Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences - BS, Fisheries, Aquaculture and Aquatic Sciences Track
Graduates are well equipped for post-baccalaureate study in many life science fields (graduate school programs and human and veterinary medicine) or for direct entry into professions such as wildlife management, fisheries management, environmental impact assessment, aquaculture, natural history museum education, zoological park collection management, public school teaching and urban wildlife management. Employers of recent graduates include state and federal resource agencies, scientific foundations, ranches, hunting and fishing clubs, fish farms, environmental consulting firms, museums and secondary schools.
Wildlife Ecology & Conservation; Fisheries, Aquaculture & Aquatic Sciences; and Vertebrate Zoology curriculum options lead to the Bachelor of Science degree. Each student will choose a course of study from among the options within the department’s curricula after consultation with the academic advisor. The chosen option is enhanced by a common departmental “core” of courses necessary for a sound education in the wildlife and fisheries conservation professions.
Students are encouraged to develop an emphasis area within their degree option. To build this emphasis area, students will choose directed electives, from related disciplines, in consultation with their academic advisor and faculty members.
This option (previously known as the Aquatic Ecology and Conservation) is designed for students interested in the research and management of fish, other freshwater and marine organisms, and the ecosystems that sustain them as well as controlled production of organisms in aquatic systems. Careers are available in state and federal resource agencies; fisheries management companies; nongovernmental conservation organizations; environmental consulting firms; and private consultation. In addition careers may be available in supporting areas such as quality control, supply, marketing, distribution, finance, consultation as well as domestic and foreign resource development. This degree option can also prepare students for grad school. This option meets American Fisheries Society requirements for certification as an Associate Fisheries Professional.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Semester Credit Hours | |
| BIOL 111 | Introductory Biology I | 4 |
| RENR 205 | Fundamentals of Ecology | 3 |
| MATH 140 | Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences | 3 |
| WFSC 101 | Introduction to Wildlife and Fisheries | 3 |
| Directed elective 1 | 2 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOL 112 | Introductory Biology II | 4 |
| MATH 142 | Business Calculus | 3 |
| American history 2 | 3 | |
| Language, philosophy and culture 2 | 3 | |
| Social and behavioral sciences 2 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| CHEM 119 | Fundamentals of Chemistry I | 4 |
| ENGL 104 | Composition and Rhetoric | 3 |
| WFSC 302 | Natural History of the Vertebrates | 3 |
| American history 2 | 3 | |
| Creative arts 2 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| CHEM 222 | Elements of Organic and Biological Chemistry | 3 |
| COMM 203 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| RENR 215 | Fundamentals of Ecology--Laboratory | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Principles of Animal Physiology | ||
| Biomedical Physiology I | ||
| Field Herpetology | ||
| Natural History of the Invertebrates | ||
| Government/Political science 2 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| STAT 302 | Statistical Methods | 3 |
| WFSC 311 | Ichthyology | 3 |
| WFSC 403 | Animal Ecology | 3 |
| WFSC 449 | Professional Aspects of Aquatic Ecology | 3 |
| Government/Political science 2 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHYS 201 | College Physics | 4 |
| WFSC 303 | Fish and Wildlife Laws and Administration | 3 |
| WFSC 404 | Aquatic Ecosystems | 3 |
| WFSC 425 | Marine Fisheries | 3 |
| Directed elective 1 | 3 | |
| Semester Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| WFSC 410 | Principles of Fisheries Management | 4 |
| WFSC 447 | Aquaculture II: Aquatic Animal Nutrition, Feeding and Disease Management | 4 |
| WFSC 448 | Fish Ecophysiology | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Field Studies | ||
| Internship | ||
| Directed Studies | ||
| Research | ||
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| ENGL 210 | Technical and Business Writing | 3 |
| GENE 301 & GENE 312 | Comprehensive Genetics and Comprehensive Genetics Laboratory | 4 |
| WFSC 304 | Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation | 3 |
| WFSC 444 | Aquaculture I: Principles and Practices | 4 |
| Semester Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Total Semester Credit Hours | 120 | |
| 1 | Directed electives to be chosen in areas related to fisheries, aquaculture and related topics. |
| 2 | Graduation requirements include a requirement for 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity courses and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse courses. A course satisfying a Core category, a college/department requirement, or a free elective can be used to satisfy this requirement. |
Students are required to make a C or better in all WFSC and RENR 205/RENR 215 courses.
A total of 120 semester hours will be required for a BS degree.