Bachelor in Ecology
Susquehanna University
Key Information
Campus location
Selinsgrove, USA
Languages
English
Study format
On-Campus
Duration
4 years
Pace
Full time
Tuition fees
USD 54,440 / per year
Application deadline
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Earliest start date
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Scholarships
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Introduction
The Susquehanna River Valley is one of the best places to study the natural world. At the confluence of its major river, we’re surrounded by abundant waterways, forests, and farms. We have a state-of-the-art freshwater research laboratory and an 87-acre environmental field station right on campus.
In our ecology program, you’ll study everything from streams, lakes, and wetlands to nutrient cycling and land ecosystems. Learn how air, water, soil, and organisms coexist and how wildlife functions within their native habitats.
Research opportunities abound
Work for our Freshwater Research Institute or the Susquehanna Research Partners Program, and spend the summer getting paid to conduct research. Study vertebrate natural history on a spring break trip to Costa Rica. Collaborate with other universities, the Fish and Boat Commission, or the Chesapeake Conservancy.
Research what most interests you, guided by expert faculty specializing in aquatic ecology, soil science, behavioral ecology, paleoecology, vertebrate ecology, plant ecology, wetlands ecology, and population and community ecology.
Then, present your paper at a national or regional conference — an opportunity we make available to you.
Step into career success
Be ready to begin master’s or doctoral degree programs in the sciences or to jump right into a career in wildlife, fisheries, environmental consulting, zoology, wildlife conservation, and much more.
Gallery
Curriculum
Requirements for Major
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Requirements for the Major in Ecology
The Bachelor of Science degree in ecology requires 56 semester hours in biology, earth, and environmental sciences, and chemistry with grades of C- or better in ecology, biology, and earth and environmental sciences courses. The Bachelor of Science in ecology includes a four-course introductory sequence and a year or more of student research. In addition, the 56 semester hours include 24 semester hours of elective courses with at least 12 drawn from each of Category 1 and Category 2. In cases where the lecture and laboratory components of courses are listed separately, students in the ecology program must take both lecture and laboratory.
16 Introductory Sequence (16 semester hours)
- 4 ECOL-100 Introduction to the Science of Ecology
- (BIOL-101 Ecology and Evolution, EENV-101 Environmental Science, or EENV-103 Earth System History may substitute as an initial course in the introductory sequence)
- 4 ECOL-110 Biogeodiversity
- 4 ECOL-201 Community and Ecosystems Ecology
- 4 BIOL-220 Biostatistics
24 Elective Courses:
- 24 semester hours chosen from the following, with at least 12 semester hours taken in Category 1 and 12 semester hours taken in category 2.
Category 1: Biology Electives:
12 credits must be chosen from the following. The course must be accompanied with the laboratory when offered, and at least two courses of the 12 credits must be lab-based.
- 4 BIOL-312-313 Microbiology
- 4 BIOL-324-325 Animal Behavior
- 4 BIOL-326-327 Invertebrate Zoology
- 4 BIOL-328-329 Natural History of Early Vertebrates
- 4 BIOL-332-333 Population Biology
- 4 BIOL-340-341 Marine Ecology
- 4 BIOL-404-405 Plant Physiology
- 4 BIOL-408-409 Aquatic Ecology
- 4 BIOL-460-461 Winter Ecology of Vertebrates
- 2 ECOL-560 Explorations in Ecology (e.g., Sustainable Food Systems, Biology of Invasive Species, Amphibian Population Declines, Vertebrate Ecology of Costa Rica, Human Evolution and Behavior, etc.)
Category 2: Environmental Science Electives:
12 credits must be chosen from the following:
- 4 EENV-113 Geology and the Environment
- 4 EENV-213 Oceanography
- 4 EENV-220 Water Resources
- 4 EENV-240 Introduction to Meteorology
- 4 EENV-242 Climate and Global Change
- 4 EENV-283 Sedimentology/Stratigraphy
- 4 EENV-313 The Susquehanna River
- 4 EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems
- 4 EENV-380 Wetlands Analysis
- 4 EENV-383 Soil Science
- 4 EENV-420 Groundwater Hydrology
- 4 EENV-430 Chemistry of Natural Waters
8 Student Research*
- 2 ECOL-509 Student Research I
- 2 or 4 ECOL-510 Student Research I
- 4 ECOL-511 Student Research II
- * ECOL-509 Student Research I may be taken during the third year for students that require more than one field season of research. ECOL-510 Student Research I may be taken as either 2 or 4 semester hours a senior year. Students who have completed ECOL-509 must take no more than 2 semester hours of ECOL- 510.
8 Required Corollary Courses
Students must complete the following corollary chemistry courses:
- 4 General Chemistry I - choose from: CHEM-101, CHEM-103 or CHEM-111
- 4 General Chemistry II - choose from: CHEM-102, CHEM-104 or CHEM-232
Note: Additional corollary courses are strongly recommended for those intending to pursue graduate training. These recommended courses include CHEM-221 Organic Chemistry I, CHEM-222 Organic Chemistry II, CHEM-242 Methods of Chemical Analysis, Introductory Physics I (PHYS-202, PHYS-203, or PHYS-204), and Introductory Physics II (PHYS-205 or PHYS-206).
Majors must also take a comprehensive ecology examination prior to graduation. Exam content will be drawn from introductory sequence courses. Students have multiple opportunities to take the comprehensive examination; only the highest score is recorded on the transcript. Performance on the comprehensive examination is reported on the transcript as high pass, pass or fail.
Double-counting restriction for interdisciplinary minors
Only 8 semester hours of this minor may be double-counted toward the student’s major.
Category 1: Biology Electives(must be taken with the laboratory)
- 4 BIOL-312/313 Microbiology
- 4 BIOL-324/325 Animal Behavior
- 4 BIOL-326/327 Invertebrate Zoology
- 4 BIOL-328/329 Natural History of Early Vertebrates
- 4 BIOL-332/333 Population Biology
- 4 BIOL-404/405 Plant Physiology
- 4 BIOL-408/409 Aquatic Ecology
- 4 BIOL-460/461 Winter Ecology of Vertebrates
Category 2: Environmental Science Electives
- 4 EENV-213 Oceanography
- 4 EENV-220 Water Resources
- 4 EENV-240 Introduction to Meteorology
- 4 EENV-242 Climate and Global Change
- 4 EENV-283 Sedimentology/Stratigraphy
- 4 EENV-313 The Susquehanna River
- 4 EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems
- 4 EENV-380 Wetlands Analysis
- 4 EENV-383 Soil Science
- 4 EENV-420 Groundwater Hydrology
- 4 EENV-430 Chemistry of Natural Waters
Honors in Ecology
The ecology program encourages and recognizes superior academic performance in ecology. To graduate with program honors, ecology majors must request entry to the program or be nominated for entry to the program by one or more faculty members who teach required or elective distribution courses within the major. Request for entry or nominations for honors must be initiated by the beginning of the senior year.
Candidates for academic honors must:
- Maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.25 and a GPA of 3.50 in major courses to qualify for academic honors.
- Successfully complete Student Research I and II (ECOL-510 and ECOL-511) and earn a grade of B- or better in these courses.
- Receive a high pass on their highest score on the comprehensive exam. Candidates for research honors must do the following:
- Be nominated by a member of the faculty who teaches within the ecology program by midterm of Student Research II (ECOL-511).
- Submit an acceptable research thesis based on two semesters of Student Research (ECOL-510 and ECOL-511).
- Pass an oral comprehensive examination of their thesis in their final semester. The oral comprehensive examination is administered by faculty who teach within the ecology major.
Requirements for Minor
When you enroll at Susquehanna, you’ll be paired with an advisor and application tool to guide you in your course planning and scheduling. The following is an excerpt from the complete course catalog. Enrolled students follow the requirements of the course catalog for the academic year in which they declare each major and/or minor, consult with their advisor(s) and the Academic Planning Tool.
Requirements for the Minor in Ecology
The minor in ecology requires 24 semester hours in ecology, biology, and earth and environmental sciences with grades of C- or better. The first course in the minor may be one of the following: ECOL-100, BIOL-101, EENV-101 or EENV-103. That introductory course should be followed by the sequence of ECOL-110/BIOL-204 and ECOL-201. Following the completion of the introductory sequence, the student will take at least four semester hours from Category 1 (biology) and four semester hours from Category 2 (earth and environmental sciences).
Courses Options
- ECOL 100 Introduction to the Science of Ecology, Credits: 4
- ECOL 110 Biogeodiversity, Credits: 4
- ECOL 113 Geology and the Environment, Credits: 4
- ECOL 201 Community and Ecosystems Ecology, Credits: 4
- ECOL 220 Biostatistics, Credits: 4
- ECOL 380 Wetlands Analysis, Credits: 4
- ECOL 408 Aquatic Ecology, Credits: 3
- ECOL 409 Aquatic Ecology Lab, Credits: 1
- ECOL 501 Independent Study, Credits: 1–4
- ECOL 509 Student Research I, Credits: 2
- ECOL 510 Student Research I, Credits: 2–4
- ECOL 511 Student Research II, Credits: 1–4
- ECOL 560 Interdisciplinary Explorations Biology, Credits: 2–4
Program Outcome
Learning goals
- Ecology majors will learn to identify and describe the basic principles and theories of ecology and the related sciences (biology, environmental science, and geology).
- Using these principles and theories, students will learn to construct and critique logical scientific arguments.
- Students will learn to use appropriate skills and techniques to acquire and evaluate scientific evidence.
- Students will recognize how basic ecological principles and theories are relevant to the broader university curriculum, as well as to their daily lives.
Career Opportunities
Recent graduates have gone to graduate school at:
- Auburn
- Columbia University
- Clemson University
- Memorial University
- Oregon State University
- University of British Columbia
- University of Florida
- University of Maine
Recent graduates are employed at:
- Agnes Irwin School
- Auburn Water District
- Cincinnati Zoo
- Elmwood Park Zoo
- ERM: Environmental Resources Management
- Glacier Institute, Glacier National Park
- Huntington Learning Center
- Memphis Zoo
- National Ecological Observatory Network
- Thermo Fisher Scientific
- Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Facilities
English Language Requirements
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