About the Program

Students enrolled in any graduate degree program in the University of Georgia may apply to the graduate certificate program in conservation ecology and sustainable development. This program is designed for students who wish to develop an area specialty that complements their primary degree program. Some recent recipients of the certificate include students from anthropology, forestry, landscape design, education, and law. 

Students who earn this certificate will receive interdisciplinary preparation to handle the unique, multi-disciplinary problems associated with working in the area of conservation and sustainable development. Students in the natural sciences will add a social science perspective to their understanding of the ecology of development, and students in the social sciences will learn ecological principles so that their decisions can be grounded in biological fact.

The course and credit requirements are the same as for the Master's Degree in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development except that a thesis is not required. The graduate certificate program requires a student to complete at least 20 hours of credit. The program of study must include four core courses: ECOL 6080, Principles of Conservation and Sustainable Development I (4 hrs.); ECOL 8710: Environmental Practicum (4 hrs.) fall or spring; a seminar elective in conservation and sustainable development (2-3 hrs.); and ECOL 8400, Perspectives on Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development (1 hr., repeated fall and spring). The remaining hours of credit (at least 10) will be made up by elective courses selected from a list of approved courses. One or more of these courses may jointly fulfill the requirements in the graduate degree program of their department or school. The graduate student and his/her advisor in the student's academic department plan the program of study to fulfill the requirements of the certificate program.

Application to the program should be made by filling out an application form available from the Ecology Graduate Program Office (Room 140, Ecology Building). Applications may be received and acted upon at any time.

For more information about the program, contact the graduate coordinator in the Odum School of Ecology, Ecology Building, (706) 542-3404. E-mail: ecoginfo@uga.edu.

Contact:

C. Ronald Carroll, Program Coordinator
Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA   30602-2202
(706) 542-2968
e-mail: rcarroll@sparrow.ecology.uga.edu

OR

Cathy Pringle, Program Chair, CESD Steering Committee
Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development
Odum School of Ecology
University of Georgia
Athens, GA   30602-2202
(706) 542-2968
e-mail: cpringle@uga.edu