Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Develop field skills in surveying plants, insects, birds, fish, herpetofauna, and mammals
- Examine ecological processes and species distributions
- Analyze patterns of global environmental change
- Synthesize theoretical concepts and current issues in conservation
- Evaluate animal movement and presence using radio-telemetry, acoustic monitoring, and camera traps
- Assess disease presence through non-invasive genetic techniques
- Quantify landscape patterns related to fragmentation and loss, and the impacts of land use
- Semesters offered
Fall | Mason’s academic calendar
- Credits
- Cost
Tuition | Mason’s tuition and fees
Semester Fee | $2048 per semester
Mandatory Room and Board | Pricing Structure
- Who is eligible?
3rd- and 4th-year undergraduates with at least 60 credit hours from any accredited college or university and post-baccalaureate students. Previous coursework should include at least one upper-level course in the biological sciences or related discipline, a previous semester at SMSC, or permission from the instructor
Meet the Faculty
Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation
Living and Learning at SMSC
Each cohort (20 or fewer students) lives and studies together on site at the SMSC campus. Students follow an intensive, structured schedule to get the most out of this conservation-focused experience.
- Classroom, lab, or field work 10:00 am – 3 pm, 5 days per week
- A 5-week independent research project working with a conservation mentor to design a study and present your findings to the professional conservation community
- Field experiences at Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute or nearby sites
- Additional seminars and instruction from guests or visiting conservation practitioners
Surveying Wood Turtles
Wood turtles are severely endangered in Virginia and a frequent subject of field study in our classes. We teach students survey methods to monitor their populations to help ensure that the species will survive.
