Program Advantages

15-month blended curriculum with exclusive course sections and content, split between on-campus learning and remote experiences.

Summer Conservation Institute

• 9-credit curriculum includes a cohort-centered leadership seminar and advanced-level courses in conservation planning and land use policy.
• The summer institute brings leading conservation practitioners to the UW-Madison campus, offering students extraordinary access to accomplished professionals.

Learn more about the Summer Conservation Institute »

Student Origins and Internship Placement

Leadership placement network

• Nelson Institute program staff work closely with alumni and colleagues in professional sectors to identify leadership opportunities in a variety of conservation organizations.
• Students can match their specific interests and skill sets to organizational and agency needs at local, regional and global scales, setting students on a path to professional success. Placement network partner organizations include (but are not limited to):
  
  
  • Amazon Conservation Association
  • International Crane Foundation
  • Wildlife Conservation Society
  • Smithsonian Institution Gabon
  • Conservation International
  • World Wildlife Fund
  • The Nature Conservancy
  • US Fish and Wildlife Service Pathways Program
  • US National Park Service Pathways Program
  • Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
  • Driftless Area Land Conservancy
  • Sitka Conservation Society