Hi everybody!
I’ve been lurking here for a while but haven’t found any posts from people with a similar background to me, so I wanted to get some advice myself.
I’m really interested in making a career in international wildlife conservation from a policy/management level, specifically with applications to wildlife crime if possible. I just recently finished my undergrad degree last May double majoring in Biology and International Relations, and after working for a year I wanted to go back to grad school to focus and get some more experience so I can actually find a job that’s in-line with my career interests.
I’ve gotten accepted to Duke’s Nicholas School (Master’s of Environmental Management), Columbia (Master’s of Public Administration with a focus in Environmental Science and Policy), U of Indiana-Bloomington (Joint MPA/MS in Environmental Policy and Science), and U of Michigan (MS in Environmental Science with a focus in Conservation Ecology). One thing that’s important to me is that I have a substantial, rigorous scientific background in addition to any policy-level education I get so that I have a robust understanding of the ecology of any species or ecosystems I’m working to protect. That said, I am definitely planning on adding policy and economics courses (potentially a joint major at Duke) in addition to science courses, so I understand that it’s difficult to have it both ways.
Again, my end goal is to work on conservation in government agencies, intergovernmental organizations, or NGOs with an international scope. I haven’t yet been able to tour any of the schools (I’m living in San Diego) and I also am waiting to hear back from Yale FES.
If anyone can comment, I would really appreciate feedback on any of the schools or programs I’ve listed. I’ll try and clarify anything if the original post was missing any info.
Thanks again!