Students have many opportunities to obtain field experience while completing their degree. Students gain hands on experience through the many labs included in their curriculum. They have the opportunity to see what they have been learning actually put into practice through involvement with projects on campus or through field trips offered in several classes to areas around the state. Many students also participate in our study abroad programs to gain a broader perspective on wildlife, fish, conservation and ecology. Students gain very valuable experience when they apply the skills they have learned through internships.
Each year the department sponsors a trip to the island of Dominica in the Caribbean. An average of 18 students each year have traveled to Dominica during the first summer session. While there, they complete group projects as well as individual research projects. Time for touring and exploring the island is included in the itinerary. During the trip students are earning 9 hours of credit towards their degree.
Also during the first summer session each year, WFSC students have the opportunity to participate in a trip to South Africa. During this trip, students study eco-tourism while visiting Krueger National Park and several communities in South Africa. Students also receive 9 hours of credit while learning on this trip.
Many opportunities are available to travel around the world through Texas A&M University. The Study Abroad Programs office oversees trips sponsored by departments all over campus and has up to date lists of new programs and trips being offered. As their motto says, “Go Away” on a study abroad trip!
Field experience (an internship) is a requirement for several degree options and is recommended to all students. By completing an internship, students have the opportunity to use the skills they have learned in a real world environment. Not only are they applying the knowledge they have attained throughout their academic career, but they are gaining job experience including networking and “people skills”.
During the 2002-2003 academic year there were 117 registered internships completed. The locations and fields where students interned were limited only by their imagination and resourcefulness. The department maintains a list of internships that have been utilized by students in the past, but this is by no means a definitive or limiting list. Below are just a few examples of companies and organizations that students have completed internships with and the locations where students were working.
| Alaska Bird Observatory | Fairbanks, AK |
| Buffalo Ranch/A Sanctuary | Seguin, TX |
| Chnoke ranch | Galveston, TX |
| Cotton Mesa Trophy Elk Ranch | Southeastern Colorado |
| Cotulle Fish Hatchery LLC | Cotulle, TX |
| Eyes of Texas Wildlife Rescue | Bryan, TX |
| Fossil Rim Wildlife Center | Glen Rose, TX |
| Hall Ranch | Lexington, TX |
| Houston Audobon | Houston, TX |
| Houston Zoo | Houston, TX |
| Innoko National Wildlife Refuge, USFWS | McGrath, Alaska |
| Joint Institue for Energy & Environment at The University of Tennessee | Tennessee |
| Laguna Atascosa Wildlife Refuge | Rio Hondo, TX |
| Lochow Ranch | |
| National Park Service | Black Canyon of the Gunnison, CO |
| Nature's Haven Wildlife Rehabilitation Center | Bryan, TX |
| Sawdust Ranch (Exotic game, stocked lakes) | Somerville, TX |
| Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) through US Fish and Wildlife Service |
South Arkansas Refuge Complex Acadia National Park, Bar Harbor, Maine |
| Summer Research Program @ The University of Texas-Houston Med School | Houston, TX |
| TAMU College of Veterinary Medicine Wildlife and Exotic Animal Center | College Station, TX |
| TAMU Floating Classroom Project | Matagorda, TX |
| Texas A&M Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences | Squirrel & Dove Projects, Oxbow Rivers Research |
| Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection | Texas A&M, College Station |
| Texas Veterinary Medical Diagnostic Lab | College Station, TX |
| The University of Georgia School of Forest Resources | Athens, GA |
| Tiger Missing Link Foundation, Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge | Tyler, TX |
| Tonkaway Ranch | College Station, TX |
| Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) |
Richland Creek Wildlife Mgmt. Area Walter Buck Wildlife and Mgmt Area Daingerfield State Park, Daingerfield, TX |
| TPWD Game Wardens | Throughout Texas |
| TPWD Wildlife Damage Control | Throughout Texas |
| Transocean Offshore Deepwater Drilling, Inc. | Houston, TX |
| United States Army | Ft. Rucker, Alabama |
| Wild Care Foundation | Noble, OK |