Interdepartmental Program in Ecology
Director: Nancy Huntly
Location: Natural Resources 314
Phone: (435) 797-2555
FAX: (435) 797-3872
E-mail: nancy.huntly@usu.edu
WWW: http://www.usu.edu/ecology/
Degrees offered: Master of Science (MS) and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the following departments: Biology; Environment and Society; Plants, Soils, and Climate; Watershed Sciences; and Wildland Resources
Graduate Program
The ecology program at Utah State University is administered by the interdepartmental Ecology Center. Its goals are to promote research and graduate education in the science of ecology and to provide expert, professional information and advice for decision-makers. The research carried out by the center’s associates covers the full spectrum of ecology.
Students earn their degrees in ecology while maintaining residence in one of the participating departments; the Center itself does not grant degrees. The candidate selects a major professor from the department appropriate to his or her interests.
Ecology MS and PhD Degree Course Requirements
Requirements for graduate degrees in ecology include the university and departmental degree requirements, as well as the Ecology Center requirements outlined below.
The ecology MS and PhD are research degrees requiring a research thesis or dissertation. Students receiving graduate degrees in ecology are expected to have some breadth and sophistication in modern science as well as depth in ecology.
Ecology Course Requirements
Master of Science
- MS candidates are required to pass the 1-credit Ecology Seminar (BIOL 6870 or ENVS 6870 or PSC 6870 or WATS 6870 or WILD 6870 ) a minimum of two times during their program of study.
- Three credit hours must be taken from each of two of the blocks, for a total requirement of 6 credit hours. The five available blocks are shown below. Specific course options can be found on the Ecology website (https://www.usu.edu/ecology/).
Doctor of Philosophy
- PhD candidates are required to pass the 1-credit Ecology Seminar (BIOL 6870 or ENVS 6870 or PSC 6870 or WATS 6870 or WILD 6870 ) a minimum of three times during their program of study.
- Three credit hours must be taken from each of three of the blocks, for a total requirement of 9 credit hours. The five available blocks are shown below. Specific course options can be found on the Ecology website (https://www.usu.edu/ecology/).
Blocks
- Biophysical Ecology
- Organismic, Population, and Evolutionary Ecology
- Community, Ecosystem, and Landscape Ecology
- Quantitative Ecology
- Human Ecology
- Policy
- Recreation
- Planning
- Economics, Sustainability, and Translational Science
- Anthropology, History, Psychology, and Sociology
For further details, see the USU Ecology Center Student Resources website: https://www.usu.edu/ecology/students.
D. School of Graduate Studies General Graduation Guidelines
A bachelor’s degree from an accredited U.S. college or university or a similarly recognized international university is required for admission to and completion of a graduate program.
Graduate students are required to maintain at least a 3.0 GPA for degree-program courses. Grades of C- or lower will not be accepted for a graduate degree.
The Program of Study for a doctoral degree, if the student has a master’s degree, must include at least 15 semester credits at the level of 6000 or above.
For a doctoral degree, if the student does not have a master’s degree, the Program of Study must include at least 30 credits at the level of 6000 or above.
Credits in the following areas are not acceptable in a degree program: foreign languages (unless included in an approved Program of Study), continuing graduate advisement, individual home study, military science, and courses numbered below 3000.
A doctorate must be completed within eight years of entering the degree program. Additional time may be requested by the student’s committee and submitted to the Vice Provost of Graduate Studies for review.
Coursework over eight years old at the time of degree completion may not be used for a graduate degree unless it is revalidated.
At least 33 semester credits for a doctoral (Ph.D.) or audiology (AUD) degree must be taken from Utah State University and be part of an approved Program of Study. At least three semesters, two of which must be consecutive, of full-time registration in residence at Utah State University, is required.
A minimum of 12 dissertation credits (7970) is required if the student has a master’s degree, and a minimum of 18 is required if the student has a bachelor’s degree.
