Terrestrial Wildlife Biology

This is an archived copy of the 2017-2018 catalog. To access the most recent version of the catalog, please visit http://catalog.umt.edu/.

Chad Bishop, Wildlife Biology, Director

The Wildlife Biology Program combines the best features of a liberal arts curriculum with scientific preparation in wildlife conservation. The Program provides students with an extensive knowledge in ecology, population biology, conservation biology, and critical thinking and quantitative skills. Our students receive a strong academic and scientific background with an emphasis on hands-on, experiential learning. The educational requirements for certification by The Wildlife Society can be met within the framework of the undergraduate program.

While some employment opportunities exist in wildlife conservation for students with the baccalaureate degree, we encourage students to continue their education through the master's degree to qualify for most state, federal, and private positions.

Two concentrations are offered in the Wildlife Biology Program: terrestrial and aquatic. They both follow the same schedule of courses for the freshman and most of the sophomore year and then pursue different curricula for the last two years. Each leads to a B.S. in Wildlife Biology. The University is well-suited for instruction in wildlife biology because of the excellent opportunities for field instruction and research at Lubrecht Experimental Forest, Flathead Lake Biological Station, and the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial and Bandy ranches. The Montana Forest and Conservation Experiment Station, the Division of Biological Sciences, and the Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit facilitate research.

High School Preparation: In addition to general University admission requirements, the student should elect four years of mathematics and three years of science, including biology, chemistry and physics.

Wildlife Biology Honors - Track

The honors curriculum is designed particularly for students with strong academic records who intend to do graduate work. Entrance into this emphasis is open only to students who, at the beginning of the junior year of the wildlife biology program, have a grade-point average of 3.5 or above and who petition the faculty for entrance.

Honors students must complete either WILD 370, WILD 470 and WILD 494 (terrestrial option) or BIOO 340, BIOE 428 and WILD 494WILD 499

All students in the honors emphasis are required to meet with their faculty advisor prior to autumn semester registration of their junior and senior years to work out their course schedules.

Bachelor of Science - Wildlife Biology; Terrestrial Concentration

W.A Franke College of Forestry & Conservation

Degree Specific Credits: 74

Required Cumulative GPA: 2.5

Catalog Year: 2017-2018

Note: Experiential Learning is required - Students have several options to fulfill this requirement - list is available from the Wildlife Advisor in Forestry 103C.

General Education Requirements

Information regarding these requirements can be found in the General Education Section of the catalog. 

Summary

Major Required Courses17
Outside Major Required Courses21-22
Major Required Courses35
Writing Requirement12-18
Mathematics Requirement4
Exception to the Modern/Classical Languages Requirement8
Expressive Arts3
Natural Sciences Requirement12
Total Hours112-119

Major Required Courses

Rule: Must take all courses

Note: Can take WRIT 325 (Honors) OR WRIT 201 in place of NRSM 200

BIOB 160NPrinciples of Living Systems3
BIOB 161NPrncpls of Living Systems Lab1
BIOB 260Cellular and Molecular Biology4
BIOB 272Genetics and Evolution4
Select one of the following:3
NRSM 200
Nat.Resource Professional Wrtg
WRIT 325
Science Writing (honors)
WRIT 201
College Writing II
WILD 180Careers in Wildlife Biology2
Total Hours17
Minimum Required Grade: C-

Outside Major Required Courses

Rule: Must take all courses

CHMY 121NIntroduction to General Chemistry3
CHMY 123Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry3
CHMY 124Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab2
COMX 111AIntro to Public Speaking3
M 162Applied Calculus4
STAT 216Introduction to Statistics3-4
or WILD 240 Intro to Biostatistics
WRIT 101College Writing I3
Total Hours21-22

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Major Required Courses

Rule: Must take all courses

BIOE 370General Ecology3
BIOE 371Gen Ecology Lab (equiv to 271)2
BIOO 335Rocky Mountain Flora3
Select two of the following:8
BIOO 340
Biology and Mgmnt of Fishes
BIOO 470
Ornithology
BIOO 475
Mammalogy
NRSM 360Rangeland Mgt (equiv 260)3
or FORS 347 Multiple Resource Silviculture
WILD 346Wildlife Physiological Ecology3
WILD 370Wildlife Habitat Cons & Mgmt4
WILD 410Wildlife Policy & Biopolitics3
or NRSM 422 Nat Res Policy/Administration
WILD 470Conserv of Wildlife Populatns4
WILD 480The Upshot--Appld Wildlife Mgt3
WILD 494Senior Wildlife Seminar1
Total Hours37

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Writing Requirement

Rule: Must complete the following subcategories

12-18 Total Credits Required

Lower Division Writing

Rule: Complete all of the following courses

WRIT 101College Writing I3
Select one of the following:3
NRSM 200
Nat.Resource Professional Wrtg
WRIT 325
Science Writing
WRIT 201
College Writing II
Total Hours6

Minimum Required Grade: C-

Upper Division Writing

Rule: Complete BIOE 371 and TWO of the other courses

BIOE 371Gen Ecology Lab (equiv to 271)2
Select two of the following:4-10
BIOE 428
Freshwater Ecology
BIOO 320
General Botany
BIOO 470
Ornithology
BIOO 475
Mammalogy
WILD 408
Advanced Fisheries
WILD 470
Conserv of Wildlife Populatns
WILD 499
Thesis
Total Hours6-12

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Mathematics Requirement

Rule: must take the following course

M 162Applied Calculus4
Total Hours4

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Exception to the Modern/Classical Languages Requirement

Rule: The Wildlife Biology major has been granted an exception to the Modern/Classical Language Requirement. Must take one of the following courses to will satisfy this requirement. 

Select one of the following:3-4
M 162
Applied Calculus
STAT 216
Introduction to Statistics
WILD 240
Intro to Biostatistics
Total Hours3-4

Minimum Required Grade: C- 


Expressive Arts

Rule: must take the following course

COMX 111AIntro to Public Speaking3
Total Hours3

Minimum Required Grade: C-


Natural Sciences Requirement

Rule: Must take all courses

BIOB 160NPrinciples of Living Systems3
BIOB 161NPrncpls of Living Systems Lab1
CHMY 121NIntroduction to General Chemistry3
CHMY 123Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry3
CHMY 124Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab2
Total Hours12

Minimum Required Grade: C-