2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Welcome to Virginia Tech! We are excited that you are here planning your time as a Hokie.

View Undergraduate Section View Graduate Section

Explore Programs

Explore programs to find a fit for you.

Search Courses

Explore courses by subject and keyword.

Bachelor of Science in Fish and Wildlife Conservation

Wildlife Conservation Major with Human Dimensions Option

Program Curriculum

Course List
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
FIW 4314	Conservation of Biological Diversity (Wildlife Majors)
FIW 4714	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
BIOL 3204	Plant Taxonomy
HORT 3324	Herbaceous Landscape Plants
HORT 3326	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
BIOL 4404	Ornithology
FIW 4334	Mammalogy
FIW 4344	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
FIW 2974	Independent Study
FIW 2994	Undergraduate Research
FIW 3964	Internship Through Directed Field Study
FIW 4974	Independent Study
FIW 4994	Undergraduate Research
XXXX 3954	Study Abroad
Legal Foundation Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
AAEC 3314	Environmental Law
FIW 2514	Fish and Wildlife Conservation Policy
FREC 4434	Natural Resource Policy
UAP 3354	Introduction to Environmental Policy and Planning
UAP 4344	Law of Critical Environmental Areas
Writing Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
ALCE 3624	Communicating Ag and Life Sciences in Writing
ENGL 3764	Technical Writing
ENGL 3774	Business Writing
Subtotal		15
Option Required Courses
Education, Outreach, & Interpretation Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
ALCE 3004	Educational Programs in Agricultural and Life Sciences
ALCE 4014	Introduction to Cooperative Extension
ALCE 4304	Community Education and Development
FREC 3524	Environmental Interpretation
FREC 3574	Environmental Education Service Learning
Stakeholder Engagement & Conflict Resolution Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
FIW 4454	Human-Wildlife Conflicts
PSVP 2044	Peace and Violence
RLCL/HUM 3204	Multicultural Communication
SOC 2034	Diversity and Community Engagement
SPIA 1024	Community Service Learning
SPIA 2554	Collaborative Policy-Making and Planning
STS 3104	Science and Technology in Modern Society
Ethics & Humanities Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
HIST 3144	American Environmental History
PSCI/UAP 3344	Global Environmental Issues: Interdisciplinary Perspectives
STS/HIST 3705	History of Science
UAP 4264	Environmental Ethics and Policy
WATR/GEOG 2004	Water, Environment, and Society
Social Sciences Restricted Elective
Select one of the following:		3
FIW 2334	Urbanization and Biodiversity Conservation
GEOG 4414	Climate Change and Societal Impacts
AAEC 3324	Environment and Sustainable Development Economics
APS/AHRM/GEOG/HD/HUM/SOC/UAP 3464	Appalachian Communities
GEOG 3104	Environmental Justice, Resources and Development
HIST/SOC/STS 2604	Introduction to Data in Social Context
SOC 2024	Sociology of Race and Ethnicity
SOC 3314	Social Movements
STS 2454	Science, Techology, and Environment
STS 3334	Energy and Society
Tourism, Recreation & Management
Select one of the following:		3
FIW 2234	Fish, Fishing, and Conservation
FREC 3544	Outdoor Recreation Planning and Management
HTM 2454	Global Travel & Tourism Management
HTM 4484	International Tourism
HTM 3484	Socio-Cultural Impacts of Tourism
Subtotal		15
Free Electives (Students may need to complete less credit hours in this category depending on choices in categories above)		5
Subtotal		5
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 (1A)	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
FREC/LAR/NR 2554	Leadership for Global Sustainability (Recommended for Human Dimensions option)
PHIL 1304	Morality and Justice
PHIL 2304	Global Ethics
Pathways Concept 3 - Reasoning in the Social Sciences
Select three credits in Pathway 3		3
Select one of the following:		3
AAEC 1005	Economics of the Food and Fiber System
or AAEC 1006	Economics of the Food and Fiber System
ECON 2005	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
MATH 1025	Elementary Calculus (5F)
or MATH 1225	Calculus of a Single Variable
MATH 1026	Elementary Calculus (5F)
or MATH 1226	Calculus of a Single Variable
STAT 3604	Statistics for Social Science (5A)	3
or STAT 3615	Biological Statistics
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		120-121

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 courses (or their equivalents) listed in item number 1 in graduation requirements section above.

Graduation Requirements

Minimum hours for degree is 120. A minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 is required for all work applied to the major.

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 Principles of Biology, BIOL 1106 Principles of Biology, BIOL 1115 Principles of Biology Laboratory, BIOL 1116 Principles of Biology Laboratory, FREC 2324 Dendrology Laboratory and FIW 2114 Principles of Fish and Wildlife Conservation.

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.
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 Independent Study, FIW 3964 Internship Through Directed Field Study, or FIW 4974 Independent Study should use the P/F option; FIW 2994 Undergraduate Research, FIW 4994 Undergraduate Research and XXXX 3954 may be taken P/F or A/F.
To remain in good 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).
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.
FIW 2514 Fish and Wildlife Conservation Policy is one option for the Legal Foundation Restricted Elective, under Additional Degree Requirements, and it can also serve as an option for 3 credit hours under Pathways Concept 3 requirements.
HORT 3324 Herbaceous Landscape Plants and HORT 3326 Woody Landscape Plants will be opened to WLC students only during the Add/Drop registration period when seats are available.

Foreign Language Requirement

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.”