Nov
28
What would be a good major if I want to do something in the areas of animals, wildlife, and/or conservation?
ByEnvironmental science? Biology? Zoology?
I know tons of schools have environmental science and biology as majors, but I kind of wanted something a little more specific. Also, does anyone know of any schools that would offer something like that in PA, NY, or NJ? The closest I found so far was SUNY ESF as they offer a bunch of variations on environmental science degrees.
Also, is there anything in this field that does a lot of research rather than hands-on?
Thanks.
4 Comments
November 28th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Go with environmental science. You do not really need to focus on specialization in your undergraduate studies. That’s what graduate school is for.
That said, you’ll almost certainly have an opportunity to focus on a particular area in and Environmental Science or Studies program.
I would suggest the environmental studies programs at Denison and Oberlin, both in Ohio.
November 28th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
It really depends on what you’d like to do and what kind of agency you’d like to work for specifically. Any of those choices would be good choices, and one people rarely think of would be geography.
I’d suggest getting a broad bachelor’s with a more specific emphasis, minor, or master’s. For example my brother has a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in electron microscopy. He now works in a lab and is working on research projects dealing with bird feathers (pure research). Another friend of mine has a bachelor’s in biology with an ES emphasis and counts fish for a forestry department (combining hands on and research).
The best resources for you to learn more about the academics and potential career fields would be the universities’ academic departments. Contact the ES, bio, geography, and zoology departments of various schools and see what kinds of options are available to you, what they’re requirements are, and what kind of career guidance they can give you. Also, if you can, find someone that does what you want to do and ask them for advice.
November 28th, 2009 at 9:59 pm
microbial ecology, for the biosphere is theirs. cf. the autobiography of
E.O. Wilson
November 28th, 2009 at 10:13 pm
Agriculture. Check out Alfred University in Alfred NY.