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Wildlife biology technician education requirements

Updated January 8, 2025
4 min read

There are several educational requirements to become a wildlife biology technician. Wildlife biology technicians usually study biology, ecology, population biology, and epidemiology, or zoology. 74% of wildlife biology technicians hold a bachelor's degree, and 12% hold an associate degree. We analyzed 67 real wildlife biology technician resumes to see exactly what wildlife biology technician education sections show.

The most common colleges for wildlife biology technicians are the Colorado State University and the Colorado State University.

There are also many online wildlife biology technician courses to help get the education required to be a wildlife biology technician.

What education do you need to become a wildlife biology technician?

What degree do you need to be a wildlife biology technician?

The most common degree for wildlife biology technicians is bachelor's degree, with 74% of wildlife biology technicians earning that degree. The second and third most common degree levels are associate degree degree at 12% and associate degree degree at 10%.
  • Bachelor's, 74%
  • Associate, 12%
  • Master's, 10%
  • Diploma, 2%
  • Other Degrees, 2%

What should I major in to become a wildlife biology technician?

You should major in biology to become a wildlife biology technician. 22% of wildlife biology technicians major in biology. Other common majors for a wildlife biology technician include ecology, population biology, and epidemiology and zoology.

Most common colleges for wildlife biology technicians

Wildlife biology technicians often get their degrees at Colorado State University, Purdue University, and Humboldt State University. Here are the most common colleges for wildlife biology technicians in the US based on their resumes.
Wildlife biology technician common collegePercentages
Colorado State University14.81%
Purdue University7.41%
Humboldt State University7.41%
University of Oregon7.41%
Northern Arizona University7.41%

Best majors for wildlife biology technicians

Best colleges for wildlife biology technicians

The best colleges for wildlife biology technicians are Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

A wildlife biology technician with advanced education typically earns a higher salary and has access to better jobs. That's why Zippia looked into the best colleges for wildlife biology technicians. We based this list on several metrics: admissions rate, retention rate, mean earnings of graduates, the ratio of working vs. non-working students ten years after admission, the average cost of attendance, and median debt for graduates who become wildlife biology technicians.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Enrollment

34,564

2. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$56,225

Enrollment

19,548

3. University of California - Davis

Davis, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$14,402

Enrollment

30,698

4. University of Minnesota - Twin Cities

Minneapolis, MN • Private

In-state tuition

$14,760

Enrollment

31,451

5. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$55,188

Enrollment

15,105

6. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Enrollment

18,946

7. San Jose State University

San Jose, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,796

Enrollment

27,125

8. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

In-state tuition

$53,740

Enrollment

5,567

9. University of Massachusetts Amherst

Amherst, MA • Private

In-state tuition

$15,887

Enrollment

23,202

10. Texas A&M University

College Station, TX • Private

In-state tuition

$11,870

Enrollment

53,194

20 best online courses for wildlife biology technicians

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Top 10 most affordable universities for wildlife biology technicians

The most affordable schools for wildlife biology technicians are University of Florida, hunter college of the city university of new york, and brigham young university.

If the best universities for wildlife biology technicians are out of your price range, check out these affordable schools. After factoring in in-state tuition and fees, the average cost of attendance, admissions rate, average net price, and mean earnings after six years, we found that these are the most affordable schools for wildlife biology technicians.

1. University of Florida

Gainesville, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,381

Cost of attendance

21,034

2. Hunter College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,182

Cost of attendance

13,998

3. Brigham Young University

Provo, UT • Private

In-state tuition

$5,620

Cost of attendance

18,136

4. California State University - Bakersfield

Bakersfield, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$7,309

Cost of attendance

16,714

5. California State University - Long Beach

Long Beach, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,798

Cost of attendance

18,306

6. University of South Florida

Tampa, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,410

Cost of attendance

20,456

7. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Chapel Hill, NC • Private

In-state tuition

$8,987

Cost of attendance

25,527

8. Baruch College of the City University of New York

New York, NY • Private

In-state tuition

$7,262

Cost of attendance

14,046

9. Florida International University

Miami, FL • Private

In-state tuition

$6,556

Cost of attendance

19,434

10. California State University - Fullerton

Fullerton, CA • Private

In-state tuition

$6,886

Cost of attendance

17,645

Top 10 hardest universities to get into for wildlife biology technicians

The hardest universities for wildlife biology technicians to get into are Stanford University, Johns Hopkins University, and Northwestern University.

Some great schools for wildlife biology technicians are hard to get into, but they also set your career up for greater success. The list below shows the most challenging universities to get into for wildlife biology technicians based on an institution's admissions rates, average SAT scores accepted, median ACT scores accepted, and mean earnings of students six years after admission.

1. Stanford University

Stanford, CA • Private

Admissions rate

4%

SAT average

1,497

2. Johns Hopkins University

Baltimore, MD • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,513

3. Northwestern University

Evanston, IL • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,508

4. Harvard University

Cambridge, MA • Private

Admissions rate

5%

SAT average

1,520

5. Duke University

Durham, NC • Private

Admissions rate

9%

SAT average

1,516

6. Cornell University

Ithaca, NY • Private

Admissions rate

11%

SAT average

1,471

7. Vanderbilt University

Nashville, TN • Private

Admissions rate

10%

SAT average

1,514

8. University of Pennsylvania

Philadelphia, PA • Private

Admissions rate

8%

SAT average

1,492

9. Columbia University in the City of New York

New York, NY • Private

Admissions rate

6%

SAT average

1,512

10. University of Southern California

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

13%

SAT average

1,445

Top 10 easy-to-apply-to universities for wildlife biology technicians

The easiest schools for wildlife biology technicians to get into are Mount Saint Mary's University, barry university, and adventhealth university.

Some schools are much easier to get into. If you want to start your career as a wildlife biology technician without much hassle, check out the list of schools where you will be accepted in no time. We compiled admissions rates, average SAT scores, average ACT scores, and average salary of students six years after graduation to uncover which were the easiest schools to get into for wildlife biology technicians.

1. Mount Saint Mary's University

Los Angeles, CA • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,031

2. Barry University

Miami, FL • Private

Admissions rate

91%

SAT average

1,006

3. AdventHealth University

Orlando, FL • Private

Admissions rate

87%

SAT average

1,016

4. Notre Dame de Namur University

Belmont, CA • Private

Admissions rate

82%

SAT average

983

5. Notre Dame College

Cleveland, OH • Private

Admissions rate

90%

SAT average

994

6. Saint Joseph's College of Maine

Standish, ME • Private

Admissions rate

84%

SAT average

1,069

7. Cardinal Stritch University

Milwaukee, WI • Private

Admissions rate

71%

SAT average

1,035

8. Fresno Pacific University

Fresno, CA • Private

Admissions rate

85%

SAT average

1,053

9. Our Lady of the Lake University

San Antonio, TX • Private

Admissions rate

93%

SAT average

1,002

10. D'Youville College

Buffalo, NY • Private

Admissions rate

100%

SAT average

1,072

Average wildlife biology technician salary by education level

According to our data, wildlife biology technicians with a Doctorate degree earn the highest average salary, at $38,790 annually. Wildlife biology technicians with a Master's degree earn an average annual salary of $35,147.
Wildlife biology technician education levelWildlife biology technician salary
Master's Degree$35,147
Bachelor's Degree$33,037
Doctorate Degree$38,790

Wildlife biology technician education FAQs

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Updated January 8, 2025

Zippia Research Team
Zippia Team

Editorial Staff

The Zippia Research Team has spent countless hours reviewing resumes, job postings, and government data to determine what goes into getting a job in each phase of life. Professional writers and data scientists comprise the Zippia Research Team.

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