Wildlife Biology B.S. - Terrestrial
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Biology; Terrestrial Concentration
- This major requires a minimum GPA of 2.5.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Major Required Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 160 | Principles of Living Systems | 3 |
| BIOB 161N | Principles of Living Systems Lab | 1 |
| BIOB 170N | Principles of Biological Diversity | 3 |
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| BIOE 370 | General Ecology | 3 |
| BIOE 371 | General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | 2 |
| WILD 180 | Careers in Wildlife Biology | 2 |
| WILD 245 | Wildlife Data, Inference, and Statistics | 4 |
| WILD 274 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife | 3 |
| WILD 398 | Internship (fulfills the Wildlife Biology Experiential Learning requirement. Alternatives are possible. See the Wildlife Biology Advisor.) | 2 |
| WILD 410 | Wildlife Policy | 3 |
| or NRSM 422 | Natural Resources Policy | |
| or NRSM 427 | Water Policy | |
| or NRSM 428 | Climate Policy | |
| WILD 494 | Senior Wildlife Seminar | 1 |
| Major Required Courses - Terrestrial Concentration | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOO 470 | Ornithology | 4 |
| or BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | |
| NRSM 360 | Rangeland Management | 3 |
| or FORS 347 | Multiple Resource Silviculture | |
| WILD 270 | Wildlife Techniques | 3 |
| WILD 370 | Wildlife Habitat Conservation & Management | 4 |
| WILD 470 | Conservation of Wildlife Populations | 4 |
| Complete two of the following courses in Advanced Topics in Applied Ecology and Conservation: | 6-8 | |
| Comparative Animal Physiology | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Behavior & Evolution | ||
| Terrestrial Plant Ecology | ||
| Ecology of Infectious Diseases | ||
| Rocky Mountain Flora | ||
| Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions | ||
| Rangeland Ecology | ||
| Recreation Behavior | ||
| Wildlife Physiological Ecology | ||
| The Upshot--Applied Wildlife Management | ||
| Outside Major Required Courses | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| COMX 111A | Introduction to Public Speaking | 3 |
| M 162 | Applied Calculus | 4 |
| or M 171 | Calculus I | |
| Complete one of the following sequences of Introductory Physical Science: | 3-5 | |
| Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry | ||
| Earth Systems Science and Earth Systems Science Lab | ||
| Intro to Physical Geography: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation and Intro to Physical Geography Laboratory: Climate, Landforms, and Vegetation Lab | ||
| Soils and Water and Ecology, Physics and Taxonomy of Soils | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| Writing in the Disciplines Requirement | ||
| To complete the Writing in the Disciplines Requirement, Wildlife Biology students are required to take three partial writing courses to meet the distributed Writing in the Disciplines requirement. | ||
| The following are required in the Terrestrial Concentration: | ||
| General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | ||
| Ornithology | ||
or BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | |
| Conservation of Wildlife Populations | ||
| The following courses are additional options that can be used to fulfill the Writing in the Disciplines Requirement: | ||
| Phylogenetics and Evolution | ||
| Field Ecology | ||
| Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | ||
| Biology and Management of Fishes | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Forest Ecology | ||
| Timber Harvesting & Roads | ||
| Practice of Silviculture | ||
| Forest Stand Management | ||
| Climate Change Ethics and Policy | ||
| Collaborations in Natural Resource Decisions | ||
| Rangeland Ecology | ||
| Environment & International Development | ||
| Recreation Behavior | ||
| Tourism & Sustainability | ||
| Wilderness & Protected Area Management | ||
| Wildlife Policy | ||
| Conservation of Wildlife Populations | ||
| Conservation of Fish Populations | ||
| Undergraduate Thesis | ||
| Total Hours | 69-73 | |
Four Year Plan
| Freshman | ||
|---|---|---|
| Autumn | Hours | |
| BIOB 160 & BIOB 161N |
Principles of Living Systems and Principles of Living Systems Lab |
4 |
| CHMY 121N | Introduction to General Chemistry | 4 |
| WRIT 101 or COMX 111A |
College Writing I or Introduction to Public Speaking |
3-4 |
| WILD 180 | Careers in Wildlife Biology | 2 |
| Electives/General Education | 3 | |
| Hours | 16-17 | |
| Spring | ||
| M 162 or M 171 |
Applied Calculus or Calculus I |
4 |
| BIOB 170N | Principles of Biological Diversity | 3 |
| COMX 111A or WRIT 101 |
Introduction to Public Speaking or College Writing I |
3-4 |
| Electives/General Education | 5 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Sophomore | ||
| Autumn | ||
| WILD 245 | Wildlife Data, Inference, and Statistics | 4 |
| WILD 270 | Wildlife Techniques | 3 |
| Introductory Physical Science Sequence | 3-5 | |
| Electives/General Education | 5-6 | |
| Hours | 15-18 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| WILD 274 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife | 3 |
| Writing Across Curriculum Course | 3 | |
| Electives/General Education | 5 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Junior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| BIOE 370 & BIOE 371 |
General Ecology and General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) |
5 |
| NRSM 360 or FORS 347 |
Rangeland Management or Multiple Resource Silviculture |
3 |
| BIOO 475 or BIOO 470 |
Mammalogy or Ornithology |
4 |
| Experiential Learning | 2 | |
| Electives/General Education | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring | ||
| NRSM 422 |
Natural Resources Policy or Wildlife Policy or Water Policy or Climate Policy |
3 |
| Adv Topics in Applied Ecology and Conservation | 3-4 | |
| Electives/General Education | 9 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Senior | ||
| Autumn | ||
| WILD 370 | Wildlife Habitat Conservation & Management | 4 |
| Adv Topics in Applied Ecology and Conservation | 3-4 | |
| Electives/General Education | 8 | |
| Hours | 15-16 | |
| Spring | ||
| WILD 470 | Conservation of Wildlife Populations | 4 |
| WILD 494 | Senior Wildlife Seminar | 1 |
| Electives/General Education | 10 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 121-128 | |
Last updated Autumn 2026
- 1
CHMY 123, NRSM 211N/212N, ERTH 101N/103N, GPHY 111N/112N, PHSX 205N/206N
- 2
WILD 480, BIOB 480, BIOB 486, BIOM 460, NRSM 379, PTRM 300, BIOO 335, WILD 346, BIOE 435, BIOE 406, NRSM 462, BIOE 448, BIOE 428