Biology Major: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Concentration, B.A., B.S.

B.A. degree or B.S. degree

The Biology Major will prepare students for graduate programs, pre-professional programs, certificate programs, and careers in diverse biological disciplines. Experiences in the program will strengthen skills in teamwork, inquiry and analysis, oral and written communication, problem solving, ethical reasoning, critical and creative thinking, and quantitative and information literacy. Biology students have the opportunity to perform one-on-one research with Biology faculty members and often present their work at local, regional, national, or international venues. To support student success, the Biology department offers numerous scholarship opportunities, granting greater than $60K in awards annually. Biology students are part of a learning community that includes local networking opportunities (registered student organizations and clubs), state and regional collaborations and partnerships (e.g., government agencies, tribal organizations), and global experiences (study abroad opportunities).

The Ecology, Evolution and Conservation Biology Concentration is designed to prepare students for a variety of careers in disciplines such as plant and animal biology, fisheries, wildlife biology, animal behavior, limnology, Great Lakes biology, systematics, and climate change biology. Coursework in this major allows students to learn practical skills in field sampling techniques, GIS analysis, wildlife management, advanced statistical analysis, specimen curation, and taxonomy. Students that complete this major receive excellent preparation to pursue advanced degrees (e.g., MS, PhD) and/or obtain employment in:

state and federal agencies (e.g., MDNR, USGS, USFWS)
tribal agencies
non-profit organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy)
private sector/consulting companies
academia
museums
zoological parks
natural history collections

Extensive hands-on learning opportunities, supported by state-of-the art teaching, field, and laboratory facilities, will empower students to apply their undergraduate education for employment or graduate/professional training.

Program Requirements

Core Courses I (20 hours)

BIO 111	Foundations of Evolution and Diversity	4(3-3)
BIO 112	Foundations of Cell Biology	4(3-3)
BIO 211	Foundations of Genetics	4(3-3)
BIO 212	Foundations of Form and Function	4(3-3)
BIO 213	Foundations of Ecology	4(3-3)

Core Courses II (3 hours)

BIO 500

Biological Statistics

3(2-2)

Required Courses (9-12 hours)

Select courses from categories I, II, and III below in consultation with a Biology advisor. Courses may not double count toward Required Courses I, II, and III and Electives. At least 2 courses from Required Courses I, II, III and Electives must be at the 400-level or higher. At least 2 courses from Required Courses I, II, III and Electives must have laboratory hours.

Required Courses I (3-4 hours)

Select one Ecology course from the following:

BIO 367	Introduction to Marine Sciences	3(3-0)
BIO 518	Animal Behavior	4(3-3)
BIO 519	Invertebrate Diversity	4(2-4)
BIO 526	Limnology	3(3-0)
BIO 561	Wetland Ecology and Management	3(3-0)

Required Courses II (3-4 hours)

Select one Evolution course from the following:

BIO 501	Evolution	3(3-0)
BIO 509	Ichthyology	4(3-3)
BIO 515	Ornithology	4(2-4)
BIO 519	Invertebrate Diversity	4(2-4)
BIO 540	Mammalogy	4(3-3)
BIO 549	Herpetology	3(2-3)
BIO 557	Woody Plants of Michigan	4(2-4)
BIO 565	Microbial Diversity and Physiology	3(3-0)
BIO 575	Applied Bioinformatics	4(3-3)

Required Courses III (3-4 hours)

Select one Conservation course from the following:

BIO 321WI	Introduction to Conservation Biology	3(3-0)
BIO 322WI	Freshwater Conservation	3(2-2)
BIO 365	Environmental Contaminants	3(3-0)
BIO 366	Freshwater Biology	3(2-3)
BIO 510	Fisheries Biology and Management	4(3-3)
BIO 541	Wildlife Biology and Management	4(2-4)
BIO 561	Wetland Ecology and Management	3(3-0)
BIO 585	Conservation Medicine	3(3-0)

Other Requirements I (16 hours)

CHM 131	General Chemistry I	4(3-3)
CHM 132	General Chemistry II	4(3-3)
MTH 130	Pre-Calculus Mathematics	4(4-0)
MTH 132	Calculus I	4(4-0)
PHY 130QR	College Physics I	4(4-0)

Notes:

You may only count one of MTH 130 or MTH 132, not both.
MTH 132 may not count in both Other Requirements I and II.

Other Requirements II (7-14 hours)

Select two of the following options (Note: Students selecting Option B must also select Option A) :

Option A (4-8 hours)

Select CHM 342 for 4 hours; OR CHM 345, CHM 346, and CHM 349 for 8 hours:

CHM 342	Survey of Organic Chemistry	4(3-3)
CHM 345	Organic Chemistry I	3(3-0)
CHM 346	Organic Chemistry II: Synthesis and Bioorganic Chemistry	3(3-0)
CHM 349	Organic Chemistry Laboratory	2(0-6)

Option B (3 hours)

Select one of the following:

CHM 421	Introductory Biochemistry for Health Sciences	3(3-0)
CHM 520	Introductory Biochemistry	3(3-0)

Option C (6 hours)

GEO 203QR	Introduction to Geographic Information Science	3(2-2)
GEO 303	Geographic Information Systems	3(2-2)

Option D (4 hours)

Select MTH 132 for 4 hours OR MTH 133 for 4 hours OR DAS 150QR and DAS 252 for 4 hours.

DAS 150QR	Introduction to Data Science	3(2-2)
DAS 252	Data Visualization and Programming using R/RStudio	1(1-1)
MTH 132	Calculus I	4(4-0)
MTH 133	Calculus II	4(4-0)

Note: MTH 132 may not count in both Other Requirements I and II.

Option E (4 hours)

PHY 131

College Physics II

4(4-0)

Notes: Students selecting Option B must also select Option A. Students who have taken MTH 132 to fulfill Other Requirements I may not select Option D.

Other Requirements III (0 hours)

Capstone Exit Exam and Survey.

This capstone experience may include taking the Biology Major Field Test, analyzing and interpreting data, and/or completing an exit survey.

Electives (9 hours)

Select advanced level elective courses from the following in consultation with a Biology advisor. Courses selected in Required Courses I, II, or III may not count toward elective credit. At least 2 courses from Required Courses I,II, III and Electives must be at the 400-level or higher. At least 2 courses from Required Courses I, II, III and Electives must have laboratory hours.

BIO 320	Biology of Microorganisms	4(3-3)
BIO 321WI	Introduction to Conservation Biology	3(3-0)
BIO 322WI	Freshwater Conservation	3(2-2)
BIO 334/GEO 334	Soil Science	3(2-2)
BIO 337	Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy	4(3-3)
BIO 365	Environmental Contaminants	3(3-0)
BIO 366	Freshwater Biology	3(2-3)
BIO 367	Introduction to Marine Sciences	3(3-0)
BIO 391	Plant Physiology	4(3-3)
BIO 397	Special Topics in Biology	1-6(Spec)
BIO 403WI	Undergraduate Research	4(Spec)
BIO 435	Environmental Toxicology	3(3-0)
BIO 495	Undergraduate Internship in Biology	1-4(Spec)
BIO 497	Special Topics in Biology	1-9(Spec)
BIO 501	Evolution	3(3-0)
BIO 509	Ichthyology	4(3-3)
BIO 510	Fisheries Biology and Management	4(3-3)
BIO 515	Ornithology	4(2-4)
BIO 518	Animal Behavior	4(3-3)
BIO 519	Invertebrate Diversity	4(2-4)
BIO 520	Great Lakes Mollusks	2(1-3)
BIO 526	Limnology	3(3-0)
BIO 527	Limnological Methods	2(0-4)
BIO 540	Mammalogy	4(3-3)
BIO 541	Wildlife Biology and Management	4(2-4)
BIO 549	Herpetology	3(2-3)
BIO 557	Woody Plants of Michigan	4(2-4)
BIO 561	Wetland Ecology and Management	3(3-0)
BIO 565	Microbial Diversity and Physiology	3(3-0)
BIO 566	Microbial Diversity and Physiology Laboratory	1(0-3)
BIO 573	Applied Genomics	3(3-0)
BIO 575	Applied Bioinformatics	4(3-3)
BIO 585	Conservation Medicine	3(3-0)
BIO 597	Special Topics in Biology	1-9(Spec)