# Wildlife Biologist?



## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

Ok lately ive been thinking about becoming a wildlife biologist after this school year. Where are some good schools to go to to become one? And what kind of a degree do you have to get to become one? Thanks -Matt


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## Quackkills9 (Oct 25, 2004)

I think NDSU has a program or something, not sure.. wait until infos come around. :-?


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## diver_sniper (Sep 6, 2004)

ndscs in whapeton offers a two year wildlife managment course, you end up having to transfer after the two years though. ive been thinking about it for myself, maybe ill see ya there.


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## tsodak (Sep 7, 2002)

There are some big name schools out there, but you would be amazed at the number of ND professional biologists who went to SDSU. The research program gathers top faculty and does cutting edge research. I wish NDSU had the same type setupfor research here in ND.

I would strongly recommend not doing a two year and switch thing. The recruiters tell you about the 60% that transfer over just fine, but if you are one of the ones that doesn't, and I have met a few, you can waste a year of your life really fast.

U of I on Moscow Idaho, Syracuse, the dreaded Stevens Point in WI, among a great many others. Be aware though, if you are looking to do research or something a masters os going to be mandatory. Otherwise get some internship time in starting right away. Don't think you are going to make big money working road construction in the summers and then get hired after college. Almost all people who transition smoothly start in there jobs as sophmores wiht an intership or the equivalent in this field.

Any other questions ask away.

Good Luck!!!


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## The Dak (Nov 23, 2003)

There is a long list of pretty well known wildlife/waterfowl biologists that list UND as their almamater.

Other good ones are SDSU, University of Southern Illinois, U of Guelph-Ontario (Long Point studies), Stevens Point-WI.

Be critical of the program you wish to enter as most professionals recognize mickey-mouse educations when they see them!

Above all, Tom is right. Jump in with both feet and plan to do difficult work for little pay. Those first few years tend to 'help' people decide whether they really want to be a wildlife professional or an armchair biologist.


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## dleier (Aug 28, 2002)

tsodak said:


> There are some big name schools out there, but you would be amazed at the number of ND professional biologists who went to SDSU. The research program gathers top faculty and does cutting edge research. I wish NDSU had the same type setupfor research here in ND.
> 
> I would strongly recommend not doing a two year and switch thing. The recruiters tell you about the 60% that transfer over just fine, but if you are one of the ones that doesn't, and I have met a few, you can waste a year of your life really fast.
> 
> ...


Another one of those situations where you can ask one question and get a million differing responses. I'm not going to tell ya what to do, rather tell you what I did.

First year at NDSU Fargo.
Years 2, and first semester of 3rd at NDSU Bottineua then back to Fargo to finish out. But every summer beginning after HS grad. I worked temporary jobs---pay?----first summer was a VOLUNTEER for $10/day. Working full day's bustin' my hump. And yes I'm not the only one. Many of my friends and co-workers did same.

Here's what I liked about Bottineau and I'll underscore what Tsodak said about transferring: 
Before I went to MSU I checked with NDSU to find out what would/would not transfer. I went to MSU and was able to get some great field experience during class work(Al Aufforth has funneled 100s/1000s? of wildlife professionals through Bottineau. Game Wardens, Fisheries biologists, outreach biologists and Fish and Wildlife Service personell) but I can' stress enough the need to know B4 about which courses will/will not transfer. Even with that I still ended up re-taking Chem 101 my final semester at NDSU....but that's another story....good luck.


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## tfrerichs (Nov 25, 2005)

You are smart to be thinking of this early. It is a difficult career to obtain and requires that you have a persistent mind set to get a good job. And if you do, that good job likely won't be your first one. For example, I started with 115 freshman and only abut 15 stuck with it to graduate with a degree. Most dropped out once they realized how tough it was to get a job, not that the classes were so hard. I worked in the field 4+ years in temporary status after graduating, plus every summer while in school and didn't get a job with fair pay until after 8+ years out of school.

Others have listed some good schools, however I'm biased towards SDSU as that is where I attended. Degree is Wildlife and Fisheries Science. Other schools call it something different like Wildlife Biology or Biology (with a wildlife option). More and more these days, the people that are getting the good jobs have a masters degree. It definitely helps, but isn't required. There are lots of agencies and different types of positions you would quality for with the degree. After you learn more about the agencies an jobs, I recommend you pick one and work as much as you can for that agency to get yourself known for the qualities you can bring to a job. If you choose to get a masters, focus on a specific area (fisheries, waterfowl, big game, habitat, etc.) with a good research project.

All this and what others have said is good advice, however, the best advice I can give you is be persistent, and work hard. Most anyone can learn anything given enough time, however, you can't teach someone to have a good work ethic, get along with others, and generally be a good person. If you have that and are willing to put in your time without making very much money, you'll land that dream job some day.

Good Luck!


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

Matt: I would suggest NDSU, SDSU, or UND if you want to stay around this area.

I would also suggest you get some temporary employment (summer or weekend work) with a wildlife agency as soon as possible. this is a very competitive job market and you need some experience BEFORE you get out of college.

Many of the refuges or state game and fish offices offer summer employment so I would be contacting them now to see about this coming summer work.

If you can't find work now, think about volunteering at a local or regional wildlife office. I volunteered in the Bismarck Game and Fish office for a entire semester before going to my summer job with a national wildlife refuge.

If you need more information, please PM me.


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## gandergrinder (Mar 10, 2002)

If you want to work in the biology field listen to what these guys have to say. You need the experience but your going to damn near starve to get it done.

I went a little different direction and have a masters in Natural Resource Management with an emphasis in Social Science (Economics). When I was in grad school I worked on all kinds of research projects for the Game and Fish and the USFWS but they were more related to policy. I worked on research to find the economic value of Lake Sakakawea and Devils Lake. When I first started we did research to find the most economical way to deliver the USFWS easement program.

If you want to work out in the field with the fish, bugs, birds etc. this is not the direction you want to take. But as far as pay and jobs this is a much better direction, although it is still difficult to get in. I went to grad school for free and got paid to boot. If you want to go this direction a masters is the minimum. I'm already thinking about a Phd. Grad school is no picnic.

If you like business, natural resources, politics, this is the direction you want to take. If you don't like controversy I would say stay out of this arena.

If you want to go to NDSU for anything in Natural Resources. Send me a PM and I will answer any questions you have and if you want to come up and visit campus I will show you around and introduce you to the people you need to know (I work for NDSU full-time now).

Good luck. The fun has just started.


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## always_outdoors (Dec 17, 2002)

tfrerichs and gandergrinder have said it all. MASTERS DEGREE. I forgot to add that. I think it is must in this field nowadays plus the summer jobs with the agencies and volunteering as well.

gg: I am an NDSU grad as well. Probably had some classes together.


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## mallardhunter (May 15, 2004)

Thanks guys, Im thinking about driving up to Sand Lake in a week or 2 to talk to some of those people at the refuge.


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## njsimonson (Sep 24, 2002)

VCSU has just started a 4-year wildlife biology program. For more info visit www.vcsu.edu.

I would recommend a double major of some sort too. Either in the sciences or business. Nowadays it is possible to overlap many classes in four years to graduate with dual degrees, and a business degree is good to have as an aside.


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## bioman (Mar 1, 2002)

I went to undergrad at U. of North Dakota and it has an exceptional program. If you are really into waterfowl and want to pursue a career, you absolutely, positively have to obtain a Masters Degree. Also, get any experience you can even if it means at no pay. Experience and connections go a long way to finding a job. Also, ND provides unlimited abilities to design a graduate study due to the numbers of ducks and the uniqueness of the prairie pothole ecosystem. Lastly, the USGS - Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center is located in Jamestown. The *best *and *brightest *waterfowl researchers in the world work out of this area and have contributed 100's of publications towards the science of waterfowl.

Feel free to send me a PM if you want to discuss further.


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