Biodiversity and Conservation Biology (MS)
The M.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology is a non-thesis, coursework-based (Plan B) Master’s degree for students preparing for careers in biodiversity management, conservation, and environmental education who want graduate-level training in the subject without the extensive research of a thesis-plan Master’s degree.
Requirements
The M.S. requires a minimum of 30 credits, comprising at least 14 credits of core course work, at least six credits of related area courses, at least four credits of research, and one to nine credits of internship.
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses | ||
| Select at least 14 credits of the following: | 14 | |
| Population and Community Ecology | ||
| Conservation Biology | ||
| Current Topics in Biodiversity | ||
| Current Topics in Conservation Biology | ||
| Population Genetics | ||
or EEB 5449 | Evolution | |
| Principles and Methods of Systematic Biology 1 | ||
| Related Areas | ||
| Complete one course from any two of the following related areas: 2 | 6 | |
| Research and Internship | ||
| Compete at least four credits of research and one to nine credits of internship: | 10 | |
| Independent Study | ||
| Internship in Ecology, Conservation, or Evolutionary Biology 3 | ||
| Total Credits | 30 | |
- 1
Or one Taxonomic Diversity Course
- 2
Advisory committees may approve alternative courses within these three related areas.
- 3
Possibly in conjunction with sessions of EEB 5881 Internship in Ecology, Conservation, or Evolutionary Biology.
Taxonomic Diversity Courses
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| EEB 3266 | Field Herpetology | 3 |
| EEB 4250 | General Entomology | 4 |
| EEB 4252 | 3 | |
| EEB 4260 & EEB 4261 | Ornithology and Ornithology Laboratory | 4 |
| EEB 4272 | The Summer Flora | 3 |
| EEB 4274 | Introduction to Animal Parasitology | 4 |
| EEB 4275 | Invertebrate Zoology | 4 |
| EEB 5200 | Biology of Fishes | 4 |
| EEB 5204 | 4 | |
| EEB 5220 | Evolution of Green Plants | 4 |
| EEB 5240 | Biology of Bryophytes and Lichens | 4 |
| EEB 5250 | Biology of the Algae | 4 |
| EEB 5254 | Mammalogy | 4 |
| EEB 5265 | Herpetology | 4 |
| EEB 5271 | Systematic Botany | 4 |
| Total Credits | 57 | |
Environmental Policy, Ethics, and Management
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARE 2434E | Environmental and Resource Policy | 3 |
| EVST/POLS 3412 | Global Environmental Politics | 3 |
| GEOG 4210 | Urban and Regional Planning | 3 |
| NRE 3245E | Environmental Law | 3 |
| NRE 4255 | Water Quality Management | 3 |
| NRE 4165 | 3 | |
| NRE 4335 | Fisheries Management | 3 |
| NRE 5200 | Sustainable Natural Resources Management | 3 |
| PHIL 3216E | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| SOCI 2707 | Energy, Environment, and Society | 3 |
Environmental Economics
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| ARE 4438E | Valuing the Environment | 3 |
| ARE 4462E | Environmental and Resource Economics | 3 |
| ARE 5464 | Benefit-Cost Analysis and Resource Management | 3 |
Environmental Analysis
| Course | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| GEOG 3505 | Remote Sensing of Marine Geography | 3 |
| GEOG 5500 | Fundamentals of Geographic Information Science | 3 |
| GEOG 5510 | Applications of Geographic Information Systems | 3 |
| NRE 3535 | Remote Sensing of the Environment | 3 |
| NRE 4535 | Remote Sensing Image Processing | 3 |
| NRE 4665 | Natural Resources Modeling | 3 |
| NRE 5205 | Decision Methods in Natural Resources | 3 |
| NRE 5215 | Introduction to Geospatial Analysis with Remote Sensing | 3 |
| NRE 5575 | 4 | |
| NRE 5585 | Python Scripting for Geospatial Analysis | 3 |
Accelerated Biodiversity and Conservation Biology BS/MS
For students with a B.S. in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) from the University of Connecticut, the M.S. in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology is designed as an accelerated (fifth-year) M.S. degree; such students can apply 12 credits of graduate coursework required for the M.S. towards the B.S as well. Students who have completed a B.S. in another program must complete course requirements equivalent to the undergraduate EEB major to earn this M.S. degree.