Fisheries and Wildlife - Area of Emphasis in Pre-Vet Wildlife Sciences

Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources

B.S.F.R.

Overview

The Pre-Vet Wildlife Sciences program was designed in cooperation with the UGA College of Veterinary Medicine. This program, which leads to a bachelor of science in forest resources, integrates concepts from wildlife ecology and management with the rigorous biological, chemical, and physical sciences necessary for admission into the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine (DVM) program, and meets the coursework requirements for certification as an associate wildlife biologist by The Wildlife Society. Students in the Pre-Vet/Wildlife Program are exposed to state-of-the-art instructional and research experiences in wildlife management and veterinary medicine.

Pre-Vet/Wildlife graduates who also complete the DVM degree will be uniquely qualified to work in professional positions that require the integration of veterinary medicine and wildlife management. This includes working in organizations dedicated to conservation (e.g. zoos, state/federal agencies), or other institutions that work with public health, zoonoses and other wildlife-related public health issues, health issues at the human-domestic animal interface, and the ecological aspects of wildlife diseases and management.

Study Abroad Options: Students may take a course in Costa Rica designed for pre-vet majors. Warnell also hosts study away programs in Australia, Fiji, Hawaii, New Zealand, the Smoky Mountains, and the United Kingdom.

Explore Careers With This Program

Wildlife Rehabilitation

Professionals in this position carry out husbandry and medical care for wildlife species that require care prior to release back into their natural habitats.

Spotlight

Wildlife Rehabilitation
Kayla Claiborne
Class of 2021

A Maymester course that Claiborne took at the Savannah River Ecology Lab helped solidify her desire to work with wild animals. “It was amazing if you’re looking for a good introduction to working with wildlife,” she says.

“For someone who had no previous wildlife experience, it was an absolutely engaging way to start the beginning of my Warnellian journey. I got to anesthetize a piglet, view a pregnant possum and see inside her pouch, go dip netting with cottonmouths, process a coyote and various other animals, and see the infamous Stumpy the radioactive alligator.”