What is Range Management?

            When many people think of rangeland, their first thoughts are of the old song,
Home, Home, on the Range. However, rangeland is more than a playground for deer
and antelope. Rangelands are complex biological systems of non-cultivated grasslands
and shrublands that produce forage for grazing or browsing by domestic and wild animals.
Range is the world's largest land type, occupying about 47 percent of the earth's land area.
Range management is the art, science, and planning of rangeland uses to obtain optimum
sustained returns based on land ownership objectives and on society's needs and desires.
These objectives are best met by management through sound ecological principles. It is
the goal of the Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management to develop
range professionals skilled in the art and science of range management, and in the
ecological understanding of renewable natural resources management.

 Bachelor of Science in Range Management

The Bachelor of Science in Range Management from Texas Tech University is a degree program accredited by the Society for Range Management that provides graduates with a working knowledge of range biology, range planning, range measurements, and range ecosystems management. The Bachelor of Science in Range Management is designed to prepare students for a majority of the issues encountered as professional range managers. The philosophy of the Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management is to give students experience in applied range management programs that will prepare them for challenging careers in the field of natural resource management with ranching operations, government agencies, consulting firms, and conservation organizations. Following completion of this degree program, one will be qualified as a ranch manager, consultant, and rangeland management specialist with the Natural Resources Conservation Service. Additionally, many of our graduates further their educations by pursuing Master of Science and Doctor of Philosophy degrees.

Faculty Involvement

Faculty members in the Department of Range, Wildlife, & Fisheries Management are recognized authorities in the areas of fire ecology, geographic information systems, grazing behavior, range animal nutrition, range improvements, and range ecology. Diverse range research programs provide numerous opportunities for students to become involved in the scientific process and gain valuable training and experience. One example of student involvement has been prescribed burning, an importal1t tool in range management. Each year the Department bums many acres of rangeland with the assistance of student volunteers. Experience with prescribed burning has proven to be a valuable skill for many of our graduates. The Department of Range, Wildlife, and Fisheries Management at Texas Tech University is committed to undergraduate education and successful employment of our students following graduation.