Wildlife and Fisheries Resources

Program Description

The Master of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources degree (non-thesis) has a new online delivery option for students with experience in natural resources who wish to enhance their professional degree skills. Students potentially include Federal and State Agency wildlife and fisheries employees, educators who wish to increase their knowledge about wildlife and fisheries biology, private industry professionals, and individuals with a variety of other natural resource backgrounds. We also accept a limited number of students who come from out of the natural resources field or who are looking to make a career change. Students who do not have previous experience in natural resources may need to take coursework to strengthen their chance of success in the program prior to applying. The program is in a fully online format, allowing lectures to be available 24/7. Students who enroll in 2 courses a semester can complete the degree in as little as 2 years (3.5 years if 1 course is taken per semester). New enrollees are accepted in Fall, Spring, and Summer semesters as space permits. See application deadlines below.   

Admission

The following requirements must be met to be considered for admission to the online Master's of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources:

• A suitable undergraduate education (you do not need an undergraduate degree in wildlife and fisheries resources to be considered for admission).
• Two references.
• A resume or CV.
• GRE (General Test) Scores are encouraged for applicants who do not currently work in a natural resources field or have an undergraduate degree in natural resources/biology with a GPA above 3.0.
• Personal Statement.
• A satisfactory TOEFL score (550 from paper exam or 213 from online exam, or 80 from the internet exam, or 6.5 or higher on the IELTS test) is required for international students whose native language is not English.

Clemson’s graduate school handles applications. All application materials are sent to the graduate school. Use the apply now button below to navigate to graduate admissions.

Deadlines for admissions are as follows: June 30 ^th for Fall semester, Oct. 31 ^st for Spring semester, and Feb. 28 ^th for Summer semester. All application materials must be submitted to graduate admissions by these deadlines for full consideration.

Curriculum

This program is available completely through online instruction with courses offered each semester: January-April, May-August, and August-December. The program requirements match the current non-thesis Master of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources requirements. It requires 30 credit hours of course work to graduate. The student’s plan of study for the 30 hours of course work must be approved by the online graduate advisory committee. At least 15 hours of 8000 level courses are required. Students must also take at least 2 credits of graduate seminar.

FAQs

• Can I transfer credits?
  Courses Policy: All transfer credits must be verified by submission of an official transcript from the institution at which the work was completed. Up to 12 credit hours of coursework (and no more than one-third of the graded course credit hours required for a master’s degree, in the case of Wildlife and Fisheries Biology 10 credit hours) may be transferred to a master’s degree and 48 credit hours of coursework may be transferred to a doctoral degree. All credits transferred to Clemson’s graduate programs must have been completed at a regionally-accredited institution. Credits may be transferred for work completed at off-campus centers of accredited institutions, provided such courses are acceptable, without reservation, in degree programs at those institutions. In all cases, the use of transfer credits must be recommended by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the department. Grades earned for courses taken at institutions other than Clemson University will not be included in the student’s grade point ratio. Courses to be considered for transfer credit completed outside the six year time limit may not be transferred to Clemson. Courses taken at any institution other than Clemson University may not be revalidated for transfer credit at Clemson. Valid transfer credits will appear on the student’s transcript as credits earned. Transfers from non-U.S. institutions that do not hold either accreditation may be evaluated on a case-by-case basis. Under no circumstances will transfer credit be awarded for courses in which a grade lower than B (or its equivalent) has been received, or for courses graded on a pass/fail basis, for continuing education units, courses completed outside the six-year time limit, correspondence, extension, or in-service courses or for concentrated courses and workshops that award credit at a rate exceeding one credit per week. All transfer courses listed on Form GS2, Plan of Study must be courses taken for credit from a regionally-accredited, degree-granting institution whose scholastic reputation is acceptable to Clemson University.
• Do I have to take the GRE?
  If you have 3 or more years’ experience working in a natural resources field and an undergraduate GPA above 3.0 it is not necessary for you to take the GRE. We strongly encourage students who do not currently work in natural resource fields and/or those who do not have an undergraduate degree in a natural resources/biology field with a GPA above 3.0 to take the GRE.
• Are there Scholarships/Assistantships?
  We are a new program and do not currently have any scholarships or assistantships.
• What is the time commitment for the degree?
  Expect to spend a maximum of 12 hours a week on a 3-credit hour course. This translates to 3 hours of lecture and 9 hours to work on projects, assignments, readings, discussions, and studying for exams or quizzes.
• What is the difference between a thesis and non-thesis masters?
  A non-thesis Master of Wildlife and Fisheries Resources is a terminal degree. This means you cannot continue to a doctoral program with this degree. It is not meant for those who wish to pursue research. This is a professional degree that is meant for those who are already working in natural resources fields or those who wish to be.
• Can I be a part of the program as an international student?
  Yes. Clemson University works to provide global access to its online programs. It is the student’s responsibility to understand current circumstances or special requirements of whether the online degree selected will be recognized in the country of residence; how the collection of student data may be used in your country; and, whether you will be subject to additional withholding taxes in addition to the price of tuition. International students considering an academic program that leads to a professional license should first confirm with the appropriate professional licensing board in their country of residence whether a Clemson University degree is recognized when seeking licensure or certification.
• What is a suitable GRE score?
  Our program evaluates applicants holistically which means we don't have a GRE score cutoff. Strong GRE scores (usually above 150) demonstrate that an applicant is ready for graduate level course work. A strong undergraduate GPA (above 3.0) or strong professional experience in wildlife and fisheries biology can also demonstrate readiness for graduate level course work.
• What is a suitable undergraduate education?
  If you do not have experience working in a natural resources field or an undergraduate degree in a natural resources/biology field we encourage you to take a few undergraduate science courses before applying to the program. Courses that applicants with undergraduate degrees in natural resources and or biology have taken that would strength out of field applications include but are not limited to Biology I and II, Chemistry (a variety of options are acceptable), statistics (again a variety of options are acceptable), and at least two of the following Forest Biology or Ecology, Wildlife Biology or Ecology, Wetland Biology or Ecology, Vertebrate Biology or Ecology, Fish Biology or Ecology and a dendrology or botany course. These courses should be offered at a local community college or online.

South Carolina is a member of the State Authorization Reciprocity Agreement (SARA) and Clemson University (CU) is an approved SARA institution, which means we adhere to established standards for offering post-secondary e-learning programs in all member states. Please review our state authorizations to see if this program is offered in your state and our process for student complaints against the university.

Contacts

For more information about this online program, please contact the program administrative assistant, Alexis C. Jennings, at award7@clemson.edu.

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