How hard is it to become a wildlife biologist?

Becoming a wildlife biologist can be challenging as it requires strong academics and practical experience, as well as a deep understanding of various species and ecosystems. The challenge in becoming a wildlife biologist primarily lies in the extensive education and training that are required. To start, an aspiring wildlife biologist must first earn a bachelor's degree in biology, wildlife biology, ecology, or a related field. This takes around four years to complete and involves studying subjects like zoology, chemistry, physics, biostatistics, calculus, and ecology.

How To Become A Wildlife Biologist: What It Is and Career Path

What is a wildlife biologist and how to become one

Updated January 8, 2025

3 min read

Quoted Experts

John Turbeville Ph.D.,

Louis Santiago Ph.D.

It's amazing how intriguing the wildlife habitat is. They have an altogether different dimension to life. Having said that, if the wildlife intrigue you too, and if you have studied enough about it, why not pursue a career as a Wildlife Biologist?

While the job is fascinating, there is interesting stuff to do as well. For example, you will have to study the ecosystem, do research studies, work to save endangered species, plan conservative processes, write reports, and interact with wildlife rehabilitators. Apart from the mentioned skills, you must have a minimum of a bachelor's degree. However, a master's degree or doctorate is preferred. You should have studied zoology, botany, wildlife physiology, and related subjects.

Moreover, you must have a professional designation of Certified Wildlife Biologist (CWB). The applicants must have at least five years of professional experience and should meet the educational requirements. Talking about the salary, the average is about $62,000, and it can go up to $100,000 annually if you are amongst the top Wildlife Biologist.

What general advice would you give to a Wildlife Biologist?

John Turbeville Ph.D.

Senior Assistant Dean for Student Affairs/Director of Career Services, SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry

There is no particular fix, or one size fits all approach to job searching. The ability to successfully network and engage in an ongoing way, in various career-related opportunities, is still the best strategy for success, even in uncertain times like these. Students may have additional opportunities made available to them because of the digital/remote nature of how many organizations are engaging in their recruitment-allowing graduates the ability to experience more, in a shorter period, without limitations of location or travel, that very often enter into considerations surrounding the job search. With that said, however, knowing there is a durable full-time, seasonal nature to early employment opportunities for biology grads, we would expect this to be more prevalent as the economy begins to recover. Demand for graduates in the public health-related fields will likely continue to be high, but graduates will probably need to be even more flexible in starting their careers. Not in the sense that they will need to take positions "out of their field," but instead, that they will need to be more open to relocating for the right opportunities to engage their passions and interests.

ScoreWildlife BiologistUS Average

Salary

4.0

Avg. Salary $51,084

Avg. Salary $59,228

Stability Level

6.4

Growth Rate 1%

Growth Rate 0.3%

Diversity

5.2

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 0.71%

Asian 10.41%

Black or African American 3.04%

Hispanic or Latino 8.55%

Unknown 5.30%

White 71.99%

Gender

female 37.24%

male 62.76%

Age - 39

Race

American Indian and Alaska Native 3.00%

Asian 7.00%

Black or African American 14.00%

Hispanic or Latino 19.00%

White 57.00%

Gender

female 47.00%

male 53.00%

Age - 39

Stress Level

6.4

Stress level is manageable

7.1 - high

Complexity Level

10.0

Complexity Level is advanced

7 - challenging

Work Life Balance

5.5

Work Life balance is fair

6.4 - fair

Newest jobs for Wildlife Biologist in ,

Receive alerts for the newest job postings.

Key steps to become a wildlife biologist

Explore wildlife biologist education requirements

Most common wildlife biologist degrees

Bachelor's

80.9 %

Master's

9.4 %

Associate

5.6 %

Start to develop specific wildlife biologist skills

Skills	Percentages
USDA	13.34%
Wildlife Species	9.12%
GIS	6.73%
Harvest	5.93%
GPS	5.36%

Complete relevant wildlife biologist training and internships

Accountants spend an average of 6-12 months on post-employment, on-the-job training. New wildlife biologists learn the skills and techniques required for their job and employer during this time. The chart below shows how long it takes to gain competency as a wildlife biologist based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics data and data from real wildlife biologist resumes.

Research wildlife biologist duties and responsibilities

Utilize ArcGIS to create navigational maps, as well as uploading, managing and analyzing data for habitat suitability.
Create and manage multidisciplinary, interagency research teams.
Perform nuisance wildlife removal for animals such as squirrels, bats, raccoons, opossums, snakes, and skunks.
Complete regulatory compliance and permitting documentation for projects requiring ESA consultations including preparation of biological opinions.

Prepare your wildlife biologist resume

When your background is strong enough, you can start writing your wildlife biologist resume.

You can use Zippia's AI resume builder to make the resume writing process easier while also making sure that you include key information that hiring managers expect to see on a wildlife biologist resume. You'll find resume tips and examples of skills, responsibilities, and summaries, all provided by Zippi, your career sidekick.

Choose From 10+ Customizable Wildlife Biologist Resume templates

Build a professional Wildlife Biologist resume in minutes. Browse through our resume examples to identify the best way to word your resume. Then choose from 10+ resume templates to create your Wildlife Biologist resume.

Apply for wildlife biologist jobs

Now it's time to start searching for a wildlife biologist job. Consider the tips below for a successful job search:

Browse job boards for relevant postings
Consult your professional network
Reach out to companies you're interested in working for directly
Watch out for job scams

How do wildlife biologists rate their job?