Department of Civil Service

Natural and Physical Sciences

Starting Salary

$46,529

Career Ladder Information

Biologists perform professional biological conservation work to protect, manage, and restore New York State's fish, wildlife, and marine species, and these species' habitats. Employees develop scientific expertise within the covered areas; apply general theories and principles of resource management to particular situations; evaluate ecological conditions and data; make recommendations; author various written products; interact with the public; perform administrative functions related to the area of purview; and may supervise subordinate staff. All positions exist within parenthetic titles that designate specialization in a certain area. Employees within the "Aquatic" parenthetic perform scientific, technical assistance, and communication duties relating to fish populations and fisheries; review and analyze project proposals; and implement angler recruitment programs.

Trainees will receive a combination of structured training, on-the-job training, and/or practical job performance to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to function at the full performance level.

• Department of Environmental Conservation

A bachelor's or higher degree including or supplemented by 18 semester credit hours in acoustic sampling of fish populations, applied biostatistics for the biological sciences, aquaculture, aquatic ecology, aquatic entomology, aquatic habitat management, aquatic insects, biology of aquatic ecosystems, biology of aquatic invertebrates, biology of fishes, biological limnology, conservation biology (aquatic), creel and angler surveys, ecology of aquatic ecosystems, ecology of freshwater fishes, ecology of freshwater mussels, ecology of marine fishes, environmental statistics, fish behavior, fish biology, fish culture, fish diseases, fish nutrition, fish pathology, fish physiology, fish population dynamics, fish propagation, fish taxonomy, fisheries economics, fisheries science, fisheries techniques, fishery management, fishery management techniques, fishery resource management, fisheries seminar, fishery statistics, fluvial geomorphology, freshwater ecology, freshwater invertebrates, freshwater mussel biology, freshwater mussel identification, genetics of fish, ichthyology, lentic and lotic ecosystems, limnology, mathematical modeling of fish populations, marine fisheries management, marine fisheries science, perturbations of fishes, physical limnology, population ecology, principles of fishery science, principles of fishery management, production biology of aquatic (fishery) environments, phylogeny of fishes, quantitative ecology, radio telemetry of fishes, statistical methods in research, stream ecology, stream restoration, techniques of fishery science, or urban fishery management.

Examples of Non-Qualifying Courses: animal behavior, animal ecology, entomology, general oceanography, invertebrate zoology, marine pollution, physical oceanography, terrestrial ecosystems ecology, wetland systems.

If chosen, you may, at the agency's discretion, be appointed to a higher level. You must inform the agency of any additional qualifications at your interview.

The November 2022 PCO Examination is closed, applications are no longer being accepted