2024-2025 Academic Catalog
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Degree Core Requirements | ||
| BIOL 1115 | Principles of Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 1116 | Principles of Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIOL 2704 | Evolutionary Biology | 3 |
| FIW 2114 | Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Conservation of Biological Diversity (Wildlife Majors) | ||
| Fisheries Management (Fisheries Majors) | ||
| FIW 4414 | Population Dynamics and Estimation | 3 |
| FIW 4464 | Human Dimensions of Fisheries and Wildlife | 3 |
| NR 1234 | First Year Experience In Natural Resources and Environment | 2-3 |
| or NR 2234 | 1st Semester Experience-Transfer Students in Natural Resources and Environment | |
| Subtotal | 20-21 | |
| Major Requirements | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Plant Taxonomy | ||
| Herbaceous Landscape Plants | ||
| Woody Landscape Plants | ||
| FIW 2314 | Wildlife Biology | 3 |
| FIW 2324 | Wildlife Field Biology | 3 |
| FIW 4214 | Wildlife Field Techniques | 3 |
| FIW 4434 | Wildlife Habitat Ecology and Management | 3 |
| FREC 2324 | Dendrology Laboratory | 1 |
| Vertebrate Biology Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: (must include labs) | 4 | |
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Subtotal | 20 | |
| Additional Degree Requirements | ||
| CHEM 1035 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1036 | General Chemistry | 3 |
| CHEM 1045 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| CHEM 1046 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| Experiential Learning Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: (requires department approval) | 1 | |
| Independent Study | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
| Internship Through Directed Field Study | ||
| Independent Study | ||
| Undergraduate Research | ||
XXXX 3954 | (Study Abroad) | |
| Legal Foundation Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Environmental Law | ||
| Fish and Wildlife Conservation Policy | ||
| Natural Resource Policy | ||
| Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning | ||
| Law of Critical Environmental Areas | ||
| Writing Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Communicating Ag and Life Sciences in Writing | ||
| Technical Writing | ||
| Business Writing | ||
| Subtotal | 15 | |
| Additional Wildlife Conservation Requirements | ||
| FIW 4474 | Wildlife Habitat Evaluation | 1 |
| Additional Vertebrate Biology Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: (must include labs) | 4 | |
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Herpetology | ||
| Aquatic Entomology | ||
| Ichthyology | ||
| Genetics (choose one) | ||
| FIW 4324 | Genetics of Natural and Mangaged Populations | 3 |
| or BIOL 2004 | Genetics | |
| Geographic Information Systems Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Information Technologies for Natural Resource Management | ||
| Forest Photogrammetry and Spatial Data Processing | ||
| Principles of Geographic Information Systems | ||
| Introduction to Remote Sensing | ||
| Ecology Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Ecology | ||
| Forest Ecology and Silvics | ||
| Environmental Silviculture | ||
| Physical Science Restricted Elective | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Survey of Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry | ||
| Soils and Soils Laboratory | ||
| Soils in the Landscape | ||
| Earth Science: Our Past, Present, and Future | ||
| Oceanography | ||
| General Physics | ||
| General Physics | ||
| Subtotal | 17-18 | |
| Free Electives | ||
| Select 1-3 credits | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 3 | |
| Pathways to General Education | ||
| Pathways Concept 1 - Discourse | ||
| ENGL 1105 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ENGL 1106 | First-Year Writing (1F) | 3 |
| ALCE 3634 | Communicating Ag and Life Sciences in Speaking | 3 |
| or COMM 2004 | Public Speaking | |
| Pathways Concept 2 - Critical Thinking in the Humanities | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 2 | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Leadership for Global Sustainability | ||
| Morality and Justice | ||
| Global Ethics | ||
| Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 3 | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Economics of the Food and Fiber System | ||
or AAEC 1006 | Economics of the Food and Fiber System | |
| Principles of Economics | ||
or ECON 2006 | Principles of Economics | |
| Pathways Concept 4 - Reasoning in the Natural Sciences | ||
| BIOL 1105 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| BIOL 1106 | Principles of Biology | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 5 - Quantitative and Computational Thinking | ||
| Select one of the following: | 6 | |
| Elementary Calculus (5F) | ||
or MATH 1225 | Calculus of a Single Variable | |
| Elementary Calculus | ||
or MATH 1226 | Calculus of a Single Variable | |
| STAT 3615 | Biological Statistics (5A) | 3 |
| Pathways Concept 6 - Critique and Practice in Design and the Arts | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 6a | 3 | |
| Select three credits in Pathway 6d | 3 | |
| Pathways Concept 7 - Critical Analysis of Identity and Equity in the United States | ||
| Select three credits in Pathway 7 | 3 | |
| Subtotal | 45 | |
| Total Credits | 120-122 | |
To remain in good academic standing, a student must achieve and maintain an overall and in-major cumulative GPA of at least 2.0. Courses used for the in-major GPA computation include all those designated as FIW, FREC, GEOG, NR, and SBIO. To graduate, a student must achieve an overall and in-major cumulative GPA of at least 2.0.
In accordance with university guidelines, courses satisfying degree core requirements may not be double counted to satisfy other areas of a degree (e.g., Pathways).
By the end of the semester in which they have attempted 60 hours (including transfer, advanced placement, advanced standing, and credit by examination), students must pass the following courses, or their equivalents, with a grade of C - or better: BIOL 1105, BIOL 1106, BIOL 1115, BIOL 1116, FREC 2324 and FIW 2114.
Minimum hours for degree is 120. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for all work applied to the major.
Major Requirements:
1) To earn a B.S. degree in Wildlife Conservation, a student must pass the following courses, or their equivalents, with a grade of C - or better: BIOL 1105, BIOL 1106, BIOL 1115, BIOL 1116, FREC 2324 and FIW 2114.
There are no hidden prerequisites on this check sheet; however, course requirements may change over time, and students should always check for prerequisites for classes they select.
2) Students should consult www.fishwild.vt.edu/experiential_learning.html for more details on how to fulfill the experiential learning requirement. Note that you will not receive credit for your experiential learning until all the documents related to the experience are completed and submitted, in addition to being registered for the experience. Students enrolling in FIW 2974, FIW 3964, or FIW 4974 should use the P/F option; FIW 2994, FIW 4994 and XXXX 3954 may be taken P/F or A/F
3) If you plan to apply for The Wildlife Society Associate Wildlife Biologist certification, be aware that all courses used in the certification application must be passed with a C- or better beginning with applications submitted in 2023.
A sequence of two (2) foreign language courses is required for graduation unless two (2) high school units of the same foreign language or six (6) transfer credit hours of foreign language have been earned. These credits do not count toward graduation. See catalog section on “Graduation Requirements.”
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