting & Roads

FORS 349

Practice of Silviculture

FORS 440

Forest Stand Management

NRSM 326

Climate and Society

NRSM 344

Ecosystem Science and Restoration Capstone

NRSM 349E

Climate Change Ethics/Policy

NRSM 379

Collab in Nat Res Decisions

NRSM 389E

Ethics Forestry & Conservation

NRSM 462

Rangeland Ecology

NRSM 475

Environment & Development

NRSM 495

Ecosystem Science and Restoration Practicum

PTRM 300

Recreation Behavior

PTRM 451

Tourism & Sustainability

PTRM 482

Wilderness & Protected Area Management

WILD 408

Advanced Fisheries

WILD 410

Wildlife Policy & Biopolitics

WILD 499

Thesis

Total Hours

13

Minimum Required Grade: C-