2024-2025 Academic Catalog 
    
    Nov 06, 2024  
2024-2025 Academic Catalog

Biology, B.S. with an Ecology Concentration


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The Bachelors of Science in Biology with a concentration in Ecology prepares majors to begin a professional career or in the life sciences or to continue their education at the graduate level, particularly in the area of agriculture, wildlife management, hydrology, forestry, conservation biology and other disciplines in the ecology field. Students develop skills in hypothesis-driven science and will become familiar with basic experimental design and statistical tests used in ecology.  Because upper-level biology courses may be offered only every other year, students are urged to consult their advisors in planning their curriculum. 

Goals for students in the program include:  

  • To understand how the Earth’s physical environments directly influence its habitability such as broad scale patterns of climate, dominant physical characteristics, and terrestrial environments
  • To understand the dynamics of populations at different scales, and how the collective properties of individuals define a population
  • To examine the diversity of species interactions including competition, predator/prey, and mutualism, their influence on demographic processes, and their role as agents of natural selection
  • To understand interactions between humans and their environment, resource use and sustainability, and the potential for human activity to significantly change Earth’s climate

General Education Requirements


(48 credits)

Humanities


(5 courses)

Social Science


(3 courses)

  • American History or American Political Science elective
  • Two Social Science electives

College of Arts and Sciences Electives


  • Two courses from subjects within the College of Arts & Sciences

Upper Level Baskets


(23-24 credits)

Core plus four courses from the Ecology basket, and two courses from the other baskets. 

General Electives


SCI 337 - Intro Geographic Information Systems  strongly recommended

DSCI 302 - Introduction to R  strongly recommended

Graduation Requirements


  • 128 credit hours minimum
  • Last 30 hours of the degree taken in residency
  • A minimum of half the major credit hours in residency
  • A minimum of half the minor credit hours in residency
  • ​60 credit hours must be completed at a 4-year institution 

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