To enroll for a wildlife conservation master's degree, applicants need a bachelor's degree in biology or related area, and strong scores on the Graduate Record Exam. Students may also need to submit three letters of recommendation from former faculty members or professionals in the field. Any work experience in the field is beneficial to students applying to a graduate degree program.
Students enrolled in a master's degree program in wildlife conservation take courses in wildlife ecology, wetlands ecology, wildlife population modeling, conservation biology and mammalian carnivores. These courses teach students about the diseases that affect wildlife and the application of biological resource management theory in the conservation of wildlife. Additional topics include wildlife resources, experimental testing, government policy, subtropical ecosystems, and landscape patterns and processes.
Fieldwork in master's degree programs offers students an opportunity to research wildlife in their natural habitat. Faculty members often lead students in research projects, which may focus on areas involving the integration of wildlife management, biological aspects of wildlife, agricultural land use and wildlife ecology. Fieldwork offers students an opportunity to gain real experience in the management and conservation of animal populations and species, using molecular genetics and remote sensing.
Graduates with a master's degree in wildlife conservation can find career opportunities as conservation scientists. Conservation scientists held almost 30,000 jobs in the U.S. in 2008, and employment was expected to increase 12 percent from 2008 to 2018. Conservation scientists monitor and protect the development of forests and wetlands. The median salary of conservation scientists is about $59,000 per year, as of 2008.