Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (BS): Conservation Biology Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the !
Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology (FWCB) major prepares students to manage and conserve populations of fish and wildlife in their natural habitats. This STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) major gives students the skills they need to observe, research, monitor and assess the impact of environmental change, human behavior and public policy on wild populations of animals. Using a combination of lab work, technology and field study, students develop conservation strategies that ensure the long-term health of fish and wildlife populations.
After sophomore year, students spend six weeks in summer field courses. During 鈥渟ummer camp鈥� experience, students learn hands-on fish and wildlife management techniques in locations across the state. From plant and animal identification and bird mist netting to camera-trapping and radio telemetry, students gain experiences that prepare them for careers after graduation. FWCB students have the option to substitute the summer field course with approved internships or study abroad courses.
The Conservation Biology concentration allows flexibility for students to pursue elements of conservation that align with their specific career goals. The degree requirements include 9 credits of technical electives that compliment the major such as courses in environmental policy, entomology, science communication, or environmental education.
Contact
Dr. Lara Pacifici
lara_pacifici@ncsu.edu
FWCB Undergraduate Coordinator
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Box 8008
North Carolina State 福利逼站
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8008
Plan Requirements
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| 贰狈痴听100 | Student Success in Environmental First Year | 1 |
| 贰狈痴听101 | Exploring the Environment | 2 |
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| 颁贬听101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| 颁贬听102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| 颁翱惭听110 | Public Speaking | 3 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| 听 | Hours | 25 |
| Second Year | ||
| FOR听172 | Forest System Mapping and Mensuration I | 2 |
| FW听221 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
| PY听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| Choose one of the following Economics electives: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 听 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | 听 | |
| Principles of Microeconomics | 听 | |
| Fundamentals of Economics | 听 | |
| Choose one of the following Ecology electives: | 4 | |
| Ecology | 听 | |
| Forest Ecology | 听 | |
| Ecology | 听 | |
| Plant Elective | 3 | |
| Quantitative Elective | 3 | |
| Physical Science Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 25 |
| Summer | ||
| FW听311 | Piedmont Wildlife Ecology and Management | 3 |
| FW听312 | Fisheries Techniques and Management | 1 |
| FW听313 | Mountain Wildlife Ecology and Management | 1 |
| FW听314 | Coastal Ecology and Management | 1 |
| 听 | Hours | 6 |
| Third Year | ||
| GIS听280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
| FW听333 | Conservation Biology in Practice | 3 |
| FW听353 | Wildlife Management | 3 |
| FW听373 | Vertebrate Natural History | 3 |
| ST听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| Select one of the following Organic Chemistry courses: | 4 | |
| Introductory Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 听 | |
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 听 | |
| GN听301 or GN听311 | Genetics in Human Affairs or Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| FW听411 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries | 3 |
| ENG听333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 28 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| FW听415 | Professional Development in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | 1 |
| FW听453 or AEC听420 | Principles of Wildlife Science or Introduction to Fisheries Science | 3 |
| ENT听201 | Insects and People | 3 |
| Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Conservation Biology Elective | 3 | |
| Fisheries & Wildlife Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Electives | 9 | |
| 听 | Hours | 25 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 109 |
| 1 | A grade of C- or better is required. |
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEP Courses | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | ||
| GEP U.S. Diversity (Verify Requirement) | |||
| GEP Global Knowledge (Verify Requirement) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (Verify Requirement) | |||
| Total Hours | 11 | ||
Acad Writing Research
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acad Writing Research | |||
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| FLE听101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| Transfer Sequence | |||
| ENG听202 | Disciplinary Perspectives in Writing | ||
| ENG听1GEP | 100 Level English Composition | 3 | |
Plant Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOR听339 | Dendrology | 4 | |
| PB听220 | Local Flora | 3 | |
| PB听250 | Plant Biology | 4 | |
| PB听403 | Systematic Botany | 4 | |
| PB听503 | Systematic Botany | 4 |
Quantitative Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSC听200 | 3 | ||
| MA听231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| MA听241 | Calculus II | 4 | |
| NR听300 | Natural Resource Measurements | 4 | |
| ST听312 | Introduction to Statistics II | 3 |
Physical Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH听201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 | |
| CH听202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| CH听223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 | |
| MEA听100 | Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections | 4 | |
| MEA听130 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 | |
| MEA听200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA听210 | Oceanography Lab | 1 | |
| MEA听220 | Marine Biology | 3 | |
| MEA听250 | Introduction to Coastal Environments | 3 | |
| MEA听323 | Geochemistry of Natural Waters | 3 | |
| PY听212 | College Physics II | 4 |
Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARE听309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| FOR听472 | Forest Soils | 4 | |
| NR听460 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| NR听560 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| PS听320 | U.S. Environmental Law and Politics | 3 | |
| PS听336 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
Conservation Biology Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC听761 | Conservation and Climate Science | 3 | |
| FW听403 | Urban Wildlife Management | 3 | |
| FW听460 | International Wildlife Management and Conservation | 3 | |
| FW听560 | International Wildlife Management and Conservation | 3 | |
| NR听406 | Conservation of Biological Diversity | 3 |
Fisheries & Wildlife Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC听420 | Introduction to Fisheries Science | 3 | |
| AEC听441 | Biology of Fishes | 3 | |
| AEC听501 | Avian Ecology | 4 | |
| FW听444 | Mammalogy | 3 | |
| FW听453 | Principles of Wildlife Science | 4 | |
| FW听544 | Mammalogy | 3 | |
| ZO听410 | Introduction to Animal Behavior | 3 | |
| ZO听542 | Herpetology | 3 |
Technical Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC听419 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| AEC听519 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| ENT听201 | Insects and People | 3 | |
| ENT听402 | Forest Entomology | 3 | |
| ENT听425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| FOR听252 | Introduction to Forest Science | 3 | |
| FOR听304 | Theory of Silviculture | 4 | |
| FOR听402 | Forest Entomology | 3 | |
| FW听403 | Urban Wildlife Management | 3 | |
| FW听404 | Wildlife Habitat Management | 3 | |
| FW听465 | African Ecology and Conservation | 4 | |
| FW听565 | African Ecology and Conservation | 4 | |
| SSC听200 | Soil Science | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
Critical Path Courses 鈥� Identify using the code (CP) which courses are considered critical path courses which represent specific major requirements that are predictive of student success in a given program/plan. Place the (CP) next to the credit hours for the course.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| 贰狈痴听100 &听贰狈痴听101 | Student Success in Environmental First Year and Exploring the Environment | 3 |
| 贰狈骋听101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| 惭础听131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| 叠滨翱听181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| 颁贬听101 &听颁贬听102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| 叠滨翱听183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| 颁翱惭听110 or COM听112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Plant Elective | 3 | |
| FW听221 | Conservation of Natural Resources (CP) | 3 |
| PY听131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| FOR听172 | Forest System Mapping and Mensuration I | 2 |
| Physical Science Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Economics Elective | 3 | |
| Ecology Elective (CP) | 4 | |
| GEP Additional Breadth (Humanities/Social Sciences/Visual and Performing Arts) | 3 | |
| Quantitative Elective | 3 | |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Summer | ||
| FW听311 | Piedmont Wildlife Ecology and Management | 3 |
| FW听312 | Fisheries Techniques and Management | 1 |
| FW听313 | Mountain Wildlife Ecology and Management | 1 |
| FW听314 | Coastal Ecology and Management | 1 |
| 听 | Hours | 6 |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GIS听280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
| FW听333 | Conservation Biology in Practice (CP) | 3 |
| ST听311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| FW听353 | Wildlife Management | 3 |
| GN听301 or GN听311 | Genetics in Human Affairs or Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 15 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 听 | |
| Introductory Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I Lab | 听 | |
| FW听373 | Vertebrate Natural History (CP) | 3 |
| FW听411 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries (CP) | 3 |
| ENG听333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| 听 | Hours | 16 |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Fish & Wildlife Elective | 3 | |
| Policy Elective | 3 | |
| ENT听201 | Insects and People (GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives) | 3 |
| FW听415 | Professional Development in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | 1 |
| 听 | Hours | 13 |
| Spring Semester | ||
| FW听453 or AEC听420 | Principles of Wildlife Science (CP) or Introduction to Fisheries Science | 3-4 |
| Conservation Biol Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 6 | |
| 听 | Hours | 12 |
| 听 | Total Hours | 120 |
| 1 | A grade of C- or better is required. |
| 2 | Can be met by summer camp (courses listed in adjacent block), a combination of internship and/or study abroad, or other courses that provide hands-on conservation biology experience. |
Career Opportunities
Graduates are prepared for graduate school and entry-level professional positions in state and federal government agencies, non-profit organizations and private industry. Upon graduation, students are qualified to seek certification from The Wildlife Society or the American Fisheries Society.