Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management - BS, Wildlife Management Track

Texas rangeland, woodland, wetland, and aquatic ecosystems provide the citizens of Texas with a multitude of benefits. These benefits include income, water, recreation, wildlife habitat, and scenic beauty. The population of Texas grew over 15% from 2010 to 2020 to approximately 29 million. This population increase has impacted several key regions in the state, e.g., suburban areas and the Hill Country. However, this rapid population growth and environmental change threaten resilience and sustainability of these vital ecosystems. Educating ecosystem managers skilled in making decisions that promote sustainability and resilience is a primary goal of the faculty and staff of the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management (RWFM). The RWFM curriculum provides graduates with the necessary skills and integrates knowledge from several science disciplines. The synergy that arises from the integration of biological, physical, and social sciences in RWFM gives rise to novel real-‐world solutions suitable for uncertainty and unprecedented change. The RWFM curriculum is not entrenched in any one discipline or any single ecosystem. It equips students with the breadth and depth of knowledge that is reflective of the diversity in the ecosystems in which we live and the issues we face.

Wildlife Management Track

Every year, more land transitions to wildlife management as its primary use. Wildlife conflict issues impact more of the world each day. The program track in Wildlife Management provides students the necessary background and experience to seek careers in the growing field of wildlife management, and to prepare them to lead in the wildlife profession through transformative teaching, diverse educational experiences, professional preparation with leading wildlife biologists, and hands-on skills learning. This program will prepare students to competitively engage in this profession upon graduation, or to pursue graduate education. Students will gain critical understanding of the basic sciences (e.g. chemistry, mathematics, biology) that will allow them to fully understand the management techniques and methods they will study in their advanced coursework. The Wildlife Management track student will have a strong foundation in the basics of wildlife management: population dynamics, anatomy and physiology, habitat management principles, and wildlife techniques. A summer field practicum will provide intense, hands-on experience to solidify these principles. Students will pursue advanced coursework in focal management areas, such as large mammal management, upland bird management, waterfowl/wetland management, or wildlife damage management, that can translate into lifelong careers. Upon graduation, students will qualify for The Wildlife Society’s Associate Wildlife Biologist® certification to provide competitive credentials in today’s job market. The graduate of the Wildlife Management track will be prepared to step into the modern wildlife management workforce with the requisite skills to be a leading member of the wildlife profession in technical skill, professional communication, and scientific acumen.

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
Fall		Semester Credit Hours
AGEC 105	Introduction to Agricultural Economics	3
BIOL 111	Introductory Biology I	4
ENGL 104	Composition and Rhetoric	3
MATH 140	Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences	3
RWFM 101	Exploring Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management	1
	Semester Credit Hours	14
Spring
BIOL 112	Introductory Biology II	4
ECCB 205	Fundamentals of Ecology	3
ECCB 215	Fundamentals of Ecology--Laboratory	1
ENGL 210 or COMM 203	Technical and Professional Writing or Public Speaking	3
MATH 142	Business Calculus	3
	Semester Credit Hours	14
Second Year
Fall
CHEM 119	Fundamentals of Chemistry I	4
POLS 206	American National Government	3
RWFM 202	Concepts in Applied Plant Biology	3
American history		3
Creative arts		3
	Semester Credit Hours	16
Spring
CHEM 222	Elements of Organic and Biological Chemistry	3
POLS 207	State and Local Government	3
RWFM 305	Principles and Practices of Wildlife and Fisheries Management	3
American history		3
Language, philosophy and culture		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Summer
RWFM 333	Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Field Techniques	3
	Semester Credit Hours	3
Third Year
Fall
ECCB 302	Diversity and Evolution of Vertebrates	3
ECCB 351	Geographic Information Systems for Resource Management	3
RWFM 321	Communicating Natural Resources	3
STAT 302	Statistical Methods	3
Botany		3
Select one of the following:
ECCB 203	Forest Trees of North America
ECCB 312	Agrostology
RWFM 302	Wildland Plants of North America
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
RWFM 308	Fish and Wildlife Laws and Administration	3
RWFM 314	Principles of Rangeland Management Around the World	3
RWFM 350	Wildlife Population Dynamics	3
SCSC 301	Soil Science	4
Biodiversity		3
Select one of the following:
ECCB 315	Herpetology
ECCB 401	General Mammalogy
ECCB 402	General Ornithology
	Semester Credit Hours	16
Fourth Year
Fall
RWFM 375	Conservation of Natural Resources	3
RWFM 406	Wildlife Habitat Management	3
RWFM 484	Internship	1
Biodiversity		3
Select one of the following:
ECCB 315	Herpetology
ECCB 401	General Mammalogy
ECCB 402	General Ornithology
Wildlife management		3
Select one of the following:
RWFM 309/VTPB 301	Wildlife Diseases
RWFM 405	Urban Wildlife and Fisheries
RWFM 419	Wildlife Restoration
RWFM 421	Upland Bird Management
RWFM 422	Large Mammal Management
RWFM 423	Waterfowl and Wetland Management
RWFM 424	Wildlife Damage Management
RWFM 425	Carnivore Management
General elective ¹		1
	Semester Credit Hours	14
Spring
AGEC 325	Principles of Farm and Ranch Management	3
RWFM 408	Techniques of Wildlife Management	3
RWFM 481	Senior Seminar	1
Advanced wildlife biology		3
Select one of the following:
ECCB 313	Diversity and Evolution of Invertebrates
RWFM 349	Rangeland and Wildlife Animal Nutrition
RWFM 354	Wildlife Anatomy and Physiology
Wildlife management		3
Select one of the following:
RWFM 309/VTPB 301	Wildlife Diseases
RWFM 405	Urban Wildlife and Fisheries
RWFM 419	Wildlife Restoration
RWFM 421	Upland Bird Management
RWFM 422	Large Mammal Management
RWFM 423	Waterfowl and Wetland Management
RWFM 424	Wildlife Damage Management
RWFM 425	Carnivore Management
	Semester Credit Hours	13
	Total Semester Credit Hours	120

¹: Select from any 100-499 course not used elsewhere.

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. Select in consultation with an academic advisor.