New Texas A&M Degree in Outdoor Enterprise Management
What You Need to Think about First
Turn your outdoor passion into a career: Texas A&M’s Outdoor Enterprise Management track (BS — Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management)
If you live for mornings on a river, afternoons scouting habitat, or weekends running camp for friends — and you want a career doing real outdoor work (or running the business that makes it happen) — Texas A&M University just built an ideal bridge from that passion to a paycheck. The school now offers a new Outdoor Enterprise Management track inside its B.S. in Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management: a cross-disciplinary program that blends ecology, hospitality, and business to prepare students for careers running lodges, ecotourism companies, diversified ranches, and other nature-based enterprises. (Texas A&M Catalogs, AgriLife Today)
What is the program — in plain terms
This is not a separate stand-alone major title — it’s an official track (specialization) inside the B.S. in Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management. The Outdoor Enterprise Management track combines foundational wildlife/fisheries and rangeland science with hospitality and agricultural/business coursework so you graduate ready to manage nature-based guest experiences and the businesses that support them. The program is built as a standard 120-credit undergraduate plan. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Why this track exists (and why now)
Spending on hunting, fishing and nature-based tourism has surged in recent years; demand for professionally run outdoor experiences and lodging is high. Texas A&M created this track to meet that market: enterprises that succeed in this space need people who understand wildlife/ecology and hospitality, marketing, finances and risk management — all combined. The department is rolling the track out to students beginning in fall 2025. (AgriLife Today, Texas A&M Catalogs)
What you’ll actually learn (the hard skills and courses)
The curriculum is hands-on and deliberately mixed. Expect coursework and skill training in these buckets (sample courses are from the official 4-year plan):
Ecology & resource science
- Intro biology and ecology, wildlife & fisheries principles, rangeland/range plant biology, conservation and resource management. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Hospitality & service operations
- Foundations of hospitality, food & beverage management, service quality, and people management—so you can run a lodge, manage staff, or design guest experiences. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Business, marketing & finance
- Agricultural economics, marketing, financial management and farm/ranch management — the business side of outdoor enterprises. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Technical tools & communications
- GIS for resource management, statistics, natural-resource communications, legal/administrative frameworks, plus a senior seminar and internship/capstone. These give you marketable, technical chops and the ability to communicate with customers, regulators and partners. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Program notes: the plan shown in the catalog is a full 120-credit plan with specific semester courses (first-year through senior year), and several required RWFM classes require a grade of C or better. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Real world training — internships, capstone, and graduate fast-track
This is an experiential program by design. Students will do internships/field techniques and a senior capstone; the department also highlights a paid fellowship option with agency or partner organizations and monthly industry speaker sessions and a one-week policy boot camp for hands-on experience. High-achieving students can apply for a 4+1 Fast Track to begin graduate coursework and finish a Master of Natural Resources (MNR) in five years — useful if you want leadership or research options later. (AgriLife Today, Texas A&M Catalogs)
Who hires graduates — real career paths
Graduates are set up for roles in a wide set of outdoor-oriented employers: hunting and fishing lodges, outfitters, ecotourism companies, diversified ranch operations, corporate retreat and event facilities, conservation NGOs, state/federal natural resource agencies, and entrepreneurship (starting your own camp/lodge/guide service). The program emphasizes the ethics of consumptive and non-consumptive use of wildlife and fisheries while training students to create exceptional customer experiences. (Texas A&M Catalogs, AgriLife Today)
Is this right for you?
This track is a great fit if you:
- Enjoy fieldwork (biology, habitat work, fisheries, wildlife management) and want to run or help run a business that delivers visitor experiences.
- Want a mix of science, people skills, and business training.
- Are thinking short-term seasonal work (guide, technician) or long-term management/ownership of an outdoor enterprise.
It’s less ideal if you want a pure hospitality degree (without ecological science) or a pure ecology/biology research route — this program intentionally sits between those worlds. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
How to prepare now (before you apply or show up)
Practical moves to stand out and make the most of the degree:
- Get seasonal experience: guide work, ranch hand, fishing lodge, marina, or conservation technician roles.
- Learn or certify: Wilderness First Aid / CPR, food handler certification, boat safety, or other industry-relevant credentials.
- Build business basics: take any local classes in small business, marketing, or hospitality; learn budgeting and social-media marketing for outdoors businesses.
- Learn GIS and basic data/Excel/statistics skills — those show up in the curriculum and in job listings.
- Join outdoor student groups, volunteer with land trusts, state parks, or local lodges — networking matters.
These moves will help you convert internship opportunities into paid work and will make your résumé pop when applying for the paid fellowships and capstone projects the department emphasizes. (Practical advice: start small, then scale to leadership roles on-site.)
Admissions, degree logistics, and where to find details
- The Outdoor Enterprise Management option is a track inside the B.S. in Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management (120 credits). (Texas A&M Catalogs)
- Texas A&M’s departmental pages and the undergraduate catalog contain the official semester-by-semester plan, course descriptions, and transfer guidance — consult those for prereqs, core curriculum rules, and any updates. (Texas A&M Catalogs, Texas A&M Admissions)
- For program questions, advising, or scholarships, contact the Department of Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management (the department publishes advising contacts and degree information on its site). (rwfm.tamu.edu)
Quick FAQ
Q: Is this a Bachelor of Science degree in “Outdoor Enterprise Management”?
A: You will earn a B.S. in Rangeland, Wildlife & Fisheries Management with an Outdoor Enterprise Management track noted on your transcript. It’s a specialized pathway within that degree. (Texas A&M Catalogs)
Q: When can students start?
A: The department is launching the track in fall 2025. (AgriLife Today)
Q: Will I get hands-on experience?
A: Yes — field techniques, internships/fellowships, a senior capstone and direct industry engagement are built into the track. (Texas A&M Catalogs, AgriLife Today)
Final note — why this could be a game changer
If you love the outdoors but also want to run a business, design guest experiences, or manage the lands and waters that guests come to enjoy, this track is deliberately structured to give you both the scientific credibility and the business/hospitality literacy to succeed. For young outdoor people who want a practical, career-facing education (not just theory), Texas A&M’s Outdoor Enterprise Management track is one of the clearest academic routes into that world — with industry connections, internships, and a straight path to either work or a 4+1 master’s if you want to go deeper. (Texas A&M Catalogs, AgriLife Today)
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