Environmental Science

Master of Science in Wildlife Management

The Master of Science in Wildlife Management is a postgraduate programme that prepares professionals for advanced practice in wildlife conservation, management, and research. The programme provides specialised training in wildlife ecology, population management, habitat management, conservation biology, and wildlife policy.

Core areas include wildlife ecology, population dynamics, habitat management, conservation biology, wildlife policy and governance, protected area management, research methods, and thesis. Students engage with both theoretical and practical work through coursework, fieldwork, and research.

The programme is offered by Chuka University as a public institution. The University of Nairobi offers a related MSc in Wildlife Health and Management through the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine. Both programmes are available over two years, combining coursework with research and thesis.

Students develop competencies in wildlife ecology, population management, habitat assessment, conservation planning, and research. The programme includes coursework, examinations, fieldwork, and a supervised research thesis, preparing graduates for wildlife management and conservation roles.

Chuka University charges approximately KES 130,000 per year. No private university confirmed offering this exact programme. Entry requires at least an Upper Second Class Honours degree in Wildlife Management, Zoology, Biology, Forestry, Environmental Science, or a related field from a recognised institution.

Graduates pursue careers as wildlife managers, conservation officers, wildlife researchers, park managers, wildlife consultants, and lecturers across wildlife authorities, conservation organisations, research institutions, and universities.

Skills Required

Wildlife Ecology and Population Dynamics
Habitat Management and Assessment
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Protected Area Management
Wildlife Policy and Governance
Wildlife Population Monitoring and Survey Techniques
GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Research Methods in Wildlife Management
Academic Writing and Thesis Research

Key Subjects

Wildlife Ecology and Population Dynamics
Habitat Management and Assessment
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Protected Area Management
Wildlife Policy and Governance
Wildlife Population Monitoring and Survey Techniques
GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Research Methods in Wildlife Management
Thesis Research

Certifications

IUCN Professional Membership
KWS Professional Registration

Specializations

Wildlife Ecology

Focuses on wildlife ecology, covering wildlife, ecology, population, dynamics, and managing wildlife ecology and population dynamics.

Habitat Management

Examines habitat management, covering habitat, management, conservation, ecology, and managing habitat management and conservation.

Conservation Biology

Covers conservation biology, covering conservation, biology, biodiversity, species, and managing conservation biology and biodiversity.

Protected Area Management

Focuses on protected area management, covering protected, area, management, parks, and managing protected area management and parks.

Wildlife Policy and Governance

Examines wildlife policy, covering wildlife, policy, governance, conservation, and managing wildlife policy and governance.

Human-Wildlife Conflict Management

Covers human-wildlife conflict, covering human, wildlife, conflict, management, and managing human-wildlife conflict and management.

Duration: 2 years
Public, up to: Ksh 130,000
Private, up to: Ksh 0
Job market: Moderate

The programme

What you study, how long it takes, and how it is delivered.

Practicalities

Study mode: Full-time, Part-time
Attachment: 0 months
Average class: 15 students
Award: Masters

What you study

10 subjects

Wildlife Ecology and Population Dynamics
Habitat Management and Assessment
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Protected Area Management
Wildlife Policy and Governance
Wildlife Population Monitoring and Survey Techniques
GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Research Methods in Wildlife Management
Thesis Research

Modules

12 in the programme

Wildlife Ecology and Population Dynamics
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines wildlife ecology, covering wildlife, ecology, population, dynamics, and managing wildlife ecology and population dynamics.
Habitat Management and Assessment
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers habitat management, covering habitat, management, conservation, ecology, and managing habitat management and assessment.
Conservation Biology and Biodiversity
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines conservation biology, covering conservation, biology, biodiversity, species, and managing conservation biology and biodiversity.
Protected Area Management
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers protected area management, covering protected, area, management, parks, and managing protected area management and parks.
Wildlife Policy and Governance
Year 1Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines wildlife policy, covering wildlife, policy, governance, conservation, and managing wildlife policy and governance.
Wildlife Population Monitoring and Survey Techniques
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers population monitoring, covering population, monitoring, survey, techniques, and managing wildlife population monitoring and surveys.
GIS and Remote Sensing for Wildlife
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines GIS for wildlife, covering GIS, remote, sensing, wildlife, and managing GIS and remote sensing for wildlife management.
Research Methods in Wildlife Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Covers research, methods, wildlife, management, and conducting research in wildlife management, preparing students for their thesis.
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Year 1Semester 23 creditsCore
Examines human-wildlife conflict, covering human, wildlife, conflict, management, and managing human-wildlife conflict and management.
Wildlife Economics and Tourism
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Covers wildlife economics, covering wildlife, economics, tourism, management, and managing wildlife economics and tourism.
Community-Based Conservation
Year 2Semester 13 creditsCore
Examines community conservation, covering community, conservation, wildlife, management, and managing community-based conservation and wildlife.
Research Thesis
Year 2Semester 212 creditsCore
Original supervised research thesis on a wildlife management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and wildlife management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Specialisations

Wildlife Ecology
Focuses on wildlife ecology, covering wildlife, ecology, population, dynamics, and managing wildlife ecology and population dynamics.
Habitat Management
Examines habitat management, covering habitat, management, conservation, ecology, and managing habitat management and conservation.
Conservation Biology
Covers conservation biology, covering conservation, biology, biodiversity, species, and managing conservation biology and biodiversity.
Protected Area Management
Focuses on protected area management, covering protected, area, management, parks, and managing protected area management and parks.
Wildlife Policy and Governance
Examines wildlife policy, covering wildlife, policy, governance, conservation, and managing wildlife policy and governance.
Human-Wildlife Conflict Management
Covers human-wildlife conflict, covering human, wildlife, conflict, management, and managing human-wildlife conflict and management.

A day as a student

A typical day during the MSc in Wildlife Management programme combines lectures, fieldwork, laboratory sessions, seminars, and independent study. Sessions cover wildlife ecology, habitat management, conservation biology, protected area management, and wildlife policy. Wildlife ecology sessions examine wildlife, ecology, population, dynamics, and managing wildlife ecology. Habitat management sessions cover habitat, management, conservation, ecology, and managing habitat management. Conservation biology sessions cover conservation, biology, biodiversity, species, and managing conservation biology. Protected area sessions cover protected, area, management, parks, and managing protected area management. Wildlife policy sessions cover wildlife, policy, governance, conservation, and managing wildlife policy. Human-wildlife conflict sessions cover human, wildlife, conflict, management, and managing human-wildlife conflict. Fieldwork provides practical experience in wildlife surveys, habitat assessment, and population monitoring. Laboratory sessions provide practical experience in data analysis and specimen identification. Seminars provide opportunities for presenting research findings. The programme culminates in a supervised research thesis on a wildlife management topic.

The trade offs

In its favour

Programme addresses critical conservation needs as Kenya prioritises wildlife management and biodiversity conservation.
Chuka University offers both full-time and part-time modes, providing flexibility for students.
Graduates are eligible for KWS professional registration and IUCN international membership.
Programme combines theoretical knowledge with practical fieldwork in wildlife surveys and habitat assessment.

Against it

Only one university confirmed offering this exact programme in Kenya.
No private university confirmed offering this programme.
Wildlife management jobs are competitive and may require extensive field experience.
Fieldwork can be physically demanding and may require extended periods in remote areas.

What it costs

Tuition at both ends of the market, and how to pay for it.

What it costs, and where

Against 181 environmental science courses

Public130k to 130k

130k at Chuka University130k at Chuka University

Annual tuition in Kenyan shillings, rounded. The upright tick is the median for this field, so a bar sitting entirely to its right is an expensive programme by the standards of its own subject.

The fine print

Chuka 130,000/yr (Chuka MSc fee PDF). No private confirmed.

HELB postgraduate loans are available for Kenyan students. Universities may offer scholarships for eligible students. WWF and IUCN may offer fellowships for wildlife conservation research and education.

Funding options

HELB Postgraduate Loan
University Scholarship
WWF Fellowship

Scholarships

3 recorded

HELB Postgraduate Loan
LoanKsh 200,000Kenyan
Kenyan students pursuing postgraduate studies at recognised universities.
University Scholarship
ScholarshipKsh 130,000Kenyan
Chuka University may offer scholarships for eligible postgraduate wildlife management students.
WWF Fellowship
ScholarshipKsh 300,000
WWF and IUCN may offer fellowships for wildlife conservation research and education.

Getting in

The grades, the alternatives, and who accredits the award.

What you need

KCSE mean grade: N/A (Postgraduate)
Alternative entry: Chuka University requires a relevant Bachelor's degree with at least Upper Second Class Honours. Lower Second Class may be considered with relevant work experience. Contact the university for specific admission requirements.

How you are assessed

4 components

Coursework and Continuous Assessment
Coursework30% of the mark
Continuous assessment through coursework assignments, fieldwork reports, seminar presentations, and class participation.
Written Examinations
Examination70% of the mark
Written examinations covering wildlife ecology, habitat management, conservation biology, and protected area management.
Fieldwork Assessment
Project40% of the mark
Practical assessment through fieldwork, demonstrating wildlife survey, habitat assessment, and population monitoring skills.
Research Thesis
Research100% of the mark
Original supervised research thesis on a wildlife management topic, demonstrating mastery of research methods and wildlife management knowledge, assessed through written submission and oral defence.

Accreditation

The programme is accredited by the Commission for University Education (CUE). Chuka University (public) offers MSc in Wildlife Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in wildlife management. Graduates may interact with KWS for conservation practice and IUCN and WWF for international conservation standards. The programme aligns with KWS and IUCN global wildlife management frameworks.

Accredited by

Commission for University Education (CUE)
Academic accreditationRequired
Programme accredited by CUE. Chuka University (public) offers MSc in Wildlife Management. The programme meets CUE standards for postgraduate training in wildlife management. Graduates may interact with KWS for conservation practice and IUCN and WWF for international conservation standards. The programme aligns with KWS and IUCN global wildlife management frameworks.

Where it leads

The roles it opens, and what you leave with.

Where graduates go

6 roles

Wildlife Manager
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Manages wildlife populations, covering wildlife, management, populations, conservation, and managing wildlife management and conservation.
Conservation Officer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 350,000
Implements conservation programmes, covering conservation, officer, programmes, wildlife, and managing conservation programmes and wildlife.
Wildlife Researcher
Moderate demandKsh 110,000 to Ksh 380,000
Conducts wildlife research, covering wildlife, research, ecology, analysis, and managing wildlife research and analysis.
Park Manager
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Manages national parks, covering park, manager, protected, area, and managing park management and protected areas.
Wildlife Consultant
Moderate demandKsh 120,000 to Ksh 400,000
Provides wildlife consulting, covering consulting, wildlife, advisory, conservation, and managing wildlife consulting and advisory.
Wildlife Management Lecturer
Moderate demandKsh 100,000 to Ksh 400,000
Teaches wildlife management at university or college level, overseeing instruction, research, and academic supervision.

Graduate outcomes

Where these fields lead

8 careers

Tools you will learn

ArcGIS
SoftwarePrimary
ArcGIS for wildlife habitat mapping and spatial analysis, covering GIS, wildlife, habitat, mapping, and managing wildlife habitat mapping and analysis.
DISTANCE
Software
DISTANCE for wildlife population estimation and distance sampling, covering population, estimation, sampling, wildlife, and managing wildlife population estimation.
R Statistical Software
Software
R for wildlife data analysis and statistical modelling, covering R, statistics, data, analysis, and managing wildlife data analysis.
MARK
Software
MARK for wildlife population analysis and mark-recapture modelling, covering mark, recapture, population, analysis, and managing wildlife population analysis.

Industry links

Common misconceptions

Wildlife management is just about game watching.
Wildlife management covers population dynamics, habitat management, conservation policy, and human-wildlife conflict beyond just observing animals.
This programme is only for biology graduates.
Wildlife management is for professionals from forestry, environmental science, agriculture, and related fields, not just biology graduates.
Wildlife management has limited career prospects in Kenya.
Wildlife graduates are in demand in KWS, conservation organisations, research institutions, and universities as Kenya prioritises conservation.
This programme is the same as veterinary science.
Wildlife management focuses on population and habitat management, distinct from veterinary science which focuses on animal health.
Wildlife management is only about national parks.
The programme covers wildlife outside protected areas, community conservancies, and human-wildlife conflict management, not just national parks.
You need to be a ranger to study this programme.
The programme is accessible to graduates from various fields seeking wildlife management specialisation, not just rangers.