Career Choices in the Wildlife Health Field

Scientists approach the problem of disease in wildlife populations from all angles: microbiology, pathology, epidemiology, veterinary medicine, ecology, modeling, economics, regulation, legislation, sociology, and public health.  While the diversity enables students to pursue their own special interests within the wildlife health world, it can make choosing a career path somewhat daunting. It is our hope that this section of the WDA website will help in choosing that path.

The Wildlife Health Center at the University of California, Davis has a useful website describing examples of career opportunities for wildlife professionals and the degrees needed to fill them: http://www.vetmed.ucdavis.edu/whc/Careerops.html

Check out our: Links section to see the facilities at which wildlife disease work is performed.

Undergraduate Degrees Related To Wildlife Health

Many undergraduate degrees prepare students for work in the wildlife disease field:

These degrees are offered at a variety of universities across North America, as well as internationally.  Finding an institution with strong wildlife programs both for undergraduate and graduate degrees can increase your opportunities to gain experience working with wildlife while in undergrad.  (Job opportunities are often available to help with graduate projects.)

Mississippi State has a useful website outlining careers available in the wildlife field that require Bachelor’s degree qualifications: http://www.cfr.msstate.edu/wildlife/careers.htm

The degree of wildlife disease work conducted in these jobs is dependent on the institution and the current projects underway.

Graduate Degrees in Wildlife Health

Many jobs in the wildlife disease field require further education such as a master’s or PhD.  There is a wide range of topics for further study in wildlife, however to pursue a career in wildlife disease the degrees listed below may be most suitable:

Most advanced degrees involve several semesters of coursework, project design, a period of fieldwork to collect samples and data, lab work, and data analysis.

These are some examples of universities offering advanced degrees in wildlife disease:

• University of California, Davis
• University of Georgia (Southeastern Cooperative Wildlife Disease Study)
• University of Florida
• University of Saskatchewan