Jim Dooley, Program Advisor 
    Muskingum College
    New Concord, OH 43762
    jdooley@muskingum.edu
    (740) 826-8227

    Shirley Atkinson, Program Advisor
    Muskingum College
    New Concord, OH 43762
    shirleya@muskingum.edu
    (740) 826-8224

Conservation science is a relatively new field that brings    an inter-disciplinary approach to the complex and often multifaceted issues of species extinction, population decline and habitat degradation. 

This exciting new domain of human inquiry requires a solid background in the biological and ecological sciences, but also emphasizes the analysis of economic, political, social, and ethical issues as a contextual basis for problem solving and decision making. 

The program's rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to provide students with a skills in analysis and communication that should prepare them for exciting careers in a broad number of areas including the natural and social sciences, government service, work with non-profit organizations, law and global commerce.

 Mission Statement

 

The mission of Conservation Science Program at Muskingum College is to prepare individuals to assume positions of leadership in professional careers that emphasize responsible, thoughtful contributions to the stewardship of Earth's biological diversity.
 

 One of the Nation's First Undergraduate Programs in an Exciting New Field!

Muskingum College is proud to offer one of the very first programs in the United States devoted exclusively to undergraduate education in Conservation Science. Though training in this field will prepare students for a wide array of professional opportunities, the program has been designed to provide a cohesive intellectual experience that will complement and nurture the development of personal and professional goals.

In contrast to most basic sciences, conservation science is not simply motivated by an abstract search for higher truth. On the other hand, and in contrast to the purely applied sciences, it is not simply utilitarian. Instead conservation science is generally motivated by what are largely aesthetic principles and ethical convictions. Furthermore, conservation science is often mission-oriented, with the aim of providing information that can be used immediately in decision making or in the development of focused strategies. Because the discipline is decision or action oriented, the conservation scientist must also understand that the ideas resulting from his or her work may well wield important "real world" consequences. Therefore, recommendations must be developed in a contextual framework that reflects sensitivity to ethical, moral and aesthetic values, as well as economic, social and political considerations.