Environmental Biology and Conservation Major

Make a lasting impact. For the environment and your future.

Are you passionate about conserving our natural resources? Do you have an interest in working with wildlife? If you want to pursue a career working with nature — or if you’re inspired to leave the world a better place for future generations — the environmental biology and conservation major can provide you with the know-how to help people and nature coexist and thrive in an ever-changing world.

The environmental biology and conservation major prepares you for career opportunities in the environmental field, including conservation biology, natural resource management, environmental education, environmental toxicology, aquatic biology, water quality management, fisheries biology, wildlife ecology, and zoology.

Location is everything, and at Saint Mary’s, a diverse ecosystem is right in your backyard. The Winona Campus is nestled in the bluffs of the Mississippi River watershed in the Driftless Region with a hiking/skiing trail system and trout stream running through campus. Numerous opportunities for outdoor recreation, ranging from state parks to the Upper Mississippi River National Wildlife & Fish Refuge, are a short drive from campus. Here, learning about biodiversity is just as exciting as discovering it.

Are you also passionate about natural resources management, including wildlife ecology and forestry? The natural resources management minor can enhance your educational experience and broaden your career prospects. When you pursue the natural resources management minor, you’ll have the opportunity to intern with GeoSpatial Services (GSS), developing a dynamic spatial analysis skill set desired by employers and giving you the competitive edge as you enter the workforce.

Program Highlights

Explore biodiversity with science and technology with this minor. Discover a diverse ecosystem that’s so close — you can see it from anywhere on campus. Plus, intern with GeoSpatial Services (GSS) and gain hands-on experience you can take with you, wherever your path leads you.

Program Features:

What Makes it Special:

Internship with GeoSpatial Services (GSS) for a unique hands-on experience
Diverse ecosystem steps from campus
Minor in natural resources management or chemistry

What You'll Learn

What You’ll Learn

Ecological and conservation topics; biodiversity, evolution, and population genetics
Skill-building experience with a variety of field and lab methods
Ecological field-based and lab-based research; spatial analysis
Scientific literacy skills to interpret scientific reports
Effective communication skills to report scientific findings

Change the world, just like Katrina.

Katrina Danzinger had the opportunity to travel to Alaska to take part in an ocean debris removal expedition with the Ocean Plastics Recovery Project.

Watch the video and read more about her incredible journey.

Course Catalog

View course catalog

Careers that look to the future.

Careers in natural resource management are critical in wildlife resource management, wildlife ecology, fisheries, and forestry. In-demand careers requiring spatial analysis skills are needed in public health, city planning, emergency services, crime management, natural resources enforcement, business development, and archeology. GIS technologists and technicians have an annual salary of $92,870.¹

Agricultural Engineer

$82,640

Conservation scientist

$63,750

Zoologist

$64,650

Wildlife conservationist