Nov 02, 2024  
2023-2024 Catalog 
    
2023-2024 Catalog [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Wildlife Conservation, B.S.

Location(s): Main Campus


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Major Code: (23431)

School of Natural Sciences
College of Arts and Sciences
Kidd Math/Science Center
740-245-7397 office; 740-245-7172 fax

Mission Statement

Provide the fundamental educational background in wildlife and fish conservation and management to be sufficiently knowledgeable to secure employment as a professional with a natural resources-orientated agency, organization, or company or continue on to graduate school.

Program Design

The Rio Wildlife Conservation curriculum provides critical thinking skills, a solid academic background, and specific field and lab skills required for employment by either government or non-government agencies and organizations focused on management, monitoring, and/or research of wildlife and fish resources. Coupled with instilling an attitude of lifelong learning, these skills encourage the flexibility necessary for graduates to advance beyond entrylevel positions, and actively engage in management of wildlife and fisheries in the 21st century.

Earning the Wildlife Conservation degree can be accomplished in one of two ways: Pursue the full 4-year course requirement as a Rio Student or complete a Hocking College (HC) Associate of Applied Science degree in either Wildlife Management Resources or Fish Management and Aquaculture Science then transfer to Rio as a junior. The Rio Wildlife Conservation degree curriculum addresses theories, issues, and challenges in the context of both basic science and applied management as well as provide hands-on fieldorientated instruction.

Bachelor of Science Learning Outcomes

The successful student will be able to:

  • Interpret and apply information provided in technical and/or peer-reviews formats to address conservation issues.
  • Analyze and summarize natural resources/wildlife-oriented data sets using descriptive statistics and graphical formats.
  • Effectively communicate, in oral and written form, environmental and natural resources technical information.
  • Relate models, theories, and concepts to wildlife conservation challenges.

Certifications

The curriculum for the Wildlife Conservation program is designed to meet the educational requirements to earn Certified Associate Wildlife Biologist (CAWB) status awarded by The Wildlife Society. Elevation to the status of a Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB) is possible when one obtains at least 5 years of full-time professional experience within a 10-year period. Although not all employers require certification as a condition of employment, both CAWB and CWB certification conveys to employers than an individual has both fundamental educational and ethical standards essential for success as a natural resource professional.

Degree Requirements


First two years:


Option A: Complete at Rio


General Education must include: 39-40

Select one of the following two courses:


  • BIO 48803 - Selected Topics in Biology Semester Hours: 3
    OR
  • BIO 49903 - Directed Studies in Biology Semester Hours: 3

Upper Division BIO Electives


(Choose at least four)

*The below list are suggestions

Personal electives may include: 21-26


Total Major Hours: 68-72


Personal Elective Hours: 21-26


Total hours required for degree: 120


Note: To graduate, a grade of “C-” or better is required in all core and elective courses in the program.

Option B: Transfer from Hocking College:


Associate of Applied Science degree in Wildlife Management Resources or Fish Management and Aquaculture Sciences: 71

Remaining General Education required hours: 9-15 *

Hocking College transfer students

Hocking College transfer students must have taken HC ENGL 2123 English Composition II or HC ENGL 2225 Technical Writing. Otherwise, they are required to take URG ENG 11203 - Composition II .

Additionally, Hocking College transfer students must have taken HC CHM 131 Environmental Chemistry as one of their physical science classes, or they must take URG CHM 15005 - General Chemistry I .

If they have not taken HC BIOS 1120 Botany, URG BIO 28802 Special Topics: Fundamentals of Biology will also be required. If they have not taken HC WLM 2251 Biostatistics for Wildlife Management, URG MTH 21404 - Introductory Probability and Statistics  will be required.

Additional 100-200 level classes at Hocking to meet standards for Wildlife Certification: 0-9

Junior -Senior Course Requirements:

Minimum of 4 hours taking either:

  • BIO 48802-03 - Selected Topics in Biology Semester Hours: 2-3
  • BIO 49902-03 - Directed Studies in Biology Semester Hours: 2-3

Total required hours for degree: 122


* Students completing a Hocking College AAS Degree in Wildlife Management Resources or Fish Management and Aquaculture Sciences will have completed URG General Education Requirements in Communication, Math and Science, and partially completed Health and Social Science requirements. They will need to complete 0 - 2 semester hours of health, 9 semester hours of humanities, and 0-4 semester hours of social sciences.

Note: Hocking College transfer students must take HC CHM131 Environmental Chemistry as one of their physical science classes.

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