About the Program

This masters degree program offers students an opportunity to combine interdisciplinary course work in conservation ecology and sustainable development with field experience and thesis research.  The program is intended to provide the training necessary to handle the unique, multidisciplinary problems in the area of conservation and sustainable development and to function independently as a researcher and decision-maker to address problems of conservation and sustainable development. 

The program consists of a minimum of 30 hour of exclusive of thesis hours: 8 hours of interdisciplinary courses on principles of conservation and sustainable development; two 1-hour issues seminars; 2 hours of intensive study with the major advisor; electives; and, thesis research.  Students are encouraged to apply for admission to existing appropriate field course.  A thesis or similar written report from an approved project is required.

Anyone with a bachelor's degree in a natural science or related social science such a anthropology or resource economics is eligible to apply for admission to the degree program.  Applicants should have completed a course in Ecology.  To be admitted, a student must meet the general University requirements for graduate work and make application to the Director of the Program for Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development.  The graduate student and his/her faculty advisors plan to program of study to fulfill the requirements of the degree program.

It is clear that among the major global problems we face today are the rapid depletion of our natural areas, the deterioration of biodiversity, and misuse of our biological resources.  The maintenance of our quality of life or, even the achievement of a decent standard of living, as in underdeveloped nations, depends on our ability to make the correct decisions on the long- term sustainability of resource use.  These decisions must be made within a holistic framework, where considerations of the physical and biological properties of a systems are evaluated within the social and economic context of a community.  This holistic framework for decision-making is a strength of UGA's Odum School of Ecology.  The objectives of the new program are: to develop an intensive training program at the master's level which provides interdisciplinary skills in decision-making in the areas of conservation ecology and development, to perform research which provides hands-on field experience for students yet provides a service to communities in need, and to develop linkages with conservation and development agencies in the US and abroad to enhance the experience of our graduates. 

The Odum School of Ecology provides one of the best places in the country to offer this program.  The existing structure of the Ecology program with it ongoing interdisciplinary activities provides the physical and intellectual environment necessary to create a strong program.  The Odum School of Ecology has members from 17 campus schools and departments, 4 Odum Schools, Cooperative Extensions, Savannah River Ecology Lab, USDA and Environmental Protection Agency.

Because this is a cross-disciplinary program, several core courses are required in addition to electives in an appropriates area of specialization.  The specialization is expected to be in a standard department (e.g. anthropology, forest resources, geography, etc.) and the program content in the area of specialization must be approved by the student's advisory committee.  Beyond the required core courses, students are expected to meet language and computer skills requirements as determined by their committee.  The Ecology Degree faculty offer training in computer-assisted geographic information systems.

Facilities
Facilities of the Odum School of Ecology in Athens, and at off-campus facilities such as the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory, the University of Georgia Marine Odum School and other sites in  the state (mountains, coastal plains, wetlands, lakes and rivers, coast and sea), provide students unusual opportunities for ecological training.  The program has attracted outstanding students and produced exceptionally talented ecological scientists, many of whom are now leaders in the field.
 

Application Process
Applicants are responsible for submitting all materials required for admission.  Materials submitted directly to the graduate school are: the general application for admission, the application processing fee, two official transcripts from each institution attended and G.R.E. scores.  Three letters of recommendation, background and interest form, statement of purpose, and curriculum vitae must be forwarded to the program office.  The Odum School of Ecology accepts applicants into degree-seeking programs only for the Fall Semester of each academic year.  All applicant credentials are due in the program office no later than January 1, of each academic year.  Applications may be obtained from the Office of Graduate Admissions, University of Georgia, Athens, GA 30602-7402. 

Prospective Student Information

Background/Interest Form
This form should be completed and returned no later than January 1 for fall semester admission to the program.

Handbook

Contact:

The University of Georgia
Ecology Program Office
Room 140, Odum School of Ecology
Athens, GA  30602-2202
Phone: (706) 542-3404; Fax: (706) 542-6040
e-mail ppittman@uga.edu

Core Courses:

ECOL 6080. Principles of Conservation and Sustainable Development I (4 cr.): This course emphasizes ecological principles important to conservation and development and the ecological consequences of development activities. (Carroll and Pringle)

ECOL 8710. Environmental Law Practicum (4 cr.): Students from ecology, law, environmental design and other disciplines work together to address pressing environmental concerns identified by community stakeholders. Skills developed include: identification of environmental problems within a watershed, research and analysis, legislative drafting, and presentations. This practicum provides hands-on experience and solution-oriented, interdisciplinary group projects. (Fowler and other faculty).

ECOL 8400. Perspectives on Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development (1 cr.): All students in the program participate in this seminar during both spring and fall of their first year.  Presentations include faculty and student research and seminars on conservation issues.  (Pringle and Jordan)

ECOL 8990. Problems in Ecology (2 cr.): This course should be used as a independent study with your major professor to define your thesis research problem and plan the research design.

Year 1
(Normal course load is 9-11 hours per semester.  Maximum is 12 hours unless special permission is obtained.)

Fall 
  ECOL 6080: Principles of C/SD I (4 credits)
  ECOL 8400. Perspectives on C/SD (1 credit)
  Elective (6-7 credits)

Spring 
  ECOL 8710. Environmental Law Practicum (4 credits)
  ECOL 8400. Perspectives on C/SD (1 credit)
  ECOL 8990. Independent Study (2 credits)
  Electives (3-5 credits)

Summer Research or field courses (9-11 credits)

Year 2
Fall Electives and/or research (9-11 credits)

Spring Thesis (research) (9-11 credits)

Summer Thesis (research) (9-11 credits)

Recommended electives for those wishing to pursue more in-depth coverage within the following tracks for specific areas of focus:

Biological and Ecological Sciences
FORS 8360 Quantitative Approaches to Conservation Biology
FORS 6750 Experimental Methods for Research
ECOL 8440 Principles of Agroforestry/Agroecology

Social Science/Anthropology
ANTH 6490 Foundations of Ecological Anthropology
ANTH 8500 Conservation and Community

Policy/Law
ECOL 8700 Environmental Policy and Management
ECOL 8720 Environmental Law for Scientists

Electives appropriate for the program include:

Course descriptions

Agricultural and Applied Economics
 AAEC 6600. Economics of Rural Environmental Quality
 AAEC 6800/6800L. Water Resource Economics
 AAEC 6930. Environmental Law & Governmental Regulation
 AAEC 7600. Environmental Economics & Policy Analysis
 AAEC (FORS) 7860. Resource Economics & Management
 AAEC 8750. Natural Resource & Environmental Economics
 

Anthropology
 ANTH 6000. Anthropology of Economic Systems
 ANTH (PBIO) 6300/6300L. Ethnobotany
 ANTH 6490. Foundations of Ecological Anthropology
 ANTH 6540/6540L. Environment and Health
 ANTH 6560. Anthropology of Development
 ANTH 6580/6580L. Ecology of Food, Diet, & Nutrition
 ANTH 6590. Ecology & Evolution of Human Disease
 ANTH 6610. Introduction to Research Methods
 ANTH 6620. Methods of Sociocultural Anthropology
 ANTH 8060. Primate and Human Ecology
 ANTH 8400. Human Population Ecology
 ANTH 8410. Comparative Human Ecological Systems
 ANTH 8420. Human Ecosystems Evolution
 ANTH 8500. Seminar in Ecological Anthropology
 ANTH 8610. Field Methods in Ecological Anthropology
 ANTH 8620. Anthropological Data Analysis
 

Biology
 BIOL 8000. Tropical Biology: An Ecological Approach
 

Botany
 PBIO 6650/6650L. Plant Taxonomy
 PBIO 6850/6850L. Vegetation Analysis
 PBIO 8140/8140L. Algal Ecology
 PBIO 8360 .Fungal Ecology
 PBIO (ECOL) 8410. Community Ecology
 PBIO 8700. Plant Population Biology Seminar
 PBIO 8840. Plant Ecology Seminar
 PBIO 8850/8850L. Terrestrial Biogeochemical Cycling
 PBIO 8890/8890L. Environmental Physiology
 

Cellular Biology
 CBIO (PBIO) 6600-6600L. Biology of the Protists
 

Crop & Soil Science
 CRSS 6590-6590L. Soil Fertility
 CRSS (MIBO) 6610-6610L.  Soil Microbiology
 CRSS 6660-6600L. Chemical Analysis of Environmental Samples
 CRSS 6670.  Environmental Soil Chemistry
 CRSS 8280-8280L. Crop Responses to Microclimate
 CRSS 8340-8340L. Environmental Aspects of Herbicide Use
 CRSS 8350. Weed Ecology
 

Ecology
 ECOL 3700 combined with ECOL 8990. Organic Agriculture
 ECOL 6000-6000L. Organismal, Population & Community 
 ECOL 6010-6010L. Ecosystem Ecology
 ECOL 6030-6030L. Mammalogy
 ECOL 6040-6040L. Ornithology
 ECOL 6050-6050L. Ichthyology
 ECOL 6070-6070L. Invertebrate Zoology
 ECOL 6110. Insect Diversity
 ECOL (FORS) 6310-6310L. Limnology
 ECOL (CRSS) 6650-6650L. Soil Biology and Ecology
 ECOL 8000. Topics in Modern Ecology
 ECOL (ANTH) 8110 Tropical Ecological & Cultural Systems
 ECOL (PBIO) 8120-8120L. Plant Reproductive Ecology
 ECOL 8150-8150L. Wetland Ecology
 ECOL 8170. Natural History of the Hymenoptera
 ECOL 8220. Stream Ecology
 ECOL 8230. Lake Ecology
 ECOL (PBIO) (FORS) 8310. Population Ecology
 ECOL 8440. Principles of Agroforestry/ Agroecology
 ECOL 8500. Theoretical Ecology
 ECOL 8560. Ecology Seminar
 ECOL 8580-8580L. Theory of Systems Ecology
 ECOL 8600-8600L. Nuclear Tracers in Ecology
 ECOL 8700. Environmental Policy & Management
 ECOL 8900. Problems in Ecology
 

Educational Research and Measurement
 ERSH 7400. Qualitative Research Methods in Education
 ERSH 8410. Qualitative Data Collection in Education
 ERSH 8420. Qualitative Data Analysis in Education
 

Entomology
 ENTO 6010-6010L. Insect Taxonomy
 ENTO 6130. Internship in Crop Protection & Pest Management
 ENTO 6500-6500L. Insect Ecology
 ENTO 6740-6740L. Insect Pest Management
 ENTO 6940-6940L. Aquatic Entomology
 ENTO 8820. Biological Control
 

Forest Resources
 FORS 6110. Forest Hydrology
 FORS 6150. Control & Systems Theory for the Environmental Scientist
 FORS 6300-6300L. Management of Wildlife Habitat
 FORS 6340. Endangered Species Management
 FORS 6800-6800D. Forest Resources Policy
 FORS 7310-7310L. Techniques in Wildlife Population Management
 FORS 7360-7360L. Fisheries Management
 FORS (RLST) 7400-7400L. Park Management
 FORS 7410. Wilderness Management
 FORS 7710. Advanced Forest Economics
 FORS 7820. Natural Resource Law for Managers and Administrators
 FORS 7850. Forest Policy Issues
 FORS (AAEC) 7860.  Resource Economics and Management
 FORS 8300. Fisheries and Wildlife Seminar
 

Genetics
 GENE 8134. Evolutionary Genetics
 GENE 8504. Research Methods in Population Biology
 

Geography
 GEOG 6020. Fluvial Geomorphology
 GEOG 6160. Applied Climatology
 GEOG (PBIO) 6220. Ecological Biogeography
 GEOG (PBIO) 6240. Plant Geography
 GEOG 6670. Geography of Development
 GEOG 6810. Conservation Ecology and Resource Management
 GEOG 6330-6330L. The Use and Interpretation of Aerial Photographs
 GEOG 6350-6350L. Remote Sensing of the Environment
 GEOG 6370-6370L. Introduction to Geographic Information Systems
 GEOG 6470-6470L. Geographic Analysis & Geographic Information Systems
 GEOG 8350.  Remote Sensing with GIS Applications
 

Landscape Architecture
 LAND 6400. Plant Communities of the Southeast
 LAND 6030. Nature & Sustainability
 

Law
 JURI 6640. International Law I
 JURI 6650. International Law II
 JURI 6670. Seminar on International Protection of Human Rights
 JURI 6690. Law of the Sea and Protection of the Environment
 JURI 6910. Natural Resources
 JURI 7280. Law and Environment
 JURI 7290.  Environmental Litigation Seminar
 JURI 7520. International Law and Economic Development
 

Marine Sciences
 MARS (FORS) 6380-6380L. Marine Fisheries Biology
 MARS 6810. Microbial Biogeochemistry
 MARS 8160-8160L. Marine Ecology
 

Medical Microbiology
 MMIB 6800. Environmental Epidemiology
 

Political Science
 POLS 6210. International Organization
 POLS 6220. International Law
 POLS 7900. Managing Volunteers in the Public and Nonprofit Sector
 

Statistics
 STAT 6210. Statistical Methods I
 STAT 6220. Statistical Methods II
 STAT 6290. Non-Parametric Methods
 STAT 6380. Survival Analysis
 STAT 8040. Environmental Statistics
 STAT 8270. Spatial Statistics