Program Structure
Major Required Courses (21 credit hours)
Education and Leadership
Course Number |
Course Title |
Hours |
---|
WFA 8713 |
Program Development and Evaluation for Conservation Educators |
3 |
WFA 8723 |
Conservation Education Outreach Techniques |
3 |
WFA 8733 |
Conservation Leadership, Management, and Communication |
3 |
Science Foundation
Course Number |
Course Title |
Hours |
---|
WFA 6623 |
Conservation Biology |
3 |
WFA 8743 |
Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation |
3 |
WFA 8753 |
Terrestrial Biodiversity Conservation |
3 |
Capstone Project Course
Course Number |
Course Title |
Hours |
---|
WFA 8763 |
Capstone Project for Conservation Education |
3 |
Elective Courses (9 credit hours)
Course Number |
Course Title |
Hours |
---|
WFA 6223 |
Wildlife Plant Identification |
3 |
WFA 6513 |
Current Topics in Human-Wildlife Interactions |
3 |
WFA 6393 |
Urban Wildlife Ecology |
3 |
WFA 8343 |
Concepts in Ecology and Natural Resource Management |
3 |
WFA 8463 |
Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation |
3 |
BIO 8053 |
Comprehensive Study of Animals (College of Arts & Sciences: Department of Biological Sciences) |
3 |
Major required courses: Per Office of Graduate Studies policy, “A student who has taken a course at the 4000 level at MSU CANNOT enroll in the same course at the 6000 level without explicit permission.” Any Major Required Course completed while an undergraduate fulfills the requirement to have taken the course, but it must be replaced with another graduate level course, selected from Elective Courses, to satisfy the 30 credit hours; the minimum graduate level course credit hour requirement for the degree program.
Degree program requirements: At least 15 credit hours of GPA-graded coursework must be taken at the 8000-level or higher. In addition to coursework, all students will be required to take a final comprehensive exam.
Degree program prerequisites: BIO 1134 Biology I & BIO 1144 Biology II or equivalents. The perquisite courses, or their equivalent, must be completed before admission. A grade of C or better is required on all undergraduate prerequisite courses and must be completed at an accredited institution. A passing score on the Praxis II Biology exam would be accepted in lieu of the pre-requisite courses for admission requirements.
Students enrolled in a non-thesis degree program must complete a comprehensive exam (see Graduate catalog). The comprehensive exam for the non-thesis, Master of Science in Conservation Education degree program is based upon knowledge and skills obtained during the six major required courses for the degree program; education and leadership courses (WFA 8713, WFA 8723, WFA 8733) and science foundation courses (WFA 6623, WFA 8743, WFA 8753).
Because you must be enrolled in at least a 1-credit hour course the semester you take your final comprehensive exam, we recommend you schedule and take your final exam while enrolled in the capstone course, WFA 8763.
Course Rotation
Major Required Courses
Every Year
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
---|
WFA 8713Program Development and Evaluation for Conservation Educators |
WFA 8723Conservation Education Outreach Techniques |
WFA 8763Capstone Project for Conservation Education |
WFA 8743Aquatic Biodiversity Conservation |
WFA 8733Conservation Leadership, Management, and Communication |
|
WFA 8763Capstone Project for Conservation Education |
WFA 8753Terrestrial Biodiversity Conservation |
|
Odd Years (end in 1,3,5,7,9)
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
---|
WFA 6623Conservation Biology |
|
|
Elective Courses
Every Year
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
---|
BIO 8053Comprehensive Study of Animals |
WFA 6513Current Topics in Human-Wildlife Interactions |
WFA 6223Wildlife Plant Identification |
Odd Years (end in 1,3,5,7,9)
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
---|
WFA 8463Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries Conservation |
WFA 8343Concepts in Ecology and Natural Resource Management |
|
Even Years (end in 0,2,4,6,8)
Fall |
Spring |
Summer |
---|
WFA 6393Urban Wildlife Ecology |
|
|
Comprehensive Exam
The comprehensive examination for the non-thesis, Master of Science in Conservation Education degree program must be scheduled by the student and taken at an approved testing center. The examination date must be scheduled within the one to two week time period prior to the deadline posted on the Graduate Academic Calendar for the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If the one to two week time period falls within a holiday week, then the comprehensive exam must be scheduled within the two to three week time period prior to the deadline posted on the Graduate Academic Calendar for the semester in which the student plans to graduate.
As noted in the Graduate Catalog, students must be within six hours of graduation or in their final semester of coursework to participate in the comprehensive exam. Please note: students who fail the initial attempt CANNOT apply to retake the exam until three months from the date of the original exam (see Graduate Catalog). Also, any student on probationary status cannot take comprehensive exams until the probationary status has been lifted. Hence, some students may need an additional semester to take the comprehensive exam.
Application Process
Proctor request form. This form MUST be submitted two weeks prior to the examination date. Please note, the examination date must be scheduled within the one to two week time period prior to the deadline posted on the Graduate Academic Calendar for the semester in which the student plans to graduate. If the one to two week time period falls within a holiday week, then the comprehensive exam must be scheduled within the two to three week time period prior to the deadline posted on the Graduate Academic Calendar for the semester in which the student plans to graduate.
In addition to the proctor request form, there are other Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Department required forms that must be completed three weeks prior to the examination date. Department required forms can be obtained through the Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Kevin Hunt. Please email Dr. Hunt at kevin.hunt@msstate.edu to request the link to obtain these required forms. For more details, see Graduate catalog.
When you are filling out the forms, know that your department is “Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture”, your degree is a "Master of Science", and your major is "Conservation Education”.
Email the completed forms to the Graduate Coordinator, Dr. Kevin Hunt for pre-approval. Dr. Hunt will review the forms and re-submit them to you for final signatures. Then, all completed and signed forms should be returned to Dr. Hunt. If you have any questions about the process or requirements, please email Dr. Hunt at kevin.hunt@msstate.edu
Capstone Course
The capstone project course (WFA 8763) is designed for students to apply their knowledge and skills gained from their successful completion of the major required courses in the M.S. in Conservation Education degree program. Students will seek out an organization that is involved with conservation education to develop a short-term partnership. During the partnership, students will evaluate the organization’s conservation education program, identify a need, and develop and deliver a tailored conservation education project to the conservation organization.
To aid in successful completion of the capstone project, the student and the conservation organization are supplied with Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture faculty developed rubrics. These rubrics are designed to provide guidance for the implementation of the project. Additionally, the rubrics uphold academic rigor and standardize evaluation across capstone projects.
Additionally, during the capstone project course, students will obtain further detailed information about the final comprehensive exam; a requirement for all non-thesis degrees (see Graduate catalog). To meet requirements, students are encouraged to schedule and complete their final comprehensive exam during the capstone project course.