Master of Science - Wildlife Biology

Degree Specific Credits: 30-36 (professional paper option: 30 credits; thesis option: 30 credits; non-thesis option: 36 credits)

Required Cumulative GPA: 3.0

Requirements

• At least 30 graduate semester credits. The only required course for all Masters students is two semesters of WILD 594. Other courses are to be determined by the student, his/her faculty advisor, and graduate committee. The program limits course requirements to allow students to maximize the relevance of their degree coursework to their personal research interests.
• At least 20 credits in coursework (not including thesis or research credits), with at least half (minimum 10 credits) of the 20 coursework credits at the 500-level or above. 400-level courses used to fulfil this requirement must include a “graduate increment”.
• The Master's of Science requires the demonstration of distinguished scholarship in a thesis based on original and creative work. It is not granted merely as a certificate of faithful performance of a prescribed program of studies and research. This degree is designed to provide an opportunity for students to receive specialized education in fish and wildlife ecology. It involves investigation and analysis of scientific, technical or managerial subjects.
• A thesis or professional paper:
  • For the Thesis option (30 credit requirement), no more than 10 of the credits can be research/thesis credits.  Of the remaining 20 course credits, at least half must be at the 500-level or above. The thesis option includes:
    • Research Statement – a short written description of preliminary research ideas.
    • Research Proposal – a formal research proposal presenting the conceptual and empirical framework of the research.
    • Defense – written thesis, seminar, and defense.
  • For the professional paper option (30 credit requirement), no more than 10 of the credits can be research/thesis credits.  Of the remaining 20 course credits, at least half must be at the 500-level or above. The professional paper option includes:
    • Objective Statement – a short written description of preliminary research ideas.
    • Project Proposal – a formal project proposal presenting the conceptual and empirical framework of the professional paper.
    • Professional Paper – written paper, seminar, and defense
• For the Non-Thesis option (36 credit requirement), no more than 7 of the credits can be professional paper credits. Of the remaining 29 course credits, at least half must be at the 500 level or above.