Ecology, B.S./Natural Resources and Ecology, M.S.

Curriculum 0293/8077

This combined pathway will provide students with the ability to complete both degrees in just five years, while sacrificing none of the academic rigor or ecological depth of the separate degrees. This makes the program both financially appealing and timely for students, who will emerge with an advanced degree, making them extremely competitive in the growing ecological job market.

Undergraduate Ecology Requirements 55-61 Credits

Advanced Ecology: (19-23 cr.)

Organismal/Population/Community Ecology

Select two courses from the following:

Ecosystems Ecology

Select two courses from the following:

Ecology Elective

Select at least three credits from the Organismal or Ecosysystem categories or from the following if not taken to fulfill another requirement:

Biology Elective

Select one course from the following:

Cognate Requirements 11-18 Credits

Mathematics Prerequisite/Placement: (0-6 cr.)

MAT 101 - Elementary College Mathematics (3 cr.) or equivalent
MAT 102 - Precalculus (3 cr.) or Calculus Readiness Test

Graduate Ecology and Natural Resources Requirements 34-37 Credits

Applied Spatial Skills

Select two courses from the following*:

Environmental Science Natural Resources

Select at least nine credits from the following*:

Graduate Electives

Select at least two additional courses from either the Applied/Spatial Skills or Environmental Science Natural Resources categories *.

Internship/Thesis

Complete either a final written thesis based upon independent research or a final nonthesis internship as approved by the student’s graduate committee (min 6 cr).

Note

*Courses taken at the 400 level may not be taken at the 500 level.

Additional Degree Requirements

Completion of all Undergraduate Degree Requirements, including General Education: The Cardinal Core Curriculum, elective courses if applicable, and a total of 150 credits minimum.
A minimum GPA of 2.0 in Major Departmental Requirements.
To be eligible for progression into the MS portion of the program, students in the Junior year must:
- have completed at least 60 credit hours before the start of their junior year
- be on track to complete a minimum of 15 hours of their 300-level and above Ecology major coursework by the end of their junior year
- have a minimum GPA of 3.2 at the time of review
- have identified a graduate advisor who agrees to mentor them.
- Submit 3 letters of recommendation to the MS graduate committee (one must be from the identified graduate advisor).
- write a statement of purpose detailing the proposed graduate research or internship. The statement must clearly indicate and be approved by the graduate advisor which pathway - research thesis or internship - the student intends to pursue.