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Studies & Degrees in Wildlife Resources

Wildlife resources is the applied science of wild animals and the places they live in. It combines biology and ecology with the management side of conservation: counting and monitoring populations, protecting and restoring habitat, controlling invasive species and managing game species. Universities teach it under several names, such as wildlife ecology, wildlife science, wildlife and fisheries science, or fish, wildlife and conservation biology.

The US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) describes the people who do this work as zoologists and wildlife biologists. They study animals in captivity and in the wild and how they interact with their ecosystems. Their tasks include estimating and managing wildlife populations and analysing how human activity affects wildlife and natural habitats.

What students learn

A wildlife degree is a science degree with a large outdoor component. At the University of Maine, students on the Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology take a core series of wildlife ecology and management courses together with basic sciences, natural resource management, mathematics and liberal arts. The department states that it places a high priority on field activities. Purdue University lists courses such as Wildlife in America and the ecology and systematics of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, mammals and birds for its wildlife science students.

The BLS notes that coursework in these programmes often includes academic, laboratory and field work, and that students may need mathematics and statistics to learn data analysis. Students gain practical experience through internships, volunteer work or other employment during college, and some jobs call for outdoor skills such as driving a boat or an all-terrain vehicle. According to the University of Maine, about 70 percent of its wildlife undergraduates complete internships or field experiences.

Qualifications and levels

  • Two-year colleges. Several schools in the list are community colleges. A bachelor's degree is the usual entry requirement for wildlife biologists, so students who start at a two-year college should ask how its credits transfer to a four-year programme.
  • Bachelor's degree. Zoologists and wildlife biologists typically need a bachelor's degree for entry-level positions, according to the BLS. Examples are the Bachelor of Science in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, the Wildlife Science major at Purdue and the Wildlife and Fisheries Science major at Penn State, where students choose a fisheries or a wildlife option.
  • Master's degree and PhD. A master's degree may be needed for higher-level jobs, and a PhD is typically needed to lead research projects.

In North America, The Wildlife Society (TWS) runs a professional certification. Graduates with the required coursework can apply to become an Associate Wildlife Biologist, and can upgrade to Certified Wildlife Biologist after at least five years of experience; that certification is renewable every five years. Purdue states that its wildlife major meets all requirements to apply for the associate certification after graduation, and the University of Maine designs its curriculum so that students can meet the course requirements of TWS or the American Fisheries Society. Certification is a professional credential, not a licence.

Where to study

SpainExchange lists 26 active schools for wildlife resources. The United States has 21 of them, Australia two, and the United Kingdom, Ethiopia and Zimbabwe one each. Many of the US schools are public land-grant universities, such as Purdue University, the University of Maine, the University of Florida and Penn State. The programmes are taught in English.

Location shapes the degree, because fieldwork uses the local ecosystems. When comparing schools, look at the species and habitats nearby, the amount of required field experience, whether the curriculum covers the TWS course requirements, and how the school helps students find internships.

Careers

Graduates work as wildlife or fisheries biologists, wildlife technicians, conservation scientists and natural resource managers, and some continue to research degrees. Government is the main employer. Zoologists and wildlife biologists held about 19,500 jobs in the United States in 2025, according to the BLS, and 66 percent of them worked for government, excluding state and local education and hospitals. Consulting services (10 percent) and social advocacy organisations (7 percent) follow.

The BLS projects employment of zoologists and wildlife biologists to grow 4 percent from 2025 to 2035, about as fast as the average for all occupations, with about 1,400 openings a year. Conservation scientists, a related occupation that typically requires a bachelor's degree in forestry, natural resources or a related field, held about 27,700 jobs in 2025.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between wildlife resources and zoology?

Zoology studies animals in general. Wildlife programmes focus on wild species in their habitats and add management: population monitoring, habitat and natural resource management. The BLS treats zoologists and wildlife biologists as one occupation.

Which degree do I need to work as a wildlife biologist?

A bachelor's degree is typically needed for entry-level positions in the United States. A master's degree may be needed for higher-level jobs and a PhD to lead research projects, according to the BLS.

Is certification required?

The Wildlife Society certification is a professional credential, not a legal requirement. Some degrees, such as the wildlife major at Purdue, are designed so that graduates meet the requirements to apply.

How much fieldwork is there?

It varies by school, but field courses are a core part of the subject. The University of Maine, for example, uses the ecosystems of its state for teaching and reports that about 70 percent of its undergraduates complete internships or field experiences.