Wildlife Tourism Certificate

Program Description

The Central Lakes College Natural Resources Program provides students a well-rounded background in natural resources, preparing them for work in a variety of fields including wildlife and fisheries management, forestry, water resources, or parks and interpretation.  The natural resources core courses include a strong outdoor laboratory component which allows students to reinforce classroom learning by applying it in environmental settings.

The outdoor focus, a cornerstone of the program, also prepares students to work safely and effectively in the field, skills critically important to potential employers.  The relatively small size of the Natural Resources Program allows students full access to their instructors and to get to know other students and forge life-long friendships.

Program Outcomes

By completing this program, students will achieve the following learning outcomes:

• Demonstrate field identification of regionally important plants, mammals, birds and fish and their communities;
• Use a broad range of technological tools to research, document, map, measure, record and analyze data relevant to natural resources;
• Interpret how ecological relationships influence plants, mammals, birds and fish distribution, succession and biodiversity in ecosystems;
• Analyze land characteristics and create land management plans;
• Communicate in oral and written forms with supervisors, peers, area visitors and natural resource agencies;
• Navigate and safely function in an outdoor workplace.

Career Opportunities

People in the natural resource field often become involved with issues like biodiversity, environmental pollution, endangered species, and the future quality of human life. To prepare for this field, students will gain the skills needed for assessing, implementing and evaluating land and water practices as part of an integrated wildlife program. Graduates in natural resources use their knowledge and develop skills in forestry, fisheries, wildlife, and parks and recreation. They have learned the identification of organisms, methods for collecting data, and resource management principles

Graduation Requirements

In addition to the program requirements, students must meet the following conditions in order to graduate:
1. College Cumulative GPA Requirement: Cumulative grade point average (GPA) of credits attempted and completed at CLC must be at least 2.0;
2. College Technical Core GPA Requirement: Cumulative GPA of credits attempted and completed towards the technical core of the diploma or degree must be at least 2.0;
3. Residency Requirement: students must complete 25% of their credits at Central Lakes College.

Employment Statistics

For more information regarding employment statistics, career salary information and estimated job growth, follow the resource links below:

https://apps.deed.state.mn.us/lmi/ces/
http://www.bls.gov/ooh/home.htm
http://www.iseek.org/jobs/jobmarket.html