Wildlife Management Eastern Kentucky University

Overview

Who Would be Interested in the Wildlife Management program of Eastern Kentucky University?Students who:

• Want to conserve nature for future generations

• Are seeking a career with a state, federal, or non-government wildlife management agency

• Want to take part in the scientific management of game or non-game fish and wildlife

• Want to improve habitat for rare or threatened species or help maintain habitat for valued common wild animals

• Want to help resolve conflicts between man and overabundant or non-native species of wildlife

• Are seeking to obtain an advanced degree to conduct research on wild animals and how they fit into natural ecosystems

• Are good at and enjoy science, enjoy wild animals and the ecosystems that support them, and like the idea of working hands on in the great outdoors to pursue those interests

Why Wildlife Management?

• Since the early 1970s, Wildlife Management has had an active student chapter of The Wildlife Society (TWS), where both undergraduate and graduate students interested in wildlife conservation come together for seminars led by working wildlife professionals, for volunteer projects to assist local state, federal, or non-profit agencies in gathering field data or in habitat improvement programs, or for social activities such as hiking, canoeing, or camping.

• The student TWS chapter participates annually in the Southeastern Section of TWS Student Conclave , which includes academic competitions as well as some non-academic outdoor-skill and art contests, attended by 15-30 state university programs from throughout the southeastern United States.

Internship and Career Opportunities

• Many of our students have taken summer internships with government and non-profit conservation agencies or have worked through EKU's Cooperative Education Program to take a semester-long internship, gaining important professional experience even before obtaining the BS degree.

• Many graduates go on to graduate school to pursue the MS and PhD degrees to qualify for program coordinator positions with these employers or to conduct research or obtain positions with major universities.

• Some B.S. graduates continue on for MS and PhD degrees at major universities throughout the country, while some remain at EKU in our Biology MS, Applied Ecology option for an advanced degree

• Wildlife Management graduates work with state, federal, and non-governmental agencies such as the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and other state management agencies, the U.S. Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife Service, Ducks Unlimited, and The Nature Conservancy, as well as with private consulting firms that collect and analyze data related to conducting Environmental Impact Assessments.

• Employers of Wildlife Biologists in Kentucky and elsewhere know our graduates to have the academic knowledge, practical field skills, and problem-solving capabilities to meet their agency's needs.

• Indeed, many of the employers are graduates of the program at EKU and are confident in not only the education our graduates have received, but also in the work ethic EKU graduates take with them to the professional world.

• Our B.S. graduates often outcompete M.S. graduates from other schools because of the knowledge they have and thinking ability they display in the job interview.

Where Are Recent Graduates Employed?

• Biologist, then Assistant Director of a state wildlife management agency

• Conservation Officer, then Chief of Law Enforcement for a National Forest

• Field Biologist, then Senior Biologist with a private consulting firm