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How should I study in college to become a wildlife conservationist who tracks animals and writes articles on them?

#animals #college #career #major #minor #wildlife #conservation

major animals wildlife minor conservation
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Jessica’s Answer

You may want to consider studying Zoology or Biology in a Bachelor's degree program. Zoology is more tailored toward the study of animals whereas biology will give you the full scope of learning about living things while potentially tailoring your studies specifically toward animals. Miami University in Oxford, Ohio has some great programs and insights on the types of jobs you can get after completing your degree.

https://programs.miamioh.edu/program/zoology-ba-bs/
https://programs.miamioh.edu/program/biology-ba-bs/
Thank you comment icon Thank you! Izabel
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Ashlee’s Answer

Hi Izabel, Well depending on the type of animals you want to study as well as what you're hoping to write about will decide your major-typically. Zoology and Wildlife majors typically study more "wild" animals (lions, tigers, and bears :), Biology majors study smaller animals (dogs and cats), and there are a lot of Ag majors dedicated to livestock (horses, cows, and pigs). In addition, either Zoology or Biology will allow you to explore how these animals interact with their environment, but both majors approach it in slightly different ways. The 3 universities that pop up as good options in Ohio are Ohio University, Miami University, and Ohio Wesleyan, like Ms. Gegner mentioned above. In addition, it could be that you want to be a Journalism major who minors in Zoology/Biology so you would focus on the writing first and the animals second. There are a lot of options on how to tailor a degree to this career. I hope this helps! Ashlee
Thank you comment icon Thanks for the help. Izabel
Thank you comment icon Always! Your next steps might be reaching out to those universities and then those specific departments on campus and asking to meet with them to discuss the options in more depth! Ashlee Ashlee R.
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JOHN’s Answer

Wildlife conservation usually does require degree. (Though there are 'technician' jobs that just require experience with tractors, forestry or ranching equipment.)
There are many colleges that offer wildlife-conservation degrees. For example, Ohio State offers a degree in Forestry, Fisheries, and Wildlife (within their School of Environment and Natural Resources). I went to Michigan State for my first fish & wildlife degree.
While many colleges do offer conservatoin degrees, some programs are more 'sciencey' and others are more 'management' oriented. Some college conservation programs are in Biological Science departments while other universities have them in schools of Agriculture (which often include Forestry or Range Management departments). The first kind of college focuses on 'natural science' (zoology, ecology) while the latter considers wildlife as 'natural resource' management.
The coursework is largely the same, but the natural-science path focuses more on environmental issues, lab ecology, and the ecology of animals around the world. (For example, if you're interested in the tropics or ecological work in other countries, a natural-science degree might be better.) If you're more interested in hunting and fishing, or working for a state or federal agency, then the natural-resource approach may be better.
And you could minor in journalism, or at least take a couple journalism courses as 'elective' classes while you pursue a wildlife degree. I know several folks that have done just that. For that matter, you don't need a degree to write stories - you can start now and try submitting them to some conservation magazines.
I hope this helps some.
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