Graduate Program

IMPORTANT:  Do not apply until you contact the graduate program coordinator.  See below for contact information.

NOTE:  As of 9/1/2023, the department is temporarily suspending applications to the Master of Wildlife Conservation (M.W.C) program.  Please check back periodically for updates.

Since its inception in 1935, the Wildlife Ecology Program at the University of Maine has developed a tradition of excellence in the graduate-level training of wildlife professionals. In recent years, our program also has broadened to be part of interdisciplinary programs in Conservation Biology and Ecology and Environmental Sciences at the University of Maine.  Our graduates work for a wide variety of agencies and organizations across the United States and in many other nations.  With 12 faculty and about 30 graduate students, the graduate program in Wildlife Ecology is large enough to create a stimulating environment but small enough for students to receive individual attention. Close relationships with many federal and state agencies and private conservation organizations provide a substantial funding base and a network for collaborative research. The faculty also are joined in research and graduate student advising by several cooperating faculty and research associates.  Biologists from the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife (IF&W), and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service stationed on or near campus participate in the program and add to the research specialties of the faculty. The Maine Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, a unit of the USGS, is an integral part of the Wildlife Ecology graduate program because it maintains a close liaison among the University, State, and Federal agencies. The University of Maine also has a wealth of programs in ecology and resource management that offer outstanding opportunities for interdisciplinary interaction. Other schools, departments, or programs include Marine Science; Ecology and Environmental Science; Biological Sciences; Geology; Aquaculture; Forest Management; Forest Ecosystem Sciences, Sustainable Agriculture, and Plant, Soils, and Environmental Science.

Degrees

The Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Conservation Biology offers Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Wildlife Ecology and a non-thesis degree, the Master of Wildlife Conservation (M.W.C.). The M.W.C. degree is appropriate for practicing natural resource professionals who wish to update their education, international students who want to be exposed to a U.S. perspective on wildlife conservation, and students who have an outstanding academic record, but who lack a background in biological sciences.

Inquiries and Applications

We post all available graduate assistantships on this website. We strongly encourage potential applicants to apply to specific openings and to discuss their qualifications and interests with faculty. Note that posted assistantships often have unique deadlines and starting dates. Applications for the M.W.C. program are reviewed periodically from January through March for programs that begin in September. Thus March 31 is a deadline but earlier applications are strongly encouraged.

Available Graduate Assistantships

Program Contacts

Graduate Program Coordinator – Sabrina Morano, sabrina.morano@maine.edu, 207.581.2908