Environmental Biology & Applied Ecology Concentration

The Environmental Biology and Applied Ecology (EBAE) concentration provides students with the scientific basis for understanding the sustainability of various ecological systems. Students will learn advanced principles of biology and ecology, and their application to problems of environmental management. Students with interests in many topics will undertake this concentration, for example, wildlife and fisheries management; forest, wetland and aquatic ecology; environmental microbiology; conservation science; endangered and invasive species management; biological and ecological consequences of pollutants in the environment.

Note: Some courses in the concentration require more than the minimum core curriculum requirements, i.e., biology, math and physics. Always check course prerequisites.

Course requirements

Semester Key: F=Fall, S=Spring, Su=Summer

Core curriculum required choices

  • BIOEE 1610 - Introductory Biology: Ecology and the Environment (F, S, Su, 3-4 cr)
  • EAS 1600 - Environmental Physics (or Equivalent) (F, S, 3 cr)

Additional courses beyond the E&S core requirements

Choose nine courses beyond the E&S core requirements consisting of the following:
 

One biological sciences course:

  • BIOEE 1780/1781 - An Introduction to Evolutionary Biology and Diversity (F, S, Su, 4-5 cr)

One chemistry course:

RECOMMENDED:

  • Chem 1560 - Introduction to General Chemistry (F, Su, 4 cr)

Other chemistry options include:

  • Chem 1570 - Introduction to Organic and Biological Chemistry (S, Su, 3 cr)
  • Chem 2070 - General Chemistry I (F, Su, 4 cr)
  • Chem 2080 - General Chemistry II (S, Su, 4 cr)

AP/IB credit accepted to meet requirement. Health careers students should consult their advisor.

 

One calculus course from the following:

  • Math 1106 - Calculus for the Life and Social Sciences (S, 3 cr)
  • Math 1110 - Calculus 1 (F, S, Su, 4 cr)
  • Note: It is recommended (but not required) that students take a second semester of calculus, Math 1120.

One quantitative course with approval of advisor:

Choose from any quantitative field that aligns with your career goals. Some fields/courses from which to choose are an additional calculus or statistics beyond the core and concentration requirements, population modeling (BIOEE or NTRES) and/or applied analytical courses, computer programming, or Geographical Information Systems (GIS). Some examples are:

  • AEM 2770: Excursions in Computational Sustainability (S, 3 cr)

  • BIOEE 3550 - Data Analysis and Visualization in Ecology and Environmental Science (S, 3cr)

  • CS 1110 - Introduction to Computing Using Python (F, S, Su, 4 cr)

  • EAS 2900 - Introduction to Programming for Meteorology and Climate Science (F, 3 cr)

  • GDEV 4290 - Introduction to Data Science with R (S, 3 cr)

  • NTRES 4100 - Advanced Conservation Biology: Concepts and Techniques (F, 4 cr)

  • PLSCS 2200 - Introduction to Mapping and Spatial Analysis with GIS (F, 3 cr)

  • STSCI 3110 - Probability Models and Inference for the Social Sciences (F, 4 cr)

One introductory genetics course:

  • NTRES 2830 - DNA, Genes and Genetic Diversity (S, 4 cr)
  • BIOMG 2800 and 2801 - Genetics and Genomics, lecture (3 cr) and lab (2 cr) (F, S, Su)

One advanced ecology course:

  • BIOEE 3610 - Advanced Ecology (F, 4 cr)
  • NTRES 3100 - Applied Population Ecology (F, 3 cr)

EBAE electives

Three additional courses from EBAE elective lists:

  • Choose one course from List 1, one course from List 2 and one more course from either list that must be at the 4000 level or above.

EBAE List 1: Ecosystems – The physical and biological environment

  • BIOEE 3610 - Advanced Ecology (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 3690 - Chemical Ecology (S, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 4570 - Limnology: Ecology of Lakes, Lectures (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 4620 - Marine Ecosystem Sustainability (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 4690 - Food, Agriculture and Society (S, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 4780 - [Ecosystem Biology and Global Change] (S, 4 cr, alternate years) (Next offered S23)
  • EAS 3030 - Introduction to Biogeochemistry (F, 4 cr)
  • NTRES 3220 - Global Biodiversity (F, 3 cr)
  • NTRES 3240 - Sustainable, Ecologically Based Management of Water Resources (S, 3 cr)
  • [NTRES 3250 - Forest Management and Maple Syrup Production] (S, 3 cr, alternate years) (Next offered S24)
  • NTRES 4200 - Forest Ecology (F, 3 cr)
  • [NTRES 4560 - Stream Ecology] (F, 4 cr, alternate years) (Next offered F23)
  • PLHRT 4730 - Ecology of Agricultural Systems (F, 4 cr)
  • PLSCS 3210 - Soil and Crop Management for Sustainability (F, 3 cr) 
  • PLSCS 4660 - Soil Ecology (S, 4 cr)

EBAE List 2: Organisms – plants, animals, microbes

  • BIOEE 2740 - The Vertebrates: Comparative Anatomy, Function, and Evolution (S, 4 cr)
  • BIOEE 3610 - Advanced Ecology (F, 4 cr)
  • BIOEE 3611 - Field Ecology (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 3730 - Biodiversity and Biology of the Marine Invertebrates (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOEE 4460 - Plant Behavior and Biotic Interactions, Lecture (S, 3 cr)
  • [BIOEE 4500 - Mammalogy, Lecture] (F, 3 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • BIOEE 4660 - Physiological Ecology, Lectures (S, 3 cr)
  • [BIOEE 4700/4701 - Herpetology, Lectures/Laboratory] (F, 4 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • [BIOEE 4750 - Ornithology] (S, 3 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • BIOEE 4760 - Ichthyology: Biology of Fishes (F, 3 cr)
  • BIOMI 2900 - General Microbiology Lectures (F, S, 3, 4 cr)
  • BIOMI 3500 - Marine Microbes and Disease in a Changing Ocean (S, 3 cr)
  • BIOMI 3970 - Environmental Microbiology: Evolution, Biogeochemistry, Microbial Ecology (F, 3 cr)
  • [BIOMI 4140 - Microbial Diversity] (S, 3 cr) (Not offered S23)
  • BIOMI 6300 - Computational Approaches for Microbial Systems (S, 3 cr) 
  • BIOSM 3740 - Field Ornithology (Su, 3 cr)
  • ENTOM 2030 - Honey Bees: Their Intriguing Biology and Interactions with Humans and More (F, 3 cr.)
  • ENTOM 2120 - Insect Biology (F, 4 cr)
  • ENTOM 3150 - Spider Biology (F, 3 cr)
  • ENTOM 3755 - [Social Animal Behavior] (S, 3 cr) (Not offered S23)
  • ENTOM 3630 - [Bugs in Bugs: The World of Pathogens and Parasites] (S, 3 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • ENTOM 3440 - [Insect Conservation Biology] (F, 3 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • ENTOM 4440 - Integrated Pest Management (S, 4 cr)
  • ENTOM 4550 - Insect Ecology (F, 4 cr)
  • NTRES 3100 - Applied Population Ecology (F, 3 cr)
  • NTRES 3110 - [Fish Ecology, Conservation and Management] (S, 3 cr) (Next offered 2023 - 2024)
  • NTRES 3260 - Applied Conservation Ecology (S, 3 cr)
  • NTRES 3400 - Molecular Tools for Ecology, Conservation, and Natural Resource Management (F, 3 cr)
  • NTRES 4100 - Advanced Conservation Biology: Concepts and Techniques (F, 4 cr)
  • NTRES 4120 - Wildlife Population Analysis: Techniques and Models (S, 4 cr)
  • NTRES 4280 - Principles and Practices of Applied Wildlife Science (S, 3 cr)
  • PLBIO 2410 - Introductory Plant Biodiversity and Evolution (F, 3 cr)
  • PLBIO 2450 - Plant Biology (Su, 3 cr)
  • PLBIO 3420 - Plant Physiology, Lectures (S, 3 cr)
  • PLPPM 3010 - Biology and Management of Plant Diseases (F, 4 cr)
  • PLSCS 3150 - Weed Biology and Management (F, 4 cr)
  • PLSCS 4130 - Physiology and Ecology of Yield (S, 3 cr)

More information

Students who complete the EBAE concentration will:

  1. Gain an in-depth understanding of the biological and ecological dimensions of environmental and sustainability sciences.
  2. Learn methods by which knowledge in this area of scholarship is acquired, analyzed, interpreted, evaluated, and used in natural and human-managed ecosystems.
  3. Be able to apply fundamental current understanding of ecology and environmental biology to complex interdisciplinary environmental issues.