The Wildlife Ecology Department offers an education with an emphasis on basic sciences and principles of wildlife ecology and resource management, with the goal for students to develop responsible citizenship and a sound training as a professional wildlife biologist, a professional fisheries biologist, or a conservation biologist. Students interested in fisheries careers can complete a Fisheries Minor with a Wildlife Ecology degree to meet professional requirements for fisheries biologist positions. Students are exposed to wildlife issues in a diversity of ecological systems, in national parks, wildlife refuges, state management areas, and on private land. Maine offers diverse opportunities to study wildlife in a variety of natural environments ranging from the coast with its sea birds, marine mammals and eagles, to the more mountainous northern boreal forest occupied by moose, loons, red-backed salamanders, brook trout, and salmon. Maine also has thousands of lakes and ponds and 30,000 miles of rivers and streams.
An active Wildlife Ecology graduate program, offering both M. S. and Ph.D. degrees, enables undergraduates to interact with graduate students conducting research in wildlife and fish ecology and conservation. Students have the opportunity to work with federal wildlife biologists through the Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.
The curriculum in Wildlife Ecology is designed to train the student to adapt to the changing requirements of the Wildlife profession. The curriculum provides a solid foundation in communications, the humanities, and sciences and gives students an opportunity to meet the certification requirements of the Wildlife Society. In addition, students can also meet the education requirements for federal and state positions in the wildlife field.
Requirements for Admission to Wildlife Ecology Program:
In addition to the general requirements of the University and those of the College of Natural Sciences, Forestry, and Agriculture, admission to the B.S. in Wildlife Ecology from high school requires 4 units of English, 3 units of math (including math in the senior year), and at least 2 units of lab science. In addition, the student must be in the top 25% of their high school class or have SAT verbal + math scores = 1100+. For transfer students, a 2.5 GPA and completion of English Composition, Biology of Organisms, and Pre-calculus are required for admission.
Requirements for BS in Wildlife Ecology
124 credits including:
- Satisfy general education requirements.
- Complete all courses listed in the suggested curriculum.
- One additional field course.
- One additional communication course (not CMJ 102).
- Field experience in the profession, either through a paid or volunteer position.
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