Joint B.S./M.S. degree program in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology
MS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS
Students who have completed the course requirements
for the BS degree must be granted admission to the
Required or Core Courses:
1. EEB 5310 Conservation Biology (3 credits) NOTE: this course only taught in alternate years
2. EEB 5369 Current topics in Biodiversity (1 credit)
3. EEB 5370 Current topics in Conservation Biology (1 credit)
4. EEB 5301 Population and Community Ecology (3 credits) NOTE: this course only taught in alternate years
5. One of the following:
EEB 5348 Population Genetics (3 credits) NOTE: this course only taught in alternate years
EEB 5449 Evolution (3 credits) NOTE: this course only taught in alternate years
6. EEB 5347 Principles and Methods of Systematic Biology (4 credits), OR one of the following taxonomic diversity courses**:
EEB 3271 Plant Systematics (4 credits)
EEB 4200 Biology of Fishes (4 credits)
EEB 4243 Insect Classification and Identification (4 credits)
EEB 4250 General Entomology (4 credits)
EEB 4252 Field Entomology (4 credits)
EEB 4260 & 4261 Ornithology & Ornithology lab (4 credits)
EEB 4272 The Summer Flora (3 credits)
EEB 4274 Introduction to Animal Parasitology (4 credits)
EEB 4275 Invertebrate Zoology (4 credits)
EEB 5204 Aquatic Plant Biology (4 credits)
EEB 5220 Evolution of Green Plants (3 credits)
EEB 5240 Biology of Bryophytes and Lichens (4 credits)
EEB 5250 Biology of the Algae (4 credits)
EEB 5254 Mammalogy (4 credits)
EEB 5265 Herpetology (4 credits)
EEB 5459 Aquatic Insects (3 credits)
EEB 5477 Insect Phylogeny (3 credits)
* If any course cannot be taken, through no fault
of the student's, then a substitute course may be taken with prior permission
from the student's advisory committee. Permissions for substitution will be
granted only in response to unforeseeable events (e.g., a course is cancelled
at short notice), and not in cases of failure to plan ahead.
** In selecting a course from this list, students are reminded that a maximum of only six credits of undergraduate coursework may be used to fulfill their graduate requirements.
Related Area:
Students are required to take at least 6 credits of course work in the related fields of Environmental Policy or Ethics, Environmental Economics, and Geographic Information Systems (GIS). At least one course from each of two of the three sets of courses listed below must be taken to fulfill this requirement. If students have already taken a course from one area as part of their B.S., they are encouraged (but not required) to take their M.S. courses from the other two areas. Students should be aware that some of these courses may require prerequisites.
7. One of the following courses in Environmental Policy or Ethics:
ARE 3434 Environmental and Resource Policy (3 credits)
NRME 3245 Environmental Law (3 credits)
PHIL 3216 Environmental Ethics (3 credits)
Any other graduate level course (3+ credits) that relates to Environmental Policy and Ethics and that is approved by the student's committee
8. One of the following courses in Environmental Economics*:
ARE 4462 Environmental and Resource Economics (3 credits)
ARE 4438 Valuing the Environment (3 credits)
ARE 5464 Benefit-Cost Analysis and Resource
Management (3 credits)
Any other graduate level course (3+ credits) that relates to Environmental Economics and that is approved by the student's committee
9. One of the following courses in Geographic Information Systems (GIS):
GEOG 4500 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems (4 credits)
GEOG 4510 Applications of Geographic Information Systems (4 credits)
GEOG 4520 Selected Topics in Geographic Information Systems (2 credits)
GEOG 5500 Fundamentals of Geographic Information Systems (variable credits)
GEOG 5510 Applications Issues in Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
NRME 3535 Introductory Remote Sensing (3 credits)
NRME 4535 Advanced Remote Sensing (3 credits)
NRME 5325 Geospatial Data Processing Techniques (3 credits)
NRME 5575 Natural Resource Applications of Geographic Information Systems (3 credits)
Any other
graduate level GIS course (3+ credits) that is approved by the student's
committee
II. Research
The degree requires at least 4 credits of Master's
research experience (EEB 5889). The goal of this requirement is to give
students experience working in a research setting. Students are
encouraged to obtain this research experience off-campus, perhaps in
association with the internship component of their degree program.
Since the B.S./M.S. program is not a "research
M.S.", students are not required to develop their own research project and
no formal thesis is required.
Students should, however, be able to talk about their research experience in an
informed way appropriate to a Master's-level student. To demonstrate their
proficiency, each student is expected to write a short paper (2-4 pages)
summarizing the research project that they worked on and its broader
significance. The paper should cover (a) why the work was conducted, (b) how it
was conducted and what the student's role was, (c) what the research revealed,
and (d) the significance of the results. The paper should be written as though
for a general, but informed, audience (e.g., a likely future employer). The
background information and significance section should reference relevant
literature. This paper must be approved by the student's committee before the
final examination date is set. Students should be prepared to answer questions
about their research experience during their final examination (see below).
If a student has gained substantial research
experience as an undergraduate then they may petition their committee to take
other graduate level courses, or an additional internship, instead of taking an
additional 4 research credits. "Substantial" research experience
means work appropriate to that of a graduate student (e.g., research leading to
a substantial undergraduate thesis, a first-authored publication, or
equivalent). Students who wish to make this petition are still required to
write a short paper summarizing their prior research (following the guidelines
described above) and must also provide justification for taking the alternative
course(s). The decision to accept the petition lies with the student's
committee, but copies of the paper and justification must be sent to the
Program Coordinator.
Research credits used for the B.S. degree cannot
also be used for the M.S. degree. Undergraduate students who are conducting
research that would meet the standards of the M.S. research requirement, and
who do not need the credits for their B.S., are advised to enroll for graduate
credits (EEB 5889).
III. Internship
Students are required to participate in at least
one internship, of no less than two months total duration, with an appropriate
agency over the course of their degree program. Students can obtain
credit for this internship by registering for EEB 5891; each credit of internship
will entail a minimum of 42 hours of work per semester or term. No more
than 15 credits of internship work will be counted towards the B.S. portion of
the proposed B.S./M.S. degree. This internship component is designed to provide
students with experience in the practical applications of biodiversity and/or
conservation. Examples of appropriate host agencies in the
Audubon Society, both National and
Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection
Conservation International
Ecological Society of
Environmental Protection Agency
National Park Service
The Nature Conservancy
Wildlife International
World Wildlife Fund
IV. Advisory Committee
Upon entry into the program each student must
select a Major Advisor, who will guide them through their degree. Each
student's Advisory Committee is formed after consultation between the student
and the Major Advisor. It includes two Associate Advisors. The Major Advisor
and at least one Associate Advisor must be members of the Graduate Faculty. One
Associate Advisor may be chosen from outside the University in accordance with
V. Plan of Study
The student must prepare a Plan of Study containing
the courses he or she will take to gain mastery of the body of knowledge in the
field, including the required or core courses, the elective courses, and the
related courses. The student's Advisory Committee must approve the Plan of
Study and three copies with original signatures should be given to the
VI. Candidacy
The student becomes a candidate for the degree of Master of Science once the Plan of Study, approved by the Advisory Committee, has been filed with the Graduate Records Office.
VII. Final Examination
The final examination is taken near the close of the candidate's period of study, no later than one year after the completion of coursework as contained in the Plan of Study. The internship and research requirement must be satisfied before the final examination can be taken. No fewer than three faculty members, including all members of the candidate's advisory committee, participate in the oral examination. At minimum, the final exam will consist of questions based on the student's coursework, research and internship experience, and the application of the acquired knowledge to the student's proposed career. Students should consult their committee members for additional details.