Ecology Minor

Ecology Minor

IN THIS SECTION

Understand fundamental ecological processes.

The Ecology Minor will provide you with a broad understanding of the fundamental ecological processes that shape the diversity, distribution, and abundance of organisms across the planet. Through a combination of classroom learning, fieldwork, and laboratory experiments, this minor will provide you with the practical and quantitative skills to collect, analyze, and interpret ecological data. The minor emphasizes critical thinking, problem solving, and communication skills that will prepare you well for a diversity of career paths, including environmental science, natural resource management, and conservation.

Explore sample courses in this program.
BI-140 Introduction to Organismal Biology
Evolution, ecology, anatomy, physiology, and diversity of organisms. 3 hours of lecture and 3 hours of lab each week. Intended for STEM majors.
4 credits
BI-202 Principles of Ecology
Basic ecological theory relating to organism-environment interactions, population dynamics, and ecosystems. 3 hours of lecture and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
MA-150 Statistics I
Descriptive techniques, elementary probability, distribution of the sample mean, confidence intervals, hypothesis testing of the means of 1 and 2 samples, linear regression, and correlation.
3 credits
MA-302 Probability and Statistics
Descriptive statistics, probability theory, combinatorics, correlation, regression, and inference techniques.
3 credits
GS-165 Geographic Information Systems I
Introduction to the use of geospatial technologies including geographic information systems and GPS.
4 credits
CS-135 Programming for Non-CS Majors
Introduction to programming. Emphasis on practical skills, working with data sets, doing analysis, and visualization. No prior programming experience required.
3 credits
BI-301 Topics in Invertebrate Zoology
Considers anatomy, taxonomy (including selected articles of the international code of zoological nomenclature), natural history, and evolutionary relationships of selected invertebrate phyla. 3 hours of lecture and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
BI-304 Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy
Considers prochordate and chordate taxonomy and phylogeny; systematic morphological comparison of representative chordates to establish homology, analogy, and evolution. 3 lecture hours and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
BI-331 Marine Biology
Considers the marine environment, its flora and fauna, distribution and production of plankton-nekton-benthos, zoogeography, bioeconomic factors, and potential. 3 lecture hours and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
BI-333 Topics in Vertebrate Zoology
Life histories, adaptations, distribution, systematics, and economic importance of selected vertebrates taxa. Each semester focuses on a particular taxon. 3 hours of lecture and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
BI-334 Wildlife Biology
Theory and practice of wildlife management. Considers procedures for collection and analysis of field and laboratory data on vertebrate game populations useful to wildlife biologists. 3 hours of lecture and a 3-hour laboratory per week.
4 credits
BI-340 Plant Sciences
Morphology, anatomy, physiology of flowering plants with studies on life cycles, ecological relationships, biochemical processes, and evolution of plant diversity. 3 lecture hours and 3 laboratory hours per week.
4 credits
BI-360 Animal Behavior
Survey of ethology and behavioral ecology from an historical and evolutionary perspective. Laboratory involves observation, recording, and analysis of animal behavior. 3 lecture hours and 3 laboratory hours per week.
4 credits
BI-380 Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
A theoretical and quantitative approach to species, genetic, ecosystem, and community diversity in the context of modern conservation biology principles. 3 lecture hours and 3 laboratory hours per week.
4 credits

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