An essential part of your education involves practical field experience. We aid you in finding suitable field research projects, summer jobs, internships, or cooperative education positions with state and federal agencies, and private conservation organizations to gain additional valuable experience during your time in our program. In recent years, students have assisted with research projects on salmon and shad in the Connecticut River, black bears in the Berkshires, laughing gulls at JFK International Airport, salamanders in vernal pools, sea bird and marine mammal surveys in Alaska, trout streams in western Massachusetts, and coastal fish communities on Cape Cod. Also, many students join the student chapter of The Wildlife Society and work together on a variety of student-initiated wildlife resource projects. During the junior and senior years students select either the Wildlife Option or the Fisheries Option.
Students choose courses which focus on the option in which they have decided to specialize.
Students have an opportunity to participate in internships, cooperative education, practica, and other forms of field experience to gain more expertise in their field. Students can also take electives outside their major to add more depth and focus to their field of knowledge within Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation. There is additional information about the Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation major on the Department of Natural Resources Conservation homepage. These jobs are provided by state and federal natural resources agencies, private consulting firms, and conservation organizations. Graduates may also start their careers with overseas assignments in the Peace Corps.