Natural Resources - Wildlife Conservation and Management

Overview

The School of Natural Resources and the Environment is concerned with the management and conservation of natural ecosystems with emphasis on the desert, rangeland, and forest ecosystems of arid and semi-arid environments. 

The Natural Resources - Wildlife Conservation and Management program at the University of Arizona prepares students for 

• research and teaching in the areas of natural resource science, conservation, management, and planning; and 

• positions in natural resource management agencies and organizations. 

All students are urged to gain a broad understanding of social and political institutions as they affect fundamental relations of humans and their environment, particularly those involving plants, animals, soil and water resources, and climate. 

Students pursuing the M.S. or Ph.D. degree may elect one of four disciplinary emphasis areas: Ecology, Management, and Restortation of Rangelands; Natural Resources Studies; Watershed Management and Ecohydrology; and Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation and Management.  

Students also may choose from a wide variety of minor subjects, including soil science, watershed management, animal science, wildlife ecology, plant science, ecology, anthropology, public administration, and global change.

Career

Career opportunities for M.S. and Ph.D. graduates exist in federal and state natural resource agencies and legislative policy and budget offices; in non-governmental organizations; in offices of corporations and trade associations concerned with natural resource policy and administration; and in international development agencies, consulting firms, universities, and private research organizations.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation, the National Park Service, and the U.S. Forest Service frequently assist in the development and support of research projects. Within the School, the U.S. Geological Survey also maintains the Arizona Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit and the Sonoran Desert Field Station.