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UMaine’s Master of Wildlife Conservation is a non-thesis degree for students who wish to focus strongly on the course work portion of a degree rather than a thesis. It has allowed past students with undergraduate degrees in subjects such as history, sociology, political science, geology, and theology to develop a foundation in ecological sciences and natural resource management. All of our M.W.C. graduates have found rewarding careers. For example, they have included:

An environmental planner for one of Maine’s Native American tribal governments.
The founder of an environmental group on the Indonesian island of Sulawesi.
The policy and development director for a conservation organization in Vermont.
The founder of a consulting firm that undertakes non-lethal management of beavers all over North America and abroad.
Two conservation managers for The Nature Conservancy.
Director of one of the Massachusetts Audubon Society’s sanctuaries.
Two staff members of the U.S. Agency for International Development.

M.W.C. students may focus their courses within three general focus areas: conservation biology, fisheries, or wildlife management and science. Given that everyone has a different background and interests each student’s set of courses will be unique. Although M.W.C. students must meet the same set of course requirements as all of our graduate students, these requirements are quite broad and allow significant latitude for individual choice.

Program Learning Outcomes – Graduate Program

Graduate students will:

Demonstrate the knowledge and observational skills necessary to define problems, design study plans and critically evaluate data.
Successfully apply quantitative tools to fish, wildlife, and the ecosystems they inhabit.
Develop effective written and oral communication skills through diverse experiential learning opportunities.
Critically evaluate the importance of fact-based information by participating in the peer review process and incorporating research into management decisions.
Demonstrate knowledge of the human overshoot of planetary carrying capacity regarding changing environmental conditions and social justice.
Apply ethical principles in their work with people, animals and the environment.