University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture Awarded First Accreditation for Wildlife and Fisheries Management Concentration in the Nation

The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture is now home to the first and only professionally accredited wildlife and fisheries management program in the United States. The Society of American Foresters has granted accreditation to the wildlife and fisheries management concentration of study within the wildlife and fisheries science major in the College of Agricultural Sciences and Natural Resources at the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture.

Graduates of the Wildlife and Fisheries Management concentration are the only students in the world that can claim they have completed a wildlife and fisheries major that is both accredited and that allows them to become a certified wildlife biologist. The program develops a mastery learning approach that emphasizes practical, hands-on experiences, research, and educational outreach for sustainable management of natural resources.

While some wildlife and fisheries majors may grant graduates the title of being a “Certified Wildlife Biologist,” the degree programs themselves are not certified with only the graduates of those programs getting certification. Additionally, accreditation involves rigorous evaluation of the entire program, including a peer review process which is conducted on site by a selected visiting team and extensive review and deliberations of the Society of American Foresters Committee on Accreditation. The University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture will stand in history as being the first institution to host such an exceptional program.

For more information on the University of Tennessee Institute of Agriculture and the Forestry, Wildlife and Fisheries program, read more here.