Program Overview

Conservation Science and Management

Work with, and within, nature

The Bachelor of Science in Conservation Science and Management is a robust, science-based interdisciplinary program that prepares students to critically evaluate natural resource problems and solutions, as well as preserve and manage biodiversity. Successful majors will gain the broad knowledge, analytical skills, hands-on field and laboratory experiences necessary to be informed citizens and effective professionals in their fields.

Learn More About This Program

Students majoring in the Conservation Science and Management program will learn a broad range of skills including environmental and ecological problem solving, natural resource management, and professional networking. Students will learn to develop and implement conservation plans, conduct natural resource surveys and inventories, manage habitats, and work with our local community (campus included) to generate solutions to environmental and natural resource problems. This skillset will help graduates of this program be effective conservation professionals in a wide range of fields including conservation organizations, government agencies, academic or educational professions, and private consulting firms.

Program Objectives

1. Students will explain fundamental principles (scientific, philosophical, sociopolitical, economic, historic, and technological) that underlie environmental issues in our society.
2. Students will identify and analyze environmental problems in society and community.
3. Students will analyze, document, and report research both in writing and orally.

Cool Spring River Campus

Students and faculty roll up their sleeves and collaborate at Shenandoah’s 195-acre River Campus at Cool Spring Battlefield. This historic property, located along the Shenandoah River in Virginia, was integral to the July 18, 1864, Battle of Cool Spring, and it serves as not only a living laboratory for history and the environmental studies programs but also a recreational space for students and the general public.

Tailor This Major to Your Interests

Students interested in this program should also look into these other majors, graduate degrees, minors, and certificates.

• Complementary Majors:
  • Biology
  • Chemistry
  • Public Health
  • Data Science and Applied Mathematics
• Some students in this program choose to continue their education by earning a graduate degree:
  • Ecology
  • Entomology
  • Forest Science
  • Wildlife Conservation
  • Geography, GIS, and Remote Sensing

Classes

Curriculum

For a Bachelor of Science in Conservation Science and Management, students need to complete 44 credits of Core Courses and 6 credits of Elective Courses with a C- or above.

• BIO 121: General Biology I
• BIO 122: General Biology II
• BIO 321: Ecology
• BIO 325: Animal Behavior
• BIO 330: Parasitology
• BIO 344: Plant Morphology
• BIO 351: Vertebrate Zoology
• CHEM 121: General Chemistry I
• CHEM 122: General Chemistry II
• CHEM 301: Organic Chemistry I
• CHEM 302: Organic Chemistry II
• CHEM 331: Biochemistry I
• CHEM 332: Biochemistry II
• ES 101: Introduction to Environmental Studies
• ES 105: Field Natural History
• ES 290: Environmental Issues Seminar
• ES 295: Wildlife Ecology and Habitat Management
• ES 300: Geographic Information Systems and Mapping
• ES 319: Environmental Policy and Programs
• ES 340: Environmental Education
• ES 390: Environmental Research Seminar
• ES 395: Topics in Environmental Studies
• ES 399: Directed Study
• ES 401: Environmental Studies Internship
• ES 419: Community and Regional Studies
• ES 421: Environmental Sampling and Analysis
• ES 452: Applied Conservation Ecology
• ES 492: Environmental Research Project
• GEO 454: Our Eastern Forests: History, Ecology, and Change
• GEOL 201: Physical Geology
• GEOL 450: Stream Assessment and Restoration
• MATH 207: Introduction to Statistics
• MATH 208: Applied Statistics Concepts and Methods
• MCOM 318: Environmental Communication

This program requires a minor; these minors complement this program well:

• Biology
• Chemistry
• Public Health
• Computer Science
• Data Science
• Virtual Reality Design

Meet the Faculty

View all Environmental Studies Faculty.