Wildlife Conservation and Management focuses on the ecology of wild animals, including the study of their biology and interrelationships with each other, with humans, and with the physical and biological environment that makes up their habitat. Managers and biologists are concerned with maintaining species diversity, improving conditions for declining and endangered species, managing populations that are hunted or fished, and coordinating other resource management activities to maintain environmental quality. Some professionals may be active in surveys of plants and animals, operation and management of refuges, pollution monitoring and testing, design and conduct of research, habitat improvement, pest management, environmental education, or computer modeling. Graduates of the program are employed as Wildlife Biologists by federal agencies (e.g., the Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Bureau of Land Management, and Forest Service), by conservation organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy), and by state game and fish departments.All programs in the School of Natural Resources and the Environment tend to emphasize applications of ecological principles for conservation and management of plant, animal, and water resources at local and global scales, and solutions to negative impacts of human activity. Students complete courses that provide a foundation in natural resource science, conservation, and management, and elective courses that allow students to explore areas of interest.

The knowledge gained from a Natural Resource major with a concentration in Wildlife Conservation and Management of economics, communications, ecology, microbiology, and wildlife behavior and conservation, forms a strong career foundation. Graduates may work as resource managers, rehabilitation or conservation planners, environmental advocates, or educators for government agencies, nonprofit organizations, educational programs, or wildlife sanctuaries. This concentration is also excellent preparation for graduate studies in arid lands resource science, environmental science, public policy, or law.