Wildlife Management
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Types of Degrees Wildlife Management Majors Are Getting
The following table lists how many wildlife management graduations there were in 2018-2019 for each degree level.
| Education Level | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Master’s Degree | 175 |
| Doctor’s Degree | 44 |
| Graduate Certificate | 21 |
What Wildlife Management Majors Need to Know
O*NET surveyed people in occupations related to wildlife and asked them what knowledge areas, skills, and abilities were important for their jobs. The responses were rated on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being most important.
Knowledge Areas for Wildlife Majors
This major prepares you for careers in which these knowledge areas are important:
- Biology - Knowledge of plant and animal organisms, their tissues, cells, functions, interdependencies, and interactions with each other and the environment.
- English Language - Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar.
- Customer and Personal Service - Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction.
- Geography - Knowledge of principles and methods for describing the features of land, sea, and air masses, including their physical characteristics, locations, interrelationships, and distribution of plant, animal, and human life.
- Law and Government - Knowledge of laws, legal codes, court procedures, precedents, government regulations, executive orders, agency rules, and the democratic political process.
Skills for Wildlife Majors
When studying wildlife, you’ll learn many skills that will help you be successful in a wide range of jobs - even those that do not require a degree in the field. The following is a list of some of the most common skills needed for careers associated with this major:
- Active Listening - Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.
- Speaking - Talking to others to convey information effectively.
- Reading Comprehension - Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents.
- Critical Thinking - Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.
- Writing - Communicating effectively in writing as appropriate for the needs of the audience.
Abilities for Wildlife Majors
Wildlife majors often go into careers where the following abilities are vital:
- Oral Expression - The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand.
- Oral Comprehension - The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences.
- Written Comprehension - The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing.
- Problem Sensitivity - The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem.
- Speech Clarity - The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you.
What Can You Do With a Wildlife Management Major?
People with a wildlife degree often go into the following careers:
| Job Title | Job Growth Rate | Median Salary |
|---|---|---|
| Forestry & Conservation Science Professors | 4.5% | $86,900 |
| Park Naturalists | 6.3% | $61,310 |
| Range Managers | 6.3% | $61,310 |
| Soil and Water Conservationists | 6.3% | $61,310 |
| Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists | 7.7% | $63,420 |
Who Is Getting a Master’s Degree in Wildlife Management?
Racial-Ethnic Diversity
At the countrywide level, the racial-ethnic distribution of wildlife majors is as follows:
| Race/Ethnicity | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Asian | 1 |
| Black or African American | 0 |
| Hispanic or Latino | 9 |
| White | 142 |
| International Students | 10 |
| Other Races/Ethnicities | 13 |
Geographic Diversity
Americans aren’t the only ones with an interest in Wildlife. About 5.7% of those with this major are international students. The most popular countries for students from outside the country are:
- China
- Canada
- India
- Japan
- Colombia
How Much Do Wildlife Management Majors Make?
Salaries According to BLS
Average salaries range from $59,260 to $67,760 (25th to 75th percentile) for careers related to wildlife. This range includes all degree levels, so the salary for a person with just a bachelor’s degree may be a little less and the one for a person with an advanced degree may be a little more.
To put that into context, according to BLS data from the first quarter of 2020, the typical high school graduate makes between $30,000 and $57,900 a year (25th through 75th percentile). The average person with a bachelor’s degree (any field) makes between $45,600 and $99,000. Advanced degree holders make the most with salaries between $55,600 and $125,400.
Amount of Education Required for Careers Related to Wildlife Management
Some degrees associated with wildlife may require an advanced degree, while others may not even require a bachelor’s in the field. Whatever the case may be, pursuing more education usually means that more career options will be available to you.
How much schooling do you really need to compete in today’s job market? People currently working in careers related to wildlife have obtained the following education levels.
| Education Level | Percentage of Workers |
|---|---|
| High School Diploma - or the equivalent (for example, GED) | 2.7% |
| Post-Secondary Certificate - awarded for training completed after high school (for example, in agriculture or natural resources, computer services, personal or culinary services, engineering technologies, healthcare, construction trades, mechanic and repair technologies, or precision production) | 0.7% |
| Some College Courses | 2.4% |
| Associate’s Degree (or other 2-year degree) | 3.1% |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 51.2% |
| Post-Baccalaureate Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Baccalaureate degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees carrying the title of Master. | 1.2% |
| Master’s Degree | 12.5% |
| Post-Master’s Certificate - awarded for completion of an organized program of study; designed for people who have completed a Master’s degree but do not meet the requirements of academic degrees at the doctoral level. | 1.1% |
| Doctoral Degree | 18.6% |
| Post-Doctoral Training | 7.3% |
Online Wildlife Management Programs
In 2018-2019, 98 schools offered a wildlife program of some type. The following table lists the number of programs by degree level, along with how many schools offered online courses in the field.
| Degree Level | Colleges Offering Programs | Colleges Offering Online Classes |
|---|---|---|
| Certificate (Less Than 1 Year) | 12 | 1 |
| Certificate (1-2 years) | 2 | 0 |
| Certificate (2-4 Years) | 0 | 0 |
| Associate’s Degree | 25 | 2 |
| Bachelor’s Degree | 2 | 1 |
| Post-Baccalaureate | 12 | 1 |
| Master’s Degree | 24 | 2 |
| Post-Master’s | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Research) | 15 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Professional Practice) | 0 | 0 |
| Doctor’s Degree (Other) | 0 | 0 |
Is a Degree in Wildlife Management Worth It?
The median salary for a wildlife grad is $65,320 per year. This is based on the weighted average of the most common careers associated with the major.
This is 64% more than the average salary for an individual holding a high school degree. This adds up to a gain of about $508,400 after 20 years!
Top Ranking Lists for Wildlife Management
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Majors Related to Wildlife Management
You may also be interested in one of the following majors related to wildlife.
| Major | Number of Grads |
|---|---|
| Natural Resources Conservation | 3,526 |
| Natural Resource Management | 1,059 |
| Forestry | 540 |
| Fisheries Sciences | 101 |
| Natural Resources Conservation (Other) | 25 |
References
*The racial-ethnic minorities count is calculated by taking the total number of students and subtracting white students, international students, and students whose race/ethnicity was unknown. This number is then divided by the total number of students at the school to obtain the racial-ethnic minorities percentage.
- College Factual
- College Scorecard
- National Center for Education Statistics
- O*NET Online
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics
- Usual Weekly Earnings of Wage and Salary Workers First Quarter 2020
- Image Credit: By Nicholas A. Tonelli under License
More about our data sources and methodologies.
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