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Curriculum

At a time when natural resources face ever increasing demands, Texas A&M University graduates are prepared to meet the challenges. The Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences (WFSC) is a national leader in programs for managing and conserving wildlife and fisheries resources.

Emphasis is placed on an ecological approach to the integrated management, development and conservation of natural resources. The academic program, combining a sound mixture of ecological theory and management principles, prepares students for a wide spectrum of career opportunities.

The department's outstanding faculty and staff include wildlife and fisheries ecologists, aquaculturists, conservation biologists and natural resource managers. Their programs are supported by expertise in community ecology, animal behavior, habitat management, physiology, aquatic ecology, bioenergetics, nutrition, genetics, and systems analysis and modeling.

WFSC majors will complete 125 hours of coursework to obtain the Bachelor of Science degree. Of these hours, 43 come from the University's Core Curriculum which acts to enrich and broaden the University's tradition of providing excellence through preparation in each student's academic major. Another 40 hours are required of all WFSC majors as part of the core curriculum of the WFSC department. These courses provide students with a solid scientific and ecological base for their chosen degree option. There are three degree options in the following areas: Aquatic Ecology, Wildlife Ecology & Conservation, and Vertebrate Zoology. In addition, students are able to choose from a variety of emphasis areas that will allow them to customize their program for a specific area of interest. Students choose an option & emphasis area at the end of their sophomore year in consultation with their advisor. The option and emphasis include an additional 42 hours of course work. Students must always refer to the catalog under which they entered Texas A&M for their specific curriculum requirements. The curriculum listed in this site is taken from the 2007-2008 Catalog #130.

University Core Curriculum. These courses have been hand picked by the WFSC department to provide students with a solid foundation for the departmental core and degree option coursework.

WFSC Core Curriculum. WFSC requires a "core" of courses necessary for a sound education in the wildlife and fisheries conservation professions. Students in the Vertebrate Zoology option will need to follow the footnotes for additional requirements.

University Core Curriculum

Course	Hours
ENGL 104 Composition & Rhetoric	3
BIOL 111 Introductory Biology	4
BIOL 112 Introductory Biology II	4
MATH 131 Calculus	3
PHIL 240 Logic	3
POLS 206 American Government	3
POLS 207 State & Local Government	3
HIST 105 History of U.S.	3
HIST 106 History of U.S.	3
COMM 203 Public Speaking	3
Social Science Elective ²	3
KINE 198 Health & Fitness Activity	1
KINE 199 Physical Activity	1
Humanities Elective ^2	3
Visual & Performing Arts Elective ^2	3
Total	43

WFSC Core Curriculum

Course	Hours
CHEM 101 Fundamentals of Chemistry I	4
CHEM 222 Organic Chemistry ^1	3
CHEM 242 Lab ^1	1
ENGL 210 Technical Writing or ENGL 301 Technical Writing	3
GENE 301 Genetics	4
PHYS 201 Physics	4
RENR 205 Fundamentals of Ecology	3
RENR 215 Lab	1
STAT 302 Statistical Method	3
WFSC 101 Introduction to WFSC	1
WFSC 201 Wildlife & Conservation Management	3
WFSC 302 Natural History of the Vertebrates ^1	3
WFSC 416 Adaptational Biology³ Or VTPP 423 Biomedical Physiol. Or ZOOL 388 Animal Physiol.	4
Field Experience ^4	3
Total	40

Additional Requirements	Hours
International & Cultural Diversity ^2	3
International & Cultural Diversity ^2	3

¹ Students choosing the Vertebrate Zoology option must take CHEM 227/237 in place of CHEM 222/242.

² International and Cultural Diversity requirement may be met by selecting appropriate courses meeting other requirements such as History, Humanities, or Visual and Performing arts requirements. (see catalog for a list of appropriate classes)

³ Students choosing the Vertebrate Zoology option should choose VTPP 423 – Biomedical Physiology

⁴ Select from WFSC 300 (Field Studies), WFSC 484, (Internship), WFSC 485 (Directed Studies) or WFSC 491 (Research)

⁵ Texas A&M University requires students to have completed 3 years of the same foreign language in high school. If a student took 2 years of foreign language in high school, they will be required to take 8 hours (2 semesters) of foreign language in college.

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© Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences