The Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program prepares students for careers as biologists, managers, planners, communicators, and researchers in natural resource management. Students develop necessary skills and training in wildlife and fisheries biology, natural resource management, data collection and analysis, written and oral communication, and other related areas. The Wildlife and Fisheries Resources Program at WVU has a tradition of excellence. A US Fish and Wildlife Service Cooperative Research Unit is housed within the program, providing a federal contact for employment opportunities, including summer positions. Active master’s and doctoral degree programs give students contact with ongoing wildlife and fisheries research. Many undergraduates studying the curriculum choose to enter a graduate program after finishing the bachelor of science degree. The student chapter of the Wildlife and Fisheries Society provides social and educational benefits to students and brings them together with people who are already established in the field. Majors in the Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences Agribusiness Management & Rural Development B Agricultural & Extension Education B, M Agricultural & Resource Economics M Agriculture Education M Agriculture, Forestry, & Consumer Sciences M Agronomy B, M Animal & Food Sciences D Animal & Veterinary Sciences B, M Basic Sciences B Biochemistry B Child Development & Family Studies B, M Entomology M Environmental Microbiology M Environmental & Natural Resource Economics B Environmental Protection B Family & Consumer Sciences M Forest Resources Management B Forest Resources Science D Forestry M Genetics & Developmental Biology M, D Horticulture B, M Human Nutrition & Foods B Interior Design B Landscape Architecture B Natural Resource Economics D Plant Pathology M Plant & Soil Sciences D Recreation, Parks, & Tourism Resources B, M Reproductive Physiology M, D Textiles, Apparel & Merchandising B Wildlife & Fisheries Resources B, M Wood Science & Technology B B = Bachelor's; M = Master's; D = Doctorate For more information, contact Kyle Hartman at 304-293-2941, Kyle.Hartman@mail.wvu.edu or visit the Web site at: www.forestry.caf.wvu.edu/ wvu%5Fwildlife/

The WVU Davis College of Agriculture, Forestry and Consumer Sciences
The Davis College has 18 undergraduate major fields of study that are divided into five academic divisions: Animal and Veterinary Sciences; Family and Consumer Sciences; Forestry; Plant and Soil Sciences; and Resource Management. The excellent instructional facilities of the Davis College offer many learning opportunities. The Agricultural Sciences Building contains most offices, classrooms, and laboratories for agricultural programs. Percival Hall houses the Division of Forestry’s offices, classrooms, and laboratories, including the wood processing facilities. In Allen Hall, Family and Consumer Science classes are held, and the laboratory nursery school is located on the Evansdale Campus. Maintaining eight farms, two campus greenhouses, and more than 8,000 acres of forest land for teaching and research, the Davis College offers students a variety of educational opportunities with hands-on experiences.

Students in the Davis College are offered fields of study that complement various careers. The study of ecology is interwoven throughout courses to offer students the education necessary for careers emphasizing the protection of environmental quality and the management, utilization, and conservation of our soil, water, forests, wildlife, domestic animals, food, and fiber.

Admission
Students who meet University admission requirements may be accepted directly into the Davis College as Wildlife and Fisheries Resources majors. Students enroll in Introductory Wildlife Management (WMAN 150) during their first semester and Science and Management of Natural Resources (WMAN 175) during their second semester. In order to enroll in any required upper-level (> 300 level) Wildlife and Fisheries courses, students must complete eight credit hours of introductory biology, eight credit hours of introductory chemistry, six credit hours of introductory mathematics, and English 101 with a grade of C or better.

Curriculum
All majors must complete 136 credit hours to earn a bachelor of science degree. To complement their area of specialization, students are allowed to take a number of restricted and free electives that enable them to concentrate in related natural resource areas and to have the opportunity to enhance career goals.

Two options of study are offered within the curriculum: Wildlife and Fisheries Science, oriented toward research, and Wildlife and Fisheries Management, directed toward land management. Others may be tailored to any student’s personal objectives.

Course Work

Accreditation
West Virginia University is fully accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.

Career Opportunities
The 1990s were an important decade for the growth of this industry. Career opportunities are varied and include work for state and federal natural resources agencies, environmental consulting, and work in the private sector.

Graduate School Opportunities
A graduate degree provides advancement within state/federal agencies. Federal agencies that employ fisheries personnel are the Forest Service, the National Parks Service, the Bureau of Outdoor Recreation, and the Environmental Protection Agency.

Salary Range
Earnings vary with the size and scope of positions, as well as background education and skills. Workers in state or federal hatcheries who raise fish for release into the wild earn wages defined by a civil service scale. In 1994, the starting pay for fish culturists working for the federal government ranged from $19,407 for a GS-5 to $24,038 for a GS-7. Salaries for fish culturists in state agencies are somewhat lower than those in federal agencies. According to one source, the owner of a 100-acre fish farm can earn up to $30,000 a year.