Places to Get a Wildlife Biology Degree
Wildlife biologists play a crucial role in the study of and preservation of wild animals. There are many colleges that grant degrees in wildlife biology. The degree programs range from an associate's degree on up to doctorates in wildlife biology.
There is a good chance you will work for a state government or the federal government if you become a wildlife biologist. That is because about 11,000 of the 17,000 jobs for zoologists and wildlife biologists in May of 2010 were with either the feds or a state government. Almost 1000 more had a job with a local government. These statistics were compiled by the Bureau of Labor Statistics. You can find more information on the page linked to in the Resources section.
The reason this is important is because governments tend to hire only those with a high degree of education. In the case of wildlife biologists, you should be shooting for at least a master's degree to even hope for most of these jobs.
MatchCollege has a list of wildlife biology degree program in the United States. Some schools award a doctorate in wildlife biology, and these would be necessary for the best jobs as a wildlife biologist. However, some may get jobs with a master's degree or a related (but probably lower salary) job with a lesser degree in this field.
An associate's degree, certificate, or entry-level college classes in wildlife biology from a community or junior college is not that valuable all by itself. Nonetheless, it could be good for a couple of reasons. First, if you are interested in becoming a wildlife biologist and live near a community college that offers these courses or a degree, you can sometimes save money by going this route for the first two years of college.
Second, it is good preparation for transferring to a 4-year school and getting a bachelor's degree. 2-year schools that have courses or programs in wildlife biology include Barton County Community College (Great Bend, Kansas), Eastern Arizona College (Thatcher, Arizona), Garden City (Kansas) Community College, and Western Wyoming Community College (Rock Springs, Wyoming).
The MatchCollege website (see link below) lists 18 schools that award at least a bachelor's degree in wildlife biology. However, there are other schools on the GradSchools website that are related to this environmental-science field. For example, North Carolina State University has a degree program for Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology. There is a link to those additional programs in the Resources section below.
Resources:
Bureau of Labor Statistics: Jobs and Salary for Zoologists and Wildlife Biologists
MatchCollege: Wildlife Biology Degree Programs
GradSchools: Wildlife Biologist Training and Degree Programs
