Help Make The Susquehanna River Cleaner
Many of our students are involved with the Freshwater Research Initiative, which includes a dedicated laboratory and state-of-the-art equipment for river research.
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Our Ecology Major
Be part of the bigger picture
Get your hands dirty and your feet wet. At the confluence of the Susquehanna River, we're surrounded by abundant waterways, forests and farmland—one of the best places to study the natural world.
We have a state-of-the-art freshwater research laboratory and an 87-acre environmental field station right on campus. It's an ecologist's dream.
Study everything from streams, lakes and wetlands to nutrient cycling and land ecosystems. You'll learn how air, water, soil and organisms coexist and how wildlife functions within their native habitats.
Interested in sustainable living? So are we. There are plenty of opportunities to make a difference—work at our campus garden, live in our Sustainability House, or join a student group like Student Awareness for the Value of the Environment or the Beekeepers Club.
Research opportunities abound
Work on our Freshwater Research Initiative. Spend the summer conducting research—and get paid. Study vertebrate natural history on a spring break trip to Costa Rica. Collaborate with other universities, the Fish and Boat Commission, or the Chesapeake Bay Foundation.
You'll be able to research what interests you most, guided by our expert faculty specializing in aquatic ecology, soil science, behavioral ecology, paleoecology, vertebrate ecology, plant ecology, wetlands ecology, and population and community ecology.
Then present your paper at a national or regional conference—an opportunity we make available to all of our students.
Rewarding careers are a natural fit
Our graduates are ready to begin masters or doctoral degree programs in the sciences or to jump right into careers in:
- Wildlife, fisheries or environmental consulting
- Forestry
- Agricultural or natural resources management
- Parks and recreation
- Resource planning, management and conservation
- Zoos and aquariums
- Wildlife conservation
Recent graduates have gone to graduate school at:
Auburn
Columbia University
Oregon State University
State University of New York at Stony Brook
University of Maine
University of Southern Maine
University of Florida
Recent graduates are employed at:
AquaTechEnvironmental Consulting
Calvert Laboratories-Scranton
Civil & Environmental Consultants Inc.
Forest Management Institute at TechnischeUniversitätMünchenas
Georgia Aquarium
Imaginarium Hands on Science Museum of Fort Myers
MicrobacLaboratories Inc.
Northeast Waste and Wastewater Training Associates
Philadelphia Zoo
PPL
Staten Island Zoo
Susquehanna River Basin Commission
Tetra Tech Environmental Consulting
Tioga County Conservation District
TRC Solutions
Trout Unlimited Urban Farming Guys
U.S. Department of Agriculture
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
USDA Forest Service
Requirements for the Major in Ecology. The Bachelor of Science degree in ecology requires 56 semester hours in biology, earth and environmental sciences and chemistry with grades of C- or better in ecology, biology, and earth and environmental sciences courses. The Bachelor of Science in ecology includes a four-course introductory sequence and a year or more of student research. In addition, the 56 semester hours include 24 semester hours of elective courses with at least 12 drawn from each of Category 1 and Category 2. In cases where the lecture and laboratory components of courses are listed separately, students in the ecology program must take both lecture and laboratory.
| Semester Hours | View Full Course Catalog >> |
|---|---|
16 Introductory Sequence (16 semester hours) |
|
4 ECOL-100 Introduction to the Science of Ecology (BIOL-101 Ecology and Evolution, EENV-101 Environmental Science, or EENV-103 Earth System History may substitute as an initial course in the introductory sequence) |
|
| 4 ECOL-110 Biogeodiversity | |
| 4 ECOL-201 Community and Ecosystems Ecology | |
| 4 BIOL-220 Biostatistics | |
24 Elective Courses (24 semester hours chosen from the following, with at least 12 semester hours taken in Category 1 and 12 semester hours taken in category 2) |
|
Category 1: Biology Electives (12 credits must be chosen from the following. The course must be accompanied with the laboratory when offered and at least two courses of the 12 credits must be lab-based) 4 BIOL-312-313 Microbiology 4 BIOL-324-325 Animal Behavior 4 BIOL-326-327 Invertebrate Zoology 4 BIOL-328-329 Natural History of Early Vertebrates 4 BIOL-332-333 Population Biology 4 BIOL-404-405 Plant Physiology 4 BIOL-408-409 Aquatic Ecology 4 BIOL-460-461 Winter Ecology of Vertebrates 2 ECOL-560 Explorations in Ecology (e.g. Sustainable Food Systems, Biology of Invasive Species, Amphibian Population Declines, Vertebrate Ecology of Costa Rica, Human Evolution and Behavior, etc.) Category 2: Environmental Science Electives (12 credits must be chosen from the following:) |
|
| 4 EENV-113 Geology and the Environment | |
| 4 EENV-213 Oceanography | |
| 4 EENV-220 Water Resources | |
| 4 EENV-240 Introduction to Meteorology | |
| 4 EENV-242 Climate and Global Change | |
| 4 EENV-283 Sedimentology/Stratigraphy | |
| 4 EENV-313 The Susquehanna River | |
| 4 EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems | |
| 4 EENV-380 Wetlands Analysis | |
| 4 EENV-383 Soil Science | |
| 4 EENV-420 Groundwater Hydrology | |
| 4 EENV-430 Chemistry of Natural Waters | |
8 Student Research |
|
ECOL-509 Student Research I may be taken during the third year for students that require more than one field season of research. ECOL-510 Student Research I may be taken as either 2 or 4 semester hours senior year. Students who have completed ECOL-509 must take no more than 2 semester hours of ECOL-510. |
|
| 2 ECOL-509 Student Research I | |
| 2 or 4 ECOL-510 Student Research I | |
| 4 ECOL-511 Student Research II | |
8 Required Corollary Courses |
|
Students must complete the following corollary chemistry courses: 4 General Chemistry I - choose from: CHEM-101, CHEM-103 or CHEM-111 Note: Additional corollary courses are strongly recommended for those intending to pursue graduate training. These recommended courses include CHEM-221 Organic Chemistry I, CHEM-222 Organic Chemistry II, CHEM-231 Quantitative Analysis, Introductory Physics I (PHYS-202, PHYS-203 or PHYS-204), and Introductory Physics II (PHYS-205 or PHYS-206). |
|
Majors must also take a comprehensive ecology examination prior to graduation. Exam content will be drawn from introductory sequence courses. Students have multiple opportunities to take the comprehensive examination; only the highest score is recorded on the transcript. Performance on the comprehensive examination is reported on the transcript as high pass, pass or fail. |
Requirements for the Minor in Ecology. The minor in ecology requires 24 semester hours in ecology, biology, and earth and environmental sciences with grades of C- or better. The first course in the minor may be one of the following: ECOL-100, BIOL-101, EENV-101 or EENV-103. That introductory course should be followed by the sequence of ECOL-110/BIOL-204 and ECOL-201. Following the completion of the introductory sequence, the student will take at least four semester hours from Category 1 (biology) and four semester hours from Category 2 (earth and environmental sciences).
Double-counting restriction for interdisciplinary minors: only 8 semester hours of this minor may be double-counted toward the student's major.
| Semester Hours | View Full Course Catalog >> |
|---|---|
Category 1: Biology Electives (must be taken with the laboratory) 4 BIOL-312/313 Microbiology 4 BIOL-324/325 Animal Behavior 4 BIOL-326/327 Invertebrate Zoology 4 BIOL-328/329 Natural HIstory of Early Vertebrates 4 BIOL-332/333 Population Biology 4 BIOL-404/405 Plant Physiology 4 BIOL-408/409 Aquatic Ecology 4 BIOL-460/461 Winter Ecology of Vertebrates Category 2: Environmental Science Electives |
|
| 4 EENV-213 Oceanography | |
| 4 EENV-220 Water Resources | |
| 4 EENV-240 Introduction to Meteorology | |
| 4 EENV-242 Climate and Global Change | |
| 4 EENV-283 Sedimentology/Stratigraphy | |
| 4 EENV-313 The Susquehanna River | |
| 4 EENV-360 Geographic Information Systems | |
| 4 EENV-380 Wetlands Analysis | |
| 4 EENV-383 Soil Science | |
| 4 EENV-420 Groundwater Hydrology | |
| 4 EENV-430 Chemistry of Natural Waters |
Jennifer Mary Elick, Ph.D.
Department: Earth & Environmental Sciences
Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences
elick@susqu.edu
570-372-4214
Carlos Alberto Iudica, Ph.D.
Department: Biology
Associate Professor of Biology
casaiud@susqu.edu
570-372-4208
Ahmed Lachhab, Ph.D.
Department: Earth & Environmental Sciences
Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences
lachhab@susqu.edu
570-372-4215
David Matlaga, Ph.D.
Department: Biology
Assistant Professor of Biology
matlaga@susqu.edu
570-372-4347
Alissa A. Packer, Ph.D.
Department: Biology
Associate Professor of Biology
packer@susqu.edu
570-372-4217
Dan Ressler, Ph.D.
Department: Earth & Environmental Sciences
Associate Professor of Earth & Environmental Sciences
resslerd@susqu.edu
570-372-4216
Tanya Matlaga, Ph.D.
Department: Science in Motion
Science in Motion Coordinator
matlagat@susqu.edu
570-372-4778
Jonathan M. Niles, Ph.D.
Department: Dean of Arts and Sciences
Director of the Mellon Grant Program
niles@susqu.edu
570-372-4707
Michael Bilger
Department: Dean of Arts and Sciences
Aquatic Ecology Research Scientist
bilgerm@susqu.edu
570-372-4722
Kathy Straub, Ph.D.
Department: Earth & Environmental Sciences
Professor Earth & Environmental Science
straubk@susqu.edu
570-372-4318
Which Environmental Science Is Right for Me?
Earth and environmental sciences, environmental studies, ecology ... they sound remarkably similar. How do you decide which one is right for you? Here's your cheat sheet on these three fields.
- Earth and environmental sciences studies the nonliving components of our environment and how they impact living things. Think of it as the study of water, rocks, air and soil.
- Ecology examines the intersections between all living things and the nonliving environment. Unlike earth and environmental sciences, the primary focus is living organisms.
- Environmental studies is the major for you if you want to advocate for the environment or work for a nonprofit or non-governmental organization (NGO). This program incorporates science, law and policy to look at pressing environmental issues.
Center for Environmental Education and Research
Contact Us
Phone & Email
Matt Persons
570-372-4526
persons@susqu.edu