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Graduate Program

Graduate Program

Graduate Program

Our institute offers a M.S. graduate program in wildlife, mainly focusing on non-marine vertebrates. As a multi-disciplinary science, which includes human dimension, natural resource management, environmental science, recreation tourism, agriculture and social science, our program of wildlife conservation will open to the students from various backgrounds. Candidates for the M.S. degree must complete at least 30 credits, and five credits in required courses (Seminar, Wildlife Research, and Practice of Wildlife Research) must be included. A qualified master thesis (6 credits), in combination with oral exam, must be accomplished in 4 years to fulfill the graduation requirement.

Required Courses

Thesis 6 R All faculties
After a well-designed project being properly practiced by students, he/she will give a presentation, summit a written report before a deadline, and attain the knowledge of the skills and practice of oral presentation. Discussions among teachers and students will improve the quality of his/her research.

Seminar 2 R M.H. Hwang
G.J. Weng
This course aims at making students understanding and learning the scope of wildlife conservation task, and enhancing students' interest in wildlife conservation issues.

Technique of Wildlife Survey 2 R M.H. Hwang
This is a course for students to understand the methods of population survey, food habit, habitat use, and behavior. The course includes animal trapping and marking, aging, and sexing, habitat measurement, fauna survey techniques, and food habit analysis.

Technique of Wildlife Survey Practice 1 R M.H. Hwang
This is a course for students to understand the methods of population survey, food habit, habitat use, and behavior. The course includes animal trapping and marking, aging, and sexing, habitat measurement, fauna survey techniques, and food habit analysis.

Education of Field Research Safety 1 R M.H. Hwang
Field studies in Taiwan often face difficult challenges because of the rugged terrain and complicated climate. Besides the academic knowledge, researchers need to have comprehensive knowledge and skills for working in the wild. This course will involve various experienced professionals from related fields. Through lectures and outdoor practices, the objective is to enhance the knowledge of and capacity in the wilderness, including ethics, safety, emergency response and communication system. The course goal is to reduce the risk of field research and fulfill the survey mission.


Selective Courses

Mammalogy 3 S H.H. Su
The course is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of mammals. Specific topics include the evolutionary and biogeographic history of mammals, the diversity of structures and functions exhibited by different orders and families of mammals, and attributes of their behavior, ecology, population dynamic, reproduction, and physiology. Additionally, it will embrace techniques of field study, methods of data collection, and conservation for mammals. Except for an emphasis on a global pattern, we will introduce and analyze the ecological study and conservation status of various mammals in Taiwan.

Ornithology 3 S G.J. Weng
The aims of this course is to let student understand the related field in bird's classification, evolution, physiology, flight, behavior, territory, breeding, mating system, population, migration, navigation, ecology, and conservation.

Migratory Bird Ecology 3 S Y.H. Sun
This course focuses on the behavior, population dynamics, habitat, and community of migratory birds, especially for raptors, waterfowl, wading birds, and shorebirds.

Human Dimension on Natural Conservation 3 S J.C. Pei
After a well-designed project being properly practiced by students, he/she will give a presentation, summit a written report before a deadline, and attain the knowledge of the skills and practice of oral presentation. Discussions among teachers and students will improve the quality of his/her research.

Behavioral Ecology 3 S M.H. Hwang
Behavioral Ecology is the study of animal behavior from an evolutionary perspective. The course emphasizes the function of behavior and how it allows animals to adapt to the demands of their ecological and social environments. Topics will includes the role and mechanism of behaviors in foraging, predator-prey interactions, habitat selection and spacing, communication, aggregation, sexual selection, mating system, and parental care, and group living. The course also introduces methods for the observation and quantification of behavior in order to accomplish an independent study project.

Experimental Design in Ecological Researches 3 S G.J. Weng
This course introduces principles and components of experimental design and discusses common problems and mistakes in ecological field experiments. The contents include how to ask a question, components of experimental design, sampling methods, hypothesis testing, pseudoreplication, confounding effect, and experimental design in various ecosystems.

Conservation Genetics 3 S G.J. Weng
This course introduces the biodiversity at the gene level aiming to make students understand the relationship between genetic composition and the health and survival of wildlife populations and further discusses goals and operations of genetic management of wildlife populations. The contents include introduction of genetics, evolution of genetic composition, genetic issues of wildlife populations, and the practices of conserving genetic diversity of wildlife.

Herpetology 3 S T.H. Chen
This course is to study evolution, taxonomy, physiology, ecology and behavior of amphibians and reptiles. This course emphasizes on the importance of conservation in amphibians and reptiles as well.

Special Topics on Mammals 3 S H.H. Su
The aim of this course is to enhance student's research ability in mammals through the process of discussion or field study.

Special Topics on Ornithology 3 S Y.H. Sun
The content of this course emphasizes some interested subjects of students in ornithology, through the works of reading and discussion, in order to gain a better understanding of birds.

Wetland Ecology and Management 3 S T.H. Chen
This course includes the following topics: definition, composition, and function of wetlands; basics of hydrology, wetland hydrology, interaction between organisms and hydrology; wetland soils, chemical reactions, and elemental circulation; structural and physical adaptation to wetlands in animals and plants; succession of wetland plant community; ecology of vertebrate and invertebrates in wetlands; generation and succession of wetland ecosystem, circulation of materials and energy; introduction to coastal and inland wetlands; introduction to wetland policies and regulations in the US; introduction to wetlands in Taiwan; wetland management objectives and techniques, wetland loss, reestablishment, creation, and transformation; possible impacts of global change on wetlands.

Landscape Ecology 3 S J.C. Pei
This course discusses the phenomenon of the heterogeneity of the major terrestrial ecosystems on the earth, such as forest, grassland, wetland, farmland, etc. Important topics include: the concepts and principles of landscape ecology, the diversity of landscape, the concepts and functions of patches, the origins and structures of the corridor, matrix and its heterogeneity, the configuration and development of landscapes, the changes of and interaction between landscapes, landscape dynamics, and landscape management.

Special Topics on Conservation Biology 3 S T.H. Chen
This course focuses on ecological and evolutionary principles relevant to conservation, levels of and threats to biodiversity, and practical aspects of conservation. The objectives will cover: 1) principles of ecology and evolution concepts and practical actions in conservation biology; 2) current questions being addressed by conservation oriented research; 3) threats to biological diversity in terrestrial and aquatic systems; 4) conservation and management aimed at protecting natural areas, biodiversity, and endangered species; 5) issues surrounding the politics and economics of conservation.

Wildlife Population Ecology 3 S T.H. Chen
This course will introduce the definition, objective and history of environmental education. Students will learns to understand the complicated interaction between human beings and environments and the related issues through the science and human dimension perspectives. Students are also encouraged to explore and concern various local or global environmental issues and crisis to increase the required knowledge, skill and values. Environmental education itself is an education process. Thus, the course will also involve comprehensive class discussion to inspire students developing meaningful and life-experience related learning for understanding the connection between knowledge, values, action and emotion, and then cultivating a citizen with environmental action.

Environmental Education 3 S H.J. Wu
This course is designed to introduce major models in population ecology with an emphasis on their application to conservation of wildlife species. Topics will include density-independent and density-dependent growth models, stochastic model, age-structured matrix models, life tables, spatial structure and metapopulations, dispersal, habitat selection and source-sink dynamics, competition models, predator-prey model, population harvesting in the field studies.

Independent Study on Primate Conservation 3 S H.H. Su
This course is to study conservation issues of primates and their habitats. By understanding the high diversity in behavior and ecology of primates, we are able to work out various tactics to conserve the precious primate populations in the world.

Independent Study on Carnivore Conservation 3 S M.H. Hwang
The course is designed to give students a comprehensive understanding and appreciation of carnivores and principles of carnivore conservation, and further to inspire their broad-spectrum concern on conservation issues. Course topics include: (1) theory of carnivore behavior, ecology, and evolution; (2) disciplines and case study of conserving carnivores; and (3) performance of biological, socio-economical, political issues pertinent to the field of conserving carnivores.

Independent Study on Raptor Conservation 3 S Y.H. Sun
This course focuses on the introduction to world raptors, ecology, research techniques, status, and conservation strategy. And by taking this course students who are interested in such field can have better training and education.

Data Analysis in Ecology 3 S G.J. Weng
This course introduces basic concepts of statistics, statistics in ecology, and survey and data analysis methods in wildlife research.

Wildlife Management 3 S K.C. Pei
This course aims at applying ecology and behavior of wildlife on managing human-wildlife interactions and conflict, as well as wildlife habitats. We emphasize on behavior and ecology of wildlife, and deal with management issues of human-wildlife conflict from primates, deer, wild boars and birds of family Ardeidae. The application of ecological corridors to wildlife habitat management is to be discussed. The course will be delivered by lectures, laboratory and field trips to study sites for wildlife-management relevant research.

Environmental Ethics 3 S H.J. Wu
Global natural resources have been decreasing due to unwise development and overuse. Climate change and warming caused by pollution has led to tremendous impact on earth. Solution regarding how to stop the degradation of earth environment depends not only on technology but on the acknowledging about the basic value of protecting the environment. As such further movement can be activated. This course aims to let students discuss our roles in the environment, ways of dealing with the environmental issues and value of our living world by the viewpoint of philosophy and ethic. The contents of this course is to introduce environmental ethic and issues by lecturing, reading and discussion. In the end, students can get a better understanding and appreciation on environmental ethic, have a sense of environment, and learn how to analyze the issue and come up with solution.

Advanced Forest and Wildlife Ecology 3 S H.H. Su
The course is designed to help students to familiarize students with essential concepts, terminology, and issues in forest science and forest ecosystem management, and further to develop a problem-solving ability by integrating across disciplines and at various scales. It emphasized specifically on ecological processes, function and value of forests, linkages between forests and wildlife, sustainability and adaptive management of forests, and alternative management techniques and their potential effects on habitat, diversity and productivity. Information in the text, assigned readings, class presentations, and field trips will enhance students to conduct extensive and creative discussions.

Wildlife Damage Control 3 S Y.H. Sun
This course allows students to realize the patters of wildlife damage on human safety, agriculture, public sanitation, traffic business, and ecology, and their specific control methods applied in the world.

Advance in Urban and Suburban Ecology 3 S H.H. Su
Wildlife communities in urban and suburban ecosystem are not only unique, but also high in conservation priority. This course will provide the latest studies in wildlife or landscape ecology in the urban and suburban ecosystem, as well as theoretical development and their application in conservation action. Discussion will focus on terrestrial vertebrates, especially birds and mammals.

Wildlife Habitat Management 3 S Y.H. Sun
This course intends to let students explore the nature of interactions between territorial wildlife, and learning the techniques of habitat management in controlling wildlife population.

Advanced Study of Conservation Medicine 3 S C.C. Chen
With the rapid changes of our environments, the interface between ecosystem health, animal health (both wild and domestic) and human health has been gradually concerned. Conservation medicine is an emerging field that is a synthesis of the fields of veterinary medicine, public health, ecology and natural resources, and the principles of conservation biology, biogeography, population genetics, economics, sociology, anthropology and other disciplines to understand and maintain biodiversity. The course aims to (1) provide students from various backgrounds with the opportunity to learn and explore the linkage between and principles of conservation biology and medicine, and (2) connect the concepts and research findings to real world conservation problems in order to seek strategies to minimize the crisis through understanding the ecology and fauna of Taiwan.

Teaching Methods and Material in Environmental Education 3 S H.J. Wu
This course introduces a series of methods and material required for performing environmental education.The objectives are not only to improve students’ understanding about the purposes, theories and practices, but also gradually lead students to apply the basic concepts to design and evaluate interpretative works, and to transfer scientific information or literatures into various environmental education programs. We expect students to implement the “Think globally, act locally” concept through improving their awareness and concern on the biological conservation and issues of environmental education, along with enhancing required skills and ability in outreach programs.

Independent Study on Conservation Genetics 3 S G.J. Weng
This course is an advanced extension from conservation genetics. The purpose of this course is to instruct students to apply genetics on wildlife ecology and conservation and also provide hands-on experiences. The contents will cover the analysis of phylogeny, parentage, bottleneck events, and population differentiation. Besides, this course can be tailored according to students’ needs and provide, but is not limited to, the following topics: molecular evolution, coalescence theory, isolation with migration model, population viability analysis, wildlife genetic management. Classes include lectures, software operation and lab when necessary.

Management of Wildlife Diseases 3 S C.C. Chen
The objective of this course is to deliver perspectives on the theory and practical management of disease in wildlife. The course content includes the epidemiology of wildlife diseases and the effects of disease on wildlife population. In addition, this course introduces the strategies of wildlife disease management, focusing on pathogen, host and environment.

Ecology of Wildlife Diseases 3 S C.C. Chen
This course focuses on the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive the transmission of pathogens between hosts, and the relationships between pathogens and wildlife. The course content includes general introduction of the ecology of macroparasites and microparasites; theoretical framework