1. Graduate
  2. Fisheries or Wildlife Management Graduate Certificate

Fisheries or Wildlife Management Graduate Certificate

Prospective Students

The Fisheries or Wildlife Management Graduate Certificates prepare you to learn effective solutions to complex challenges that arise in the conservation or management fisheries or wildlife populations. These are flexible programs, with a large number of courses that allow the curriculum to be tailored to fit your interests. Courses can be completed online through Ecampus, at the Corvallis Campus, or both.  Learner Outcomes for Graduate Certificate Students include: Demonstrating proficiency (GPA of 3.0 or better) in graduate-level coursework in fisheries or wildlife ecology and human dimensions of resource management. Integrating biological and social science in a capstone research paper designed for a specific audience: science, management agency, or the general public. Synthesizing scientific information from a variety of sources and demonstrating research skills through a project proposal, outline, and revision process, as well as correct citation and documentation of sources in the capstone project. Read more about our learning outcomes.

For questions about either program, contact the Graduate Program Coordinator, or learn more about How To Apply to the Graduate Certificates Program.   

Current Students

Advising Guide

Welcome to the Fisheries Management or Wildlife Management graduate certificate programs offered through the Fisheries, Wildlife, and Conservation Sciences department in the College of Agricultural Sciences at Oregon State University. We want your time here to help you reach your professional goals. This document provides students enrolled in a graduate certificate offered through the FWCS department with critical information needed to manage their academic studies. Please review the entire document after you’ve been admitted and refer to it as needed throughout your course of study. This is a living document so please take note of the date edited at the bottom of the first page.

View advising guide.

Curricula

Fisheries Management Graduate Certificate

Students are required to take a minimum of one course from our Human Dimensions area, Fishery Biology (FW 554), additional coursework (up to 15 credits total) from the Fisheries Science and Ecology area, and a Capstone Paper (3 credits). You need at least 18 credits of approved coursework to earn the certificate, 9 of these must meet stand-alone requirements. Fisheries Management Graduate Certificate Requirements

Current students should use the term they were admitted to determine their appropriate curriculum (below) or they can elect to follow the most current curriculum.  
2024-25 Curriculum:
Previous Curricula:

 

Wildlife Management Graduate Certificate

Students are required to take a minimum of one course from our Human Dimensions area, additional coursework (up to 15 credits total) from the Wildlife Sciences Core, and a Capstone Paper (3 credits). You need at least 18 credits of approved coursework to earn the certificate, 9 of these must meet stand-alone requirements. Wildlife Management Graduate Certificate Requirements

Current students should use the term they were admitted to determine their appropriate curriculum (below) or they can elect to follow the most current curriculum. 
2024-25 Curriculum:
Previous Curricula:

Capstone Projects

The Capstone component of your graduate certificate provides an opportunity for you to refine your thinking about your career goals, network with fisheries or wildlife professionals who work for an agency, non-governmental organization, or university, and learn more about an emerging or persistent fisheries/wildlife conservation or management issue.

This document contains all the steps needed to get started on your capstone project. 

Meet your Advisors  

Dr. Susie Piacenza, Dr. Scarlett Arbuckle, and Dr. Susie Dunham advise students in all of our graduate programs and bring 30+ years of professional expertise in the fisheries, wildlife and conservation arena. We can assist you with questions about registration, course selection, and continuous enrollment policies and other University policies that apply to all graduate students. They can also help you plan for your capstone project and provide insight on how the graduate certificate can work as part of a larger plan for professional development.  

If you would like to schedule an appointment with an advisor, you can do so using the following links below their contact information. These links can be used to schedule phone or Zoom appointments. You’re also welcome to email us with questions at any time!
 

Dr. Scarlett Arbuckle (she/her) 
Fisheries Management Advising 

scarlett.arbuckle@oregonstate.edu 
View Profile
Book an Appointment with Scarlett

Dr. Susie Piacenza (she/her)
Wildlife Management Certificate Advising

susan.piacenza@oregonstate.edu 
View Profile
Book an Appointment with Susie Piacenza
For advice on transitioning to an online Masters program.

Dr. Susie Dunham (she/her)

susie.dunham@oregonstate.edu 
View Profile
Book an Appointment with Susie

Graduating and looking for a Job? 

Students looking for a job can peruse our Job Board list, check our FW Job Board and sign up for our OSU FW job listserv that is distributed as a weekly digest to subscribers. 

New Federal regulations require institutions to report certain information about educational programs that lead to gainful employment in recognized occupations.

For answers you didn’t find here, please contact our Graduate Program Coordinator, at fw.gradadvising@oregonstate.edu.