Mar 28, 2024  
2019-2020 Academic Catalogue 
    
2019-2020 Academic Catalogue [ARCHIVED CATALOG]

Ecology, Conservation, and Organismal Sciences (ECOS) Concentration


The Concentration in Ecology, Conservation, and Organismal Sciences (ECOS) is intended for cadets who wish to explore field-based and organismal disciplines of biology, including plant and animal biology, conservation, and ecology. The program also is intended to promote hands-on experiences through undergraduate research, internships in related fields, or immersion in a designated intensive field-oriented class. The ECOS option does not affect the credit hours required for the B.S. or B.A. in biology, however, 14 credit hours must be obtained from the following list of courses: BI 216  Animal Behavior, BI 217  General Botany, BI 219  Conservation Biology, BI 304  Comparative Vertebrate Morphology, BI 307  Vertebrate Biology, BI 312  Ecology, BI 321  Invertebrate Zoology, BI 324  Ornithology, BI 326  Parasitology, or BI 310  Evolutionary Biology. Of these 14 required credits, cadets must take at least one taxon specific course (BI 216 , BI 217 , BI 304 , BI 321 , BI 324  or BI 326 ), and one concept-based course (BI 219 BI 310 , BI 312 , or BI 325 ). Cadets must complete an additional 4 credit hours by fulfilling an Intensive Experience, which may include an approved ECOS research project or internship, or a course that has been designated as “field intensive”. Approved research projects may include 2 semesters of independent research (BI 390/390W /BI 391/391W  or BI 490/490W /BI 491/491W ), a Summer Undergraduate Research Initiative (SURI) project, or an equivalent project that has been arranged with approval of a faculty mentor and the ECOS Director. Fulfilling the department’s capstone experience requirement may also satisfy this Intensive Experience need. Conducting a summer internship through an approved partner organization is a viable alternative to research, and in fact may be preferable for cadets with particular career goals. Fulfillment of the Intensive Experience also may be accomplished by completing a course that has been designated as “field intensive” by the ECOS Director (BI 351 /BI 352  or equivalent). A 2.0 GPA must be maintained in ECOS courses for the concentration. Permission to participate in the program must be obtained from the student’s department head and the ECOS Director. An application form for the ECOS concentration can be obtained from the Biology Department Secretary or on-line through the ECOS website.

Suggested Course Selection for the ECOS Concentration


Must select 14 credit hours from the following two lists of courses.

Taxon Specific Courses


Of the 14 credits, at least one course must be from the following:

Concept-Based Courses


Of the 14 credits, at least one course must be from the following: