Conservation Biology Major

Conservation Biology Major

The Conservation Biology Major is a science-based major designed to provide students broad training in biological, ecological, and related disciplines most relevant to conservation. The program emphasizes basic knowledge of natural history, whole organism biology, ecological interactions, and conservation biology. The major is characterized by flexibility with a broad range of opportunities allowing students to tailor the program to their interests. This major appeals to independent students capable of assembling a curriculum that takes maximum advantage of both diversity and specialization of course options, as well as the breadth available through an L&S major. Our program has a unique appeal to students passionate about conservation biology, from the social scientist to the theoretical ecologist, and empowers students to act as informed citizens of the natural world.  Many students get involved in the Wisconsin Chapter of the Society for Conservation Biology Student Chapter.

Aldo Leopold, former UW professor and founder of the Department of Wildlife Management and Norman Fassett, former UW professor of Botany and leader in plant classification, first initiated this major in the 1940s to prepare individuals for careers as game wardens, ranger naturalists, and museum workers. These opportunities continue and have expanded to include work in environmental education; forest, game and park management; endangered species research and recovery efforts; and work with private conservation organizations.   The major is recommended for those seeking a liberal arts education in the intrinsic values of natural resources and those preparing for graduate study in the rapidly developing fields, like Environmental Conservation, Fresh Water & Marine Sciences or Professional GIS Programs.

Land Acknowledgment

The University of Wisconsin–Madison occupies ancestral Ho-Chunk land, a place their nation has called Teejop (day-JOPE) since time immemorial. In an 1832 treaty, the Ho-Chunk were forced to cede this territory. Decades of ethnic cleansing followed when both the federal and state government repeatedly, but unsuccessfully, sought to forcibly remove the Ho-Chunk from Wisconsin. This history of colonization informs our shared future of collaboration and innovation.

Learn more through resources such as UW-Madison’s Our Shared Future  which represents UW–Madison’s commitment to respect the inherent sovereignty of the Ho-Chunk Nation and the other First Nations of Wisconsin. It is a first step that calls on each of us—faculty, staff, and students—to deeply consider our shared past and present with Indigenous peoples in this place, Teejop, and to make our own personal and institutional commitments to achieve a shared future.

Explore, Learn, and Reflect

Mapping Teejop is a digital mapping project that guides users on Indigenous walking tours of the UW-Madison campus, created through partnership between our American Indian & Indigenous Studies Program and the Department of Geography’s Cartography Lab. Mapping Teejop provides content and context for visitors to learn about Ho-Chunk and Native history and presence at the University of Wisconsin, a region long known as Teejop, and also opportunities for critical and self-reflection.