Course Overview

The B.S. in Ecology and Conservation Biology (ECCB) emphasizes the acquisition of fundamental ecological knowledge and its application to biodiversity conservation, environmental health, and the management of complex systems, such as interactions involving aspects of ecology from genes to ecosystems, landscapes, hydrology, and climate. Four tracks are offered to provide flexibility in preparing for a given career path: Ecology and Conservation Biology, Ecoinformatics, Forest Resources, and Vertebrate Zoology.

The Ecology and Conservation Biology track is designed to meet the needs of students interested in pursuing careers with natural resource agencies, conservation and environmental organizations, environmental consulting firms, and education and research institutions as well as a graduate degree in natural sciences. Students enrolled in this track gain an understanding of the core body of knowledge and acquire the tools for understanding issues related to conserving, managing, and restoring species, habitats, and ecosystems in ecological concepts, ecological practices, human-environmental interactions, and biodiversity exploration and conservation. This track accomplishes this by offering a diversity of courses, including higher-level electives that allow students to tailor their education to fit their interests, including the option to become certified through organizations such as the Ecological Society of America and the Society for Ecological Restoration. Students completing this track will have a strong background in ecosystem functioning, field experience, human and ethical dimensions, organism biology, and quantitative applications.

General Eligibility

Undergraduate students who meet the following general admission requirements at the time of application are assured admission to  A&M-Central Texas:

• Minimum 2.0 cumulative transfer GPA on a 4.0 scale;

• Minimum 30 academic, college-level transferable semester hours. Applicants pursuing an Applied Science or Aviation Science degree may meet this requirement utilizing select workforce education credit from an approved Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degree upon completion of 45 hours, to include all general education courses within the AAS.

• Must be eligible to return to all previously attended colleges or universities.

Part Time Work Details

n/a

Language Requirement

• The University requires all students to take at least one year of a foreign language. This requirement is completed by having taken two units of the same foreign language in high school, completing one year of the same foreign language in college or completing the credit-by-examination process.

  Minimum TOEFL Essentials score of 8.5, or. Minimum IELTS Academic test score of 6.0 overall band (Texas A&M University does not accept the IELTS General test)