Wildlife & Wildlands Conservation MS

Program Purpose

All of our purposes indicated for the undergraduate BS degree, also apply to the graduate degrees in this field. In addition, the MS degree is to provide advanced knowledge and experience in research and management of wildlands and to prepare students for graduate education at the PhD level, when desired.

Curricular Structure

30 credit hours total beyond the BS degree, including 24 coursework hours plus 6 thesis hours as approved by the graduate advisory committee.

Graduate Catalog

Learning Outcomes

Literature Analysis and Synthesis

Synthesize literature relevant to a research project.

Courses that Contribute: None
Linked to BYU Aims: Intellectually Enlarging
Research Design

Design and conduct research applying appropriate scientific and analytical methods.

Courses that Contribute: None
Linked to BYU Aims: Intellectually Enlarging, Lifelong Learning and Service
Effective Communication

Communicate scientific findings effectively via oral presentations and in writing.  

Courses that Contribute: None
Linked to BYU Aims: Intellectually Enlarging

Evidence of Learning

Direct Measures

  1. Faculty review committee scores of research prospecti approved by the advisory committee.
  2. Faculty review committee scores of oral exams and evaluations covering course work and thesis conducted by the advisory committee.
  3. Percentage of MS students presenting their research in a professional setting.
  4. Faculty review committee scores of theses approved by the advisory committee for submission as a professional publication. Percentage acceptance in refereed journals of thesis research over a three year period.

Indirect Measures

  1. Professional employment and advanced degree program placement.
  2. Exit interviews by graduate coordinator.
  3. Alumni surveys.
  4. Number of professional publications from graduate students.

Learning and Teaching Assessment and Improvement

  1. Organize faculty review committee and scoring procedures.
  2. Organize faculty review committee and scoring procedures.
  3. Conduct analysis after three year period.
  4. Organize faculty review committee, develop score criteria, and conduct analysis over three year period.

Collection, Storage, Retrieval, and Predicted Use of Assessment Data

The department graduate committee will work with the secretarial student tracking program to provide data for these assessments. The graduate coordinator will report and make recommendations for any modifications in to the MS program annually.