Population and Conservation Biology (MS)

Population and Conservation Biology

Students receive training in theoretical, experimental, and practical aspects of population and conservation science.

Program Overview

The program introduces students to contemporary issues in population and conservation biology through population biology seminars. The seminars allow small groups of students to study closely with faculty members with similar research interests and create a scholarly cohort that becomes an integral component of the scientific community at Texas State.

Course Work

The Master of Science (M.S.) with a major in Population and Conservation Biology is a research degree requiring at least two years of full-time course work and the completion of a thesis. The program combines principles of population biology with training in measurement and analysis of biological systems. First-year students complete a two-semester core-course sequence in principles of population biology as well as statistics and experimental design.

The second year includes a two-semester seminar sequence in population biology and elective courses. The seminar courses pair small groups of students with faculty who conduct research in current topics, including theoretical advances, contemporary research and methodological issues. Students specialize in sub-disciplines of the field with their electives.

Program Details

Students are successful at receiving competitive grants and publishing their research in top-tier journals. Graduates are positioned to pursue professional careers and are exceptional candidates for entering Ph.D. programs.

Program Mission

The objectives of the M.S. degree in population and conservation biology are to:

• offer students a high quality, quantitatively rigorous program with an emphasis on population and conservation biology
• provide students with knowledge and skills to enter a highly competitive, but growing job market in natural resource management and ecology
• prepare students for advanced studies in ecology, behavioral ecology, conservation biology, population, and evolutionary biology, systematics, and biodiversity studies

Student creativity and independence are valued by all faculty.

Career Options

Graduates of this high-quality, rigorous program have the knowledge and skills to enter a highly competitive and growing job market in natural resource management and ecology. Graduates with master’s degrees in population and conservation biology are also prepared for advanced doctoral studies in ecology, behavioral ecology, conservation biology, population and evolutionary biology, systematics and biodiversity studies.

Program Faculty

Population and conservation biology faculty are internationally known researchers in the field. They are widely published in top-tier journals including Science, Molecular Ecology, Trends in Ecology and Evolution, Evolution, Behavioral Ecology, The American Naturalist, and Conservation Biology. They have received extensive external grant funding from a variety of sources including the National Science Foundation and serve as officers, board members, and editorial staff members for professional societies. In addition, they are engaged and award-winning teachers.