Course Program For Environmental Biology Majors.

Program for majors

The Environmental Biology program is described in detail below in the following sections:


AP and IB credit in Biology

The Department of Biology accepts one of the following: the AP Exam in Biology, the AP Exam in Environmental Biology, or the IB Higher-level Biology exam.


Courses in the first year

Normally, the first year includes biology, chemistry, mathematics and general education courses:

Fall term: We recommend 4 courses and our first year seminar:

Spring term: 5 courses is the normal load:

Courses in the upper years

Programs for majors

1. Biology Courses

Required core courses

(32 credits):

  • BIOL-101 First-year seminar (1 credit, fall semester).  This course is required for first year students and is recommended for transfer students and those students who enter the program after the first year (contact the department chair or your advisor).
  • BIOL-103/113 Foundations in Biology I with lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL-104/114 Foundations in Biology II with lab (5 credits)
  • BIOL-180 Ecology (4 credits)
  • BIOL-185 Evolutionary Processes (4 credits)
  • BIOL-190 Gateway to Environmental Biology (4 credits)
  • BIOL-418 Experimental Design and Analysis for Biology (4 credits)

Distribution courses (18 credits minimum) Students must take one course from each of Groups A, B and C, and three other courses from Groups A, B or C, or Other Upper-level Electives. 

Students should note that course offerings change frequently, most courses are offered in only a single semester each year, and not all courses are offered every year. Furthermore, courses offered outside of Biology may have limited enrollments for Environmental Biology majors, and some courses may have prerequisites not listed here or require permission of the instructor. Students should talk with their advisors and also look carefully on the departmental website as well as MyAccess to identify course offerings.

Group A: Ecology and Behavior

  • BIOL-326 Animal Behavior
  • BIOL-353 Plants and Society
  • BIOL-364 Microbiology
  • BIOL-365 Conservation Biology
  • BIOL-366 Marine Biology
  • BIOL-368 Global Climate Change Ecology

Group B: Environmental and Earth Sciences

  • BIOL-368 Global Climate Change Ecology
  • STIA-227/228 Environmental Geosciences with lab
  • STIA-311 Environmental Geomorphology
  • STIA-412 Climate Science and Policy
  • STIA-441 Geographic Information Systems
  • STIA-454 Remote Sensing

Group C: Populations, Genes and Genomes

  • BIOL-360 Molecular Evolution
  • BIOL-367 Population Genetics
  • BIOL-379 Bioinformatics
  • BIOL-420 Genetic Conflict
  • BIOL-388 Microbial Genomics
  • BIOL-422 Modeling Biological Populations
  • BIOL-427 Biology of Sex

Other Upper-level Electives

  • BIOL-261 Science and Society: Grand Challenges
  • BIOL-262 Shaping National Science Policy
  • BIOL-340 Research Tutorial
  • BIOL-341/-342 RISE (see below for more information)
  • BIOL-359 Dynamic Processes in Biological Physics
  • COSC-051 Computer Science I
  • GOVT-331 Politics of Natural Resources
  • GOVT-354 Environmental Politics
  • GOVT-488 Environmental Law
  • HIST-404 War and Environment in the Modern World
  • HIST-481 The Environment in Pre-Industrial America
  • HSCI-332 Health Impacts of the Environment
  • INTH-320 Ecology of Global Hunger
  • INTH-440 Health, Environmental Issues, and Development
  • STIA-330 Green Revolutions
  • STIA-350 Gender and Sustainability
  • STIA-352 Journalism in Science, Environment & Health
  • STIA-355 Environment and Migration
  • STIA-370 Oceans
  • STIA-374 Environmental Security
  • STIA-379 Energy & Environment in China
  • STIA-408 Environmental Reconstruction and Restoration
  • STIA-418 Natural Resources and Security
  • STIA-419 Energy & Environment in Eurasia
  • STIA-497 Environmental Sustainability and Business Strategy

Total credit requirements: a minimum of 50 


2. Additional Science Courses Required

  • CHEM-001/-009 and -002/-010 General Chemistry with laboratory (10 credits total)
  • MATH-035 Calculus I (4 credits)
  • MATH-040 Probability and Statistics or MATH-140 Introduction to Mathematical Statistics (4 credits total)

3. RISE – Research Intensive Senior Experience

RISE is an optional experience for Environmental Biology majors.

  • BIOL-340 (one semester only in Fall or Spring) RISE Tutorial, generally junior year
  • BIOL-341 (fall) and BIOL-342 (spring) RISE, senior year