Population and Conservation Biology

    Population biology is the study of ecological and evolutionary processes that create and maintain biological diversity. Investigative research in population biology spans the biological sciences from molecules to ecosystems and has input from the physical, chemical and earth sciences.
Conservation biology is the application of population biology principles for the management and conservation of endangered or threatened species, biodiversity and natural resources. Population and conservation biology is an interdisciplinary field of study that integrates both basic and applied biology. Population and conservation biology lies at the interface between basic and applied sciences.

    The M.S. with a major in Population and Conservation Biology will be a research degree that will require a minimum of two years full-time course work and research leading to a thesis. The program is envisioned as an interdisciplinary course of study that combines principles of population biology with strong training in measurement and analysis of biological systems, augmented with the student's choice of study in particular specialties. Elective courses in the second year allow students to specialize in particular sub-disciplines of the field, including: ecology of populations, population management, conservation biology or evolutionary ecology and genetics.
(Degree Requirements)