Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology (BS): Fisheries Science Concentration
To see more about what you will learn in this program, visit the Learning Outcomes website!
Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology (FWCB) major prepares students to manage and conserve populations of fish and wildlife in their natural habitats. This STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) major gives students the skills they need to observe, research, monitor and assess the impact of environmental change, human behavior and public policy on wild populations of animals. Using a combination of lab work, technology and field study, students develop conservation strategies that ensure the long-term health of fish and wildlife populations.
After sophomore year, students spend six weeks in summer field courses. During “summer camp” experience, students learn hands-on fish and wildlife management techniques in locations across the state. From plant and animal identification and bird mist netting to camera-trapping and radio telemetry, students gain experiences that prepare them for careers after graduation. FWCB students have the option to substitute the summer field course with approved internships or study abroad courses.
The Fisheries concentration meets the qualifications for certification by the American Fisheries Society. The fisheries concentration includes required courses in chemistry, aquatic ecology, and biology of fish that are not required in the other FWCB concentrations.
Contact
Dr. Lara Pacifici
lara_pacifici@ncsu.edu
FWCB Undergraduate Coordinator
Turner House
Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources
Box 8008
North Carolina State University
Raleigh, North Carolina 27695-8008
Plan Requirements
| First Year | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| ENV 100 | Student Success in Environmental First Year | 1 |
| ENV 101 | Exploring the Environment | 2 |
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| Acad Writing Research 1 | 4 | |
| Hours | 25 | |
| Second Year | ||
| FOR 172 | Forest System Mapping and Mensuration I | 2 |
| FW 221 | Conservation of Natural Resources | 3 |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| CH 201 & CH 202 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introductory Organic Chemistry | ||
| Organic Chemistry I | ||
| Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| AEC 360 or PB 360 | Ecology or Ecology | 4 |
| Communication Elective | 3 | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Introduction to Agricultural & Resource Economics | ||
| Principles of Microeconomics | ||
| Fundamentals of Economics | ||
| Hours | 27 | |
| Summer | ||
| FW 311 | Piedmont Wildlife Ecology and Management | 3 |
| FW 312 | Fisheries Techniques and Management | 1 |
| FW 313 | Mountain Wildlife Ecology and Management | 1 |
| FW 314 | Coastal Ecology and Management | 1 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Third Year | ||
| FW 353 | Wildlife Management | 3 |
| FW 373 | Vertebrate Natural History | 3 |
| FW 411 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries | 3 |
| AEC 420 | Introduction to Fisheries Science | 3 |
| GN 301 or GN 311 | Genetics in Human Affairs or Principles of Genetics | 3 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| ENG 333 | Communication for Science and Research | 3 |
| GIS 280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
| ENT 201 | Insects and People | 3 |
| Hours | 27 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| FW 415 | Professional Development in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | 1 |
| AEC 441 | Biology of Fishes | 3 |
| Quantitative Elective | 3 | |
| Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Aquatic Elective | 3 | |
| Physical Science Elective | 3 | |
| Biology Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective | 2 | |
| Hours | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 109 | |
| 1 | A grade of C- or better is required. |
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| GEP Courses | |||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | ||
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | ||
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | ||
| GEP Global Knowledge (Verify Requirements) | |||
| Foreign Language Proficiency (Verify Requirements) | |||
| Total Hours | 11 | ||
Acad Writing Research
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acad Writing Research | |||
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| FLE 101 | Academic Writing and Research | 4 | |
| Transfer Sequence | |||
| ENG 202 | Disciplinary Perspectives in Writing | 3 | |
| ENG 1GEP | 100 Level English Composition | 3 | |
Communication Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| COM 201 | Introduction to Persuasion Theory | 3 | |
| COM 211 | Argumentation and Advocacy | 3 | |
| COM 226 | Introduction to Public Relations | 3 | |
| COM 301 | Presentational Speaking | 3 | |
| ENG 214 | Introduction to Editing | 3 | |
| ENG 216 | Technologies for Texts | 3 | |
| ENG 316 | Introduction to News and Article Writing | 3 |
Quantitative Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CSC 200 | 3 | ||
| MA 231 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences B | 3 | |
| MA 241 | Calculus II | 4 | |
| ST 312 | Introduction to Statistics II | 3 |
Policy Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ARE 309 | Environmental Law & Economic Policy | 3 | |
| FOR 472 | Forest Soils | 4 | |
| NR 460 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| NR 560 | Renewable Natural Resource Management and Policy | 3 | |
| PS 320 | U.S. Environmental Law and Politics | 3 | |
| PS 336 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
Aquatic Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 380 | Water Resources: Global Issues in Ecology, Policy, Management, and Advocacy | 3 | |
| AEC 419 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| AEC 519 | Freshwater Ecology | 4 | |
| MEA 200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA 220 | Marine Biology | 3 |
Physical Science Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| CH 201 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science | 3 | |
| CH 202 | Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 1 | |
| CH 223 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 | |
| MEA 100 | Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections | 4 | |
| MEA 130 | Introduction to Weather and Climate | 3 | |
| MEA 200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA 210 | Oceanography Lab | 1 | |
| MEA 220 | Marine Biology | 3 | |
| MEA 250 | Introduction to Coastal Environments | 3 | |
| MEA 323 | Geochemistry of Natural Waters | 3 | |
| PY 212 | College Physics II | 4 |
Biology Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| ENT 425 | General Entomology | 3 | |
| ZO 250 | Animal Anatomy and Physiology | 4 | |
| ZO 402 | Invertebrate Biology | 4 | |
| ZO 410 | Introduction to Animal Behavior | 3 |
Technical Electives
| Code | Title | Hours | Counts towards |
|---|---|---|---|
| AEC 515 | Fish Physiology | 3 | |
| AEC 586 | Aquaculture | 3 | |
| AEC 587 | Aquaculture Laboratory | 1 | |
| FOR 252 | Introduction to Forest Science | 3 | |
| FOR 304 | Theory of Silviculture | 4 | |
| FOR 420 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| FOR 520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| FW 404 | Wildlife Habitat Management | 3 | |
| FW 453 | Principles of Wildlife Science | 4 | |
| FW 515 | Fish Physiology | 3 | |
| FW 586 | Aquaculture | 3 | |
| FW 587 | Aquaculture Laboratory | 1 | |
| MEA 200 | Introduction to Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA 210 | Oceanography Lab | 1 | |
| MEA 220 | Marine Biology | 3 | |
| MEA 250 | Introduction to Coastal Environments | 3 | |
| MEA 251 | Introduction to Coastal Environments Laboratory | 1 | |
| MEA 449 | Principles of Biological Oceanography | 3 | |
| MEA 549 | Principles of Biological Oceanography | 3 | |
| NR 420 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| NR 520 | Watershed and Wetlands Hydrology | 4 | |
| PB 200 | Plant Life | 4 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| ENV 100 & ENV 101 | Student Success in Environmental First Year and Exploring the Environment | 3 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| MA 131 | Calculus for Life and Management Sciences A | 3 |
| BIO 181 | Introductory Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Biodiversity | 4 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 101 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science | 3 |
| CH 102 | General Chemistry Laboratory | 1 |
| BIO 183 | Introductory Biology: Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| COM 110 or COM 112 | Public Speaking or Interpersonal Communication | 3 |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Introductory Organic Chemistry and Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| FW 221 | Conservation of Natural Resources (CP) | 3 |
| Communication Elective | 3 | |
| FOR 172 | Forest System Mapping and Mensuration I | 2 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Economics Elective | 3 | |
| AEC 360 or PB 360 | Ecology (CP) or Ecology | 4 |
| PY 131 | Conceptual Physics | 4 |
| CH 201 & CH 202 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory | 4 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| Summer Camp courses may be substituted by a combination of two approved FWCB internship2 or FWCB study abroad experiences. | ||
| FW 311 | Piedmont Wildlife Ecology and Management | 3 |
| FW 312 | Fisheries Techniques and Management | 1 |
| FW 313 | Mountain Wildlife Ecology and Management | 1 |
| FW 314 | Coastal Ecology and Management | 1 |
| Hours | 6 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| FW 353 | Wildlife Management (CP) | 3 |
| GN 301 or GN 311 | Genetics in Human Affairs or Principles of Genetics | 3-4 |
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics | 3 |
| ENG 333 | Communication for Science and Research (CP) | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| AEC 420 | Introduction to Fisheries Science (CP) | 3 |
| FW 373 | Vertebrate Natural History (CP) | 3 |
| FW 411 | Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries | 3 |
| GIS 280 | Introduction to GIS | 3 |
| ENT 201 | Insects and People (GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives) | 3 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Quantitative Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives | 2-3 | |
| Policy Elective | 3 | |
| Aquatic Elective (CP) | 3 | |
| FW 415 | Professional Development in Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology | 1 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| AEC 441 | Biology of Fishes (CP) | 3 |
| BIO Elective | 3 | |
| Physical Science Elective | 3 | |
| Technical Elective (CP) | 3 | |
| GEP US Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
| 1 | A grade of C- or better is required. |
| 2 | FW 492 External Learning Experience |
Career Opportunities
Graduates are prepared for graduate school and entry-level professional positions in state and federal government agencies, non-profit organizations and private industry. Upon graduation, students are qualified to seek certification from The Wildlife Society or the American Fisheries Society.