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Major · Biological Sciences

The bachelor’s for agency biologists and field-research careers

Wildlife Biology (CIP 26.0709) is the bachelor’s-level program that applies biological principles to vertebrate wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems. About 535 students complete it across 32 institutions; bachelor’s grads earn $47,717 and associate’s grads $34,635, with destinations clustered in federal and state wildlife agencies, environmental consulting, and conservation nonprofits.

Schools offering
32
Annual completions
535
Typical degree level
Associate's + Bachelor's
Median earnings (5yr)
$47k

About this major

Wildlife Biology (CIP 26.0709) applies biological principles to vertebrate wildlife, habitats, and the ecosystems that sustain them. The CIP definition covers animal ecology, adaptational biology, urban ecosystems, natural and artificial habitat management, limnology, wildlife pathology, and vertebrate specializations — mammalogy, herpetology, ichthyology, ornithology — typically delivered as a mix of laboratory courses, field-methods labs, and species-identification practicums. Programs at top producers like Colorado State (106 bachelor’s graduates), Texas State (50), SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry (46), Lees-McRae (42), and the University of Wyoming (33) anchor the major at land-grant and field-station universities.

Students who do well here arrive with a fixed interest in animals at the biological level, comfort with cold or remote field work, and patience for the credentialing arc that wildlife careers actually require. Day-to-day mixes wet-lab work, quantitative coursework, field research at university preserves and stations, and writing-heavy assignments — population estimates, agency-style technical reports, and grant proposals. Strong programs push undergraduates into Research Experiences for Undergraduates, museum or herbarium curatorial work, and seasonal field-tech positions during summers, because that experience is what graduate admissions committees and federal hiring panels actually weigh.

One grounded observation about scale and trajectory: 535 students complete this CIP across just 32 institutions, with bachelor’s graduates earning $47,717 and associate’s graduates $34,635. The named occupation, Zoologists and wildlife biologists, lists at $72,860 with 1.6% projected growth — a figure that captures established federal and state biologists, not the seasonal $15-$22/hour technician roles where most bachelor’s graduates start. Realistic bachelor’s destinations cluster around USFWS, USGS, NPS, USFS, and state DNR or game-and-fish agencies, with environmental consulting firms like HDR, Stantec, Tetra Tech, and ICF, and conservation nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy, Audubon, and Defenders of Wildlife filling out the private-sector side.

Section 3 · Careers

Where this major leads

Occupations most often associated with this major, from the federal BLS+O*NET crosswalk. Job-growth projections and median wages are national.

Occupation Median wage Job growth Typical education
Biological technicians $52k +3.5% Bachelor's degree
Zoologists and wildlife biologists $73k +1.6% Bachelor's degree
Section 4 · Earnings

Earnings at a glance

Median graduate earnings from the federal College Scorecard, 5 and 10 years out.

Median 5-year earnings

$47k

Associate's vs Bachelor's — early-career earnings

Associate's

$35k

Bachelor's

$48k

Who this major is for

Strong fit signals: you committed to wildlife and field biology young enough that a narrower curriculum feels purposeful rather than confining; you accept that a master’s degree is the practical entry credential for permanent agency biologist roles and are planning the bachelor’s as a launch into graduate work; you’re drawn to a specific destination like a state game-and-fish agency, USFWS, or conservation NGO work; you’ll log volunteer field hours, REU summers, and seasonal-tech contracts during undergrad because that experience drives both grad admissions and agency hiring; and you can stack quantitative skills like R, Python, GIS, and Bayesian statistics onto the bio core, which opens the data-science-adjacent wildlife roles emerging around camera-trap ML, eDNA, and telemetry.

Reasons to pause: the named SOC for Zoologists and wildlife biologists projects only 1.6% growth, and the $72,860 median masks an entry-level reality of $15-$22 per hour seasonal technician contracts on 6-12 month appointments before a permanent slot opens. Bachelor’s-only earnings track closer to the Biological technician figure of $52,000 than to the headline number. Permanent agency placement typically requires a master’s plus two to four years of stacked field-tech experience plus willingness to relocate to rural Western or Alaskan postings. If broader pre-health or pre-graduate-school flexibility matters more than animal-specific work, the larger Zoology/Animal Biology major (CIP 26.0701, 1,726 completions) or general biology paths offer more optionality. Verify your target program has the field stations, agency partnerships, and seasonal-tech feeder relationships that actually deliver the experience the major promises.

Section 6 · Where to study

Top colleges for Wildlife Biology

Ranked by annual completions at the associate's or bachelor's level — a proxy for program scale.

College Location Assoc. Bach. Total
Colorado State University-Fort Collins Fort Collins, CO 0 106 106
Texas State University San Marcos, TX 0 50 50
SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse, NY 0 46 46
Lees-McRae College Banner Elk, NC 0 42 42
University of Wyoming Laramie, WY 0 33 33
University of Vermont Burlington, VT 0 31 31
Grand Valley State University Allendale, MI 0 26 26
West Texas A & M University Canyon, TX 0 25 25
Kansas State University Manhattan, KS 0 24 24
Brigham Young University Provo, UT 0 22 22
Section 7 · Explore sideways

Related majors to explore

Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography

1,922 completions/yr

Zoology/Animal Biology

1,726 completions/yr

Animal Behavior and Ethology

208 completions/yr

Entomology

143 completions/yr

Animal Physiology

111 completions/yr

Zoology/Animal Biology, Other

9 completions/yr
Section 9 · Frequently asked

Common questions

What do wildlife biology majors actually study?
The CIP definition centers on the application of biological principles to vertebrate wildlife, habitats, and related ecosystems. Coursework typically covers animal ecology, mammalogy, ornithology, herpetology, ichthyology, wildlife pathology, habitat management, limnology, and population biology, paired with statistics and field-methods labs. Programs at top producers like Colorado State (106 bachelor’s), Texas State (50), SUNY-ESF (46), and University of Wyoming (33) anchor the major at land-grant and field-station-equipped universities.
What jobs do graduates actually land?
The packet names two occupations: Zoologists and wildlife biologists ($72,860 median, 1.6% growth, bachelor’s entry) and Biological technicians ($52,000, 3.5% growth, bachelor’s entry). Realistic bachelor’s-entry destinations are seasonal field-tech positions with USFWS, USGS, NPS, USFS, and state DNR or game-and-fish agencies, plus environmental consulting (HDR, Stantec, Tetra Tech, ICF, ESA) and conservation nonprofits like The Nature Conservancy, Audubon, and Defenders of Wildlife.
Is the bachelor’s enough, or do I need a master’s?
The bachelor’s lands seasonal field-technician positions paying roughly $15-$22 an hour on 6-12 month appointments. Permanent agency biologist roles almost always require a master’s degree. The named $72,860 figure for Zoologists and wildlife biologists reflects that reality: it represents established federal and state biologists, not entry-level techs. Plan for two to four years of seasonal technician work plus an MS before a permanent slot opens, which is the single most important fact to know before committing.
How does federal hiring actually work for wildlife biologists?
Federal entry runs through the Pathways Program for Recent Graduates and Direct Hire Authority for biologists, with USFWS, USGS, NPS, and USFS as the main employers. Bachelor’s grads typically enter at GS-5 or GS-7; a master’s opens GS-9 and GS-11; senior biologist roles sit at GS-12. The Wildlife Society’s Certified Wildlife Biologist credential carries weight on agency applications and signals you’ve completed the right coursework and field hours.
How does this differ from CIP 03.0601 Wildlife and Wildlands Sciences and Management?
Wildlife Biology (26.0709) sits in the biological-sciences family and emphasizes the science of animal populations, ecology, and physiology. Wildlife and Wildlands Sciences and Management (03.0601) sits in the natural-resources family and skews more applied — habitat management, harvest regulation, and human-wildlife conflict. The packet flags 03.0601 as a cross-reference for a reason: pick 26.0709 if you want a research and graduate-school ramp, pick 03.0601 if you want hands-on management as the career goal.
Where does data science and AI fit into wildlife biology now?
Machine learning for camera-trap classification, eDNA analysis, satellite-tagged-animal tracking, and acoustic monitoring is creating data-science-adjacent wildlife roles at agencies, NGOs, and consulting firms. Students who layer R, Python, GIS, and Bayesian statistics on top of the bio core stand out for both graduate admission and the small but growing set of permanent quantitative-ecology positions. The traditional credential — undergrad field experience plus an MS — still matters, but quant skills meaningfully shorten the seasonal-tech ramp.