About the B.S. in Ecology: Pre-Health Emphasis

Modern medicine increasingly views patients as part of an ecosystem. This ecosystem might be viewed at the level of a single individual- a patient with numerous micro-organisms on his skin, in his gut or other organ system. Or the ecosystem might comprise the patient and the environment in which the person lives, including disease vectors (such as mosquitoes) or the presence of chemical contaminants. The Pre-Health emphasis of a B.S. in Ecology degree gives students that are seeking to enter the medical, dental or veterinary professions an enriched and broad perspective on health issues.

For professional health programs, admission requirements include the following courses that meet either UGA Core requirements or Ecology B.S. degree requirements.

  • BIOL 1107/1107L; 1108/1108L Principles of Biology I & II (UGA core)
  • CHEM 1211/1211L; 1212/1212L General Chemistry I & II (UGA core)
  • CHEM 2211/2211L Organic Chemistry I (UGA core)
  • CHEM 2212/2212L Organic Chemistry II (UGA core)
  • PHYS 1111/1111L Introductory Physics-Mechanics (UGA core)
  • PHYS 1112/1112L Introductory Physics-Electricity (Ecology major elective)

Other courses recommended for admission to medical, veterinary or dental schools such as Biochemistry (BCMB 3100) and Genetics (GENE 3200/3200D) fulfill Ecology B.S. degree requirements.

Research

Ecology students are encouraged to participate in research projects in the School of Ecology. The Odum School faculty has a nationally recognized strength in disease ecology and this type of experience distinguishes applicants to professional programs.

Major Core
  • ECOL 3400 Professional Development for Careers in Ecology
  • ECOL 3500/3500L Ecology
  • ECOL 4000 Population and Community Ecology or ECOL 4150/4150L Population Biology of Infectious Disease(preferred)
  • ECOL 4010 Ecosystem Ecology or ECOL 4310/4310L Freshwater Ecosystems
  • ECOL 4240/4240L Physiological Ecology or ECOL 4540 Behavioral Ecology
  • GENE 3200/3200D Genetics (preferred) or ECOL 4500 Evolutionary Ecology
  • ECOL 4950 Senior Seminar
  • STAT 2000 Introduction to Statistics or BIOS 2010 Elementary Biostatistics
Natural History Requirement (choose 1)*
  • CBIO(PBIO) 4600/4600L
    Biology of Protists
  • ENTO 3140/3140L Insect Natural History
  • ENTO 4000/4000L General Entomology
  • PATH(PBIO) 4200/4200L Mycology
Methods and Skills Requirement (choose 1)*
  • ECOL 4960 Research
  • STAT 4210 Statistical Methods
Major Electives (choose 4 courses)*
  • ANTH 4590 Ecology and Evolution of Human Diseases
  • BCMB 3100 Biochemistry
  • ECOL 3530 Conservation Biology
  • IDIS(CBIO) 3100 People, Parasites and Plagues
  • WILD(BIOL) 4050 Mammalogy
  • WILD(ECOL) 4575/4575L Conservation Medicine

*This is not an exhaustive list; please see the UGA Bulletin for more options.