• Master Herpetologist Program

    Expert Perspectives into the World of Amphibians & Reptiles
    The Master Herpetologist Program is offered as a 100% online program, instructed by over 30 herpetologists from around the world.
    Join Us!    The program offers expert instruction and certification as a Master Herpetologist.

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Amphibian Foundation Online Learning Institute - Available Courses

The Southeastern Master Herpetologist Program is offered 100% online, and is taught by a diversity of herpetologists, agency professionals, academics, graduate students and researchers working in the Southeastern US.

100% Online | Asynchronous | 16 week program | Certificate program | Offered: Winter, Spring & Summer

Master Herpetologist Logo with Frosted Flatwoods Salamander

Online Course

This intensive class provides an introduction to herpetology and equips participants with Southeastern amphibian and reptile identification skills and general knowledge of frogs, salamanders, turtles, lizards, crocodilians, and snakes — their life histories, habitat requirements and biodiversity. All taught by leaders in the field!

Course content includes classification and identification of amphibians and reptiles, 'herping' equipment, frog calls, attracting amphibians/reptiles and backyard wildlife habitat, anatomy and physiology, ecology, behavior, breeding migration, and conservation. This course is a deep dive into the amphibians and reptiles of one of the most interesting and species-rich areas of the world — the Southeastern United States. The class goal is to create a foundation of herpetological knowledge upon which students can build. There is no overlap in course content between this class and the Master Herpetologist Program, which is designed as a college-level course in herpetology, with a global perspective, and defines all the major groups of reptiles and amphibians. If you are considering both courses, we would recommend taking the Master Herpetologist Program first, as it explains in detail concepts that are later used in the Southeastern class. It is not, however, a prerequisute.

The $300 course fee includes lectures, handouts, exam, and certificate.

The class is intended for adults. Please contact us before registering someone under the age of 18. For younger learners, please see our Junior Master Herpetologist Program (ages 12-17)
The 100% online class is asynchronous — meaning there is no required time to meet, is designed for students to go at their own pace with the material, and from any time zone. The scope of the course is broad in order to highlight the biodiversity of the animals, the students, and the instructors. We will meet optionally every other Thursday from 6 - 7 pm (EST = UTC -5:00) as 'office hours' on the first day of a new section — if anyone has questions or would like to communicate directly with the instructor (not required). The course will work through any web browser on PC, Mac, and also on the Moodle app on phones/tablets: iPhone, and Android.
Course Schedule

The schedule below is a guide for the class. A given section (eg. Frogs) will be made available on the first day of that section and will remain available for the duration of the course. Students have 2 weeks to absorb the material, before the next topic (section) is introduced, but can go at their own pace and refer back to earlier topics throughout the course.

The Final Exam will be made available after the (optional) Office Hours at the beginning of the last section, which will serve as a review session for the final. The class lasts about 16 weeks, and requires an average of 2-3 hours a week to complete.

Spring 2024

  • Section 1 (Mar 7): Introduction + State and Federal Stakeholders
  • Section 2 (Mar 21): Southeastern Salamanders
  • Section 3 (Apr 4): Southeastern Frogs
  • Section 4 (Apr 18): Southeastern Lizards + Crocodilians
  • Section 5 (May 2): Southeastern Snakes
  • Section 6 (May 16): Southeastern Turtles
  • Section 7 (May 30): Topics in Southeastern Herpetology
  • Section 8 (Jun 13): Final Exam
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Course Instructors
Affiliation and Twitter Handle

Andy Coleman, Urban Turtle Project & Talladega College | @AlabamaTurtles
Bones Glorioso, USGS
Bradley O'Hanlon, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Brittany Mason, University of Florida
Brooke Talley, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission | @Br00keT
Bruce Means, Coastal Plains Institute
Casey Perkins, Amphibian Foundation
Chris Jenkins, The Orianne Society | @OrianneSociety
Chris Murray, Southeastern Louisiana University | @crocchris11
Connor Pogue, Amphibian Foundation
Dirk Stevenson, Altamaha Environmental Consulting
Eric Soehren, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Ericha Nix, Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources
Grover Brown, Jacksonville State University | @GroverJBrown
Hardin Waddle, USGS
Harold Mitchell, US Fish & Wildlife Service | @alphamale1339
Houston Chandler, Virginia Tech & The Orianne Society | @TheSnakeDude
Hunter Howell, University of Miami
Jeff Hall, NC Wildlife Resources Commission
Jeff Beane, North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences
Jessica McGuire, Quail Forever | @JessicaLMcGuire
Jim Godwin, Auburn University
Jimmy Stiles, Auburn University
Joe Jenkins, Alabama Natural Heritage Program
Keri Lejeune, Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries
Kurt Buhlmann, UGA/SREL
Laura Kojima, Odum School of Ecology/Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, University of Georgia | @LauraKojima
Linda May, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Lora Smith, The Jones Center at Ichauway
Mark Mandica, Amphibian Foundation & Agnes Scott College | @markmandica
Matt Elliott, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Melissa Miller, University of Florida
Michael Kirkland, South Florida Water Management District
Michele Elmore, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Mike Martin, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Parker Gibbons, Parker Teaches Science
Pierson Hill, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission
Rebecca Means, Coastal Plains Institute
Roy King, Fort Stewart Army Base
Steve Reichling, Memphis Zoo
Susan Walls, USGS
Thomas Floyd, Georgia Department of Natural Resources
Todd Pierson, Kennesaw State University | @twpierson
Tristan Clark, Amphibian Foundation | @AmphibianNerd
Walter E. Meshaka, Jr., State Museum of Pennsylvania | @ToadWally
Whit Gibbons, UGA/SREL


This course is offered on the Moodle Platform

Moodle logo


Are you interested in being an instructor in the course or suggesting a topic?


If you are a herpetologist, agency professional, academic, graduate student or researcher working in the Southeastern US, and would like to be an instructor in the course, we would love to hear from you! Please use the link below to submit a topic proposal, and we will get back to you promptly.


Click here to propose a topic

Registration is Open

The online Southeastern Master Herpetologist Program is $300 for the 16-week program.
It includes ~ 50 lectures, all handouts, final exam, and certificate.

Spring Semester 2024

Class starts March 7, 2024
Registration closes March 14, 2024

Student's Name
Student's Email Address

Once registration is completed successfully through PayPal, you will be asked to read and sign the Code of Conduct form. Submitting that form will complete your registration. You will be automatically emailed a copy of the signed form, and a receipt from PayPal.

Login information will be sent out to students the day before class starts. Questions can be directed to info@amphibianfoundation.org

Would you like to give Master Herp registration as a gift?

Click here for instructions on how to give the Master Herpetologist Program as a gift. We provide instructions and also an image you can use to surpise your student!

Registering without PayPal

You do not need a PayPal account to register for classes at AF, just a debit or a credit card. If you are having trouble, here's a short instructional video covering how to register without a PayPal account'


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College & Adult Courses

Member Discount

Members of the Amphibian Foundation receive a $20 discount on the Master Herpetologist Program, and a $15 discount on the Critters & Cabernet series.

Member registration links are provided on our Patreon page.


Become a member today!

Why take the Master Herpetologist Program?

First and foremost, the Master Herpetologist Program is an intensive class in herpetology, covering the major groups in detail. While the instructors aim to make the material accessible to the widest audience possible, students should anticipate spending between 6-8 hours per two-week session to digest the information (up to 4 hours/week).

The students so far have come from a wide range of backgrounds including: college and graduate students, educators, agency professionals, naturalists, and herp enthusiasts. Typically students are interested in gaining knowledge and connections in the field of herpetology, and career building with including certification as a Master Herpetologist on their resume.

Certified Master Herpetologists have gone onto further advance their careers and knowledge in academia, state/federal agencies, and the zoological field. Master Herpetologists are invited to a global private Slack network to continue conversations, herping, and share opportunities once the course is over.

The certificate also serves as documentation of program completion, including passing the comprehensive final exam.

Master Herpetologist Refund Policy

The Refund Policy for the Master Herpetologist Program, The Southeastern, and the Captive Management class is as follows.

 If you want to cancel before class starts - FULL REFUND IS PROVIDED.

If you want to cancel after class starts - NO REFUND IS PROVIDED.

Up until week 4 of class, you are able to transfer your registration to the following semester at no additional cost.

Students who are unable to pass or complete the Master Herpetologist Program or the Southeastern Master Herpetologist Program, they will be offered an opportunity to retake the class at a 50% discount.