To declare, make an appointment with the undergraduate student services coordinator, Ginny Jackson on Starfish.
If students are not currently in the College of Letters & Science (L&S), you must transfer into L&S before declaring. However, students are welcome to meet with the Conservation Biology student services coordinator to discuss the major before transferring.
Conservation Biology Majors must take at least 50 credits in the major. Students must complete all core requirements (I), 12 credits of Field/Species Biology (II), and an elective Social Science course plus additional elective coursework (III) to get to the required 50 credits. In addition, students must also satisfy all University requirements and the L&S B.A. or B.S. requirements.
Because the Conservation Biology major has many elective courses and because career and professional goals vary widely among students, pursuing advice and guidance is important. For this reason, students are encouraged to meet with their faculty advisor and student services coordinator regularly to discuss their academic plans. In addition, students considering graduate study must choose courses that will provide a strong foundation. In addition, such students should seek out advanced courses in their chosen field if possible as well as a research experience.
The Conservation Biology Personal Statement is a writing assignment completed your senior year. It allows you to work with your faculty advisor and connect your UW-Madison experiences to your future goals. Some examples include a personal plan for graduate school, a cover letter for a job or internship or your own personal statement that reviews your educational, and professional history while also looking towards your career direction.
How does it work?
- Set up an appointment with your faculty advisor in your final year and indicate the meeting is regarding the personal statement requirement.
- Send to your faculty advisor, in advance of the meeting, your choice of a cover letter for a job or internship position of interest, a personal plan for graduate school, or your own two-page personal statement that reviews your educational and professional history, while also looking towards career goals.
- This Personal Statement Faculty Evaluation Form is to be completed and signed off by your faculty advisor and then submit evaluation to Ginny Jackson, Student Services Coordinator-141 Birge Hall. Talk to Ginny if you’re interested in learning more about an affiliate review option.
Conservation Biology Course Requirements
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I. Core Required Courses
Introductory Biology (must complete Intro Sequence):
Biology/Botany 130: General Botany and Biology/Zoology: 101-102: Animal Biology, 10 cr (recommended)
or Biology/Botany/Zoology 151-152: Introductory Biology, 10 cr
or at least 10 cr from Biocore: 381, 382, 383, 384, 485, or 486
Chemistry (must complete 1 course):
Chem 103: General Chemistry, 4 cr (for those who might take more chemistry)
or Chem 108: General Chemistry, 5 cr
or Chem 109: Advanced General Chemistry, 5 cr (for those who might take more chemistry)
Physical Environment (must complete 1 course):
Atm Ocn/Geosci 105: Survey of Oceanography, 3-4 cr
or Envir St/Geosci 106: Environmental Geology, 3 cr
or Envir St/Geog 120: Introduction to the Earth System, 3 cr
or Envir St/Geog 127: Physical Systems of the Environment, 5 cr
or Geosci 100: General Geology, 3 cr
or Geosci 107: Life of the Past, 3 cr
or Geosci 202: Introduction to Geologic Structures, 4 cr
or Geosci 204: Geologic Evolution of the Earth, 4 cr
Ecology & Evolution:
Students are required to take courses from at least two of the following three areas and are encouraged to take courses in all three areas:
Ecology: Botany/F&W Ecol/Zoology 460: General Ecology, 4 cr
Evolution: Geosci 110: Evolution & Extinction, 3 cr or Anthro/Botany/Zoology 410: Evolutionary Biology, 3 cr
Extinction: Envir St/F&W Ecol/Zoology 360: Extinction of Species, 3 cr
Statistics (must complete 1 course):
Stats 301: Introduction to Statistics Methods, 3 cr
or Stats 371: Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences, 3 cr
II. Species & Field Biology Courses
Choose at least 12 credits from among the following courses:
AGRONOMY/BOTANY/ SOIL SCI 370 Grassland Ecology, 3 cr
ENTOM/ ZOOLOGY 371 Medical Entomology, 3 cr
AN SCI/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 520 Ornithology, 3 cr
AN SCI/F&W ECOL/ZOOLOGY 521 Birds of Southern Wisconsin, 3 cr
ANTHRO 391 Bones for the Archaeologist, 3 cr
ANTRO 420 Introduction to Primatological Research, 3 cr
ANTHRO 458 Primate Behavioral Ecology, 3 cr
ANTHRO 668 Primate Conservation, 3 cr
BOTANY 330 Algae, 3 cr
BOTANY/ PL PATH 332 Fungi, 4 cr
BOTANY 400 Plant Systematics, 4 cr
BOTANY 401 Vascular Flora of Wisconsin, 4 cr
BOTANY/ F&W Ecol 402 Dendrology, 2 cr
BOTANY 403 Field Collections and Identification, 1-4 cr
BOTANY 422 Plant Geography, 3 cr
BOTANY/ F&W Ecol 455 Vegetation of Wisconsin, 4 cr
BOTANY/ ENTOM/ ZOOLOGY 473 Plant-Insect Interactions, 3 cr
ENTOM/ ZOOLOGY 302 Introduction to Entomology, 4 cr
ENTOM 331 Taxonomy of Mature Insects, 4 cr
ENTOM 432 Taxonomy & Bionomics of Immature Insects, 4 cr
ENTOM 468 Studies in Field Entomology, 3 cr
ENTOM/ ZOOLOGY 530 Insect Behavior, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ ZOOLOGY 315 Limnology: Conservation of Aquatic Resources, 2 cr
ENVIR ST 375 Field Ecology Workshop, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ ZOOLOGY 510 Ecology of Fishes, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ ZOOLOGY 511 Ecology of Fishes Laboratory, 2 cr
F&W ECOL 306 Terrestrial Vertebrates: Life History & Ecology, 3 cr
F&W ECOL 401 Physiological Animal Ecology, 3 cr
F&W ECOL 548 Diseases of Wildlife, 3 cr
F&W ECOL 655 Animal Population Dynamics, 3 cr
GEOSCI 333 The Age of Dinosaurs, 3 cr
GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 541 Paleobiology, 3 cr
GEOSCI/ZOOLOGY 542 Invertebrate Paleontology, 3 cr
Land Arc 375 Fire: Ecology & Implementation, 3 cr
MICROBIO 303 Biology of Microorganisms, 3 cr
MICROBIO 304 Biology of Microorganisms Laboratory, 2 cr
MM&I/PATH-BIO/ ZOOLOGY 350 Parasitology, 3 cr
PSYCH 449* Animal Behavior, 3 cr
PSYCH 450 Animal Behavior- The Primates, 3 cr
ZOOLOGY 300 Invertebrate Biology and Evolution, 3 cr
ZOOLOGY 301 Invertebrate Biology and Evolution Lab, 3 cr
ZOOLOGY 304 Marine Biology, 2 cr
ZOOLOGY 315 Limnology-Conservation of Aquatic Resources, 2 cr
ZOOLOGY 316 Limnology Lab: Conservation of Aquatic Resources, 2 cr
ZOOLOGY 425* Behavioral Ecology, 3 cr
ZOOLOGY 430 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, 5 cr
*Students may not receive credit for both Zoology 425 and Psych 449 in the Conservation Biology program.
III. Elective Courses
At least one 3 credit course from Social Science elective list:
Social Science Electives:
AAE 215 Introduction to Agricultural and Applied Economics, 3 cr
AAE/ ENVIR ST 244 The Environment and Global Economy, 3 cr
C&E SOC/ SOC 140 Introduction to Community and Environmental Sociology, 3 cr
C&E SOC/F&W Ecol/SOC 248 Environment, Natural Resources, and Society, 3 cr
ECON 101 Principles of Microeconomics, 4 cr
ECON/ENVIR ST/ POLI SCI/ URB R PL 449 Government and Natural Resources, 3-4 cr
ENVIR ST/ AMER IND 306, Indigenous Peoples and the Environment, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG 139 Resources and People, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG 339 Environmental Conservation, 3-4 cr
ENVIR ST/M&ENVTOX/ PL PATH 368 Environmental Law, Toxic Substances and Conservation, 2 cr
ENVIR ST/ PHILOS 441 Environmental Ethics, 3-4 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG/ HISTORY 460 American Environmental History, 4 cr
ENVIRST/GEOG/HISTORY 469, The Making of the American Landscape 4 cr
GEOG 344 The American West, 3 cr
GEOG 359 Australia: Environment and Society, 3 cr
GEOG 538 The Humid Tropics: Ecology, Subsistence, & Development, 4 cr
To fulfill the 50 credit requirement, students may take additional courses from other categories or choose any of the additional courses listed here.
Additional Electives
AGRON/ ENTOM/ F&W ECO/ M&E TOX 632, 633, and/or 634 Ecotoxicology, 1 cr each
ATM OCN 100 Weather and Climate, 3 cr
ATM OCN 101 Weather and Climate, 4 cr
ATM OCN/ ENVIR ST/ GEOG 121 Atmospheric Environment and Society, 2 cr
ATM OCN/ ENVIR ST 171 Global Change: Atmospheric Issues and Problems, 2-3 cr
ATM OCN/ ENVIR ST/ PHYSICS 472 Scientific Background to Global Environmental Problems, 3 cr
BOTANY/ PL PATH 123 Plants, Parasites, People, 3 cr
BOTANY/ ZOOLOGY 260 Introductory Ecology, 3 cr
BOTANY 300 Plant Anatomy, 4 cr
BOTANY 305 Plant Morphology and Evolution, 4 cr
BOTANY/ZOOLOGY 450 Midwest Ecological Issues: A Case Study Approach, 2 cr
BOTANY/AMER IND/ANTHRO 474 Ethnobotany, 3 cr -Ethnic Studies Breadth
BOTANY/ ENTOM/ PL PATH 505 Plant-Microbe Interactions: Molecular and Ecological Aspects, 3 cr
BOTANY/ ENVIR ST/ F&W ECOL/ ZOOLOGY 651 Conservation Biology, 3 cr
C&E SOC/ ENVIR ST/ GEOG 434 People, Wildlife and Landscapes, 3 cr
ENTOM/ENVIR ST 201 Insects and Human Culture-A Survey Course in Entomology, 3 cr
ENTOM/ ZOOLOGY 540 Theoretical Ecology, 3 cr
ENTOM 699 Special Problems, 1-4 cr
ENVIR ST 126 Principles of Environmental Science, 4 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG/ SOIL SCI 230 Soil: Ecosystem and Resource, 3 cr
ENVIR ST 307 Literature of the Environment: Speaking for Nature, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ SOIL SCI 324 Soils and Environmental Quality, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ LAND ARC 361 Wetlands Ecology, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG 377 Introduction to Geographic Information Systems, 4 cr
ENVIR ST/ POP HLTH 471 Introduction to Environmental Health, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ F&W ECOL 515 Renewable Resources Policy, 3 cr
ENVIR ST/ GEOG 537 Culture and Environment, 4 cr
ENVIR ST/ SOIL SCI 575 Assessment of Environmental Impact, 3 cr
F&W Ecol/ ZOOLOGY 335 Human/Animal Relationships: Biological & Philosophical Issues, 3 cr
F&W Ecol 375, Freshwater Conservation, 3 cr
F&W Ecol 379 Principles of Wildlife Management, 3 cr
F&W Ecol 410 Principles of Silviculture, 3-4 cr
F&W Ecol 450 Communities and Forests, 3 cr
F&W Ecol 550 Forest Ecology, 3-4 cr
F&W Ecol 551 Forest Ecology Lab, 1 cr
F&W Ecol 561 Wildlife Management Techniques, 3 cr
F&W Ecol/ LAND ARC/ ZOOLOGY 565 Principles of Landscape Ecology, 2 cr
F&W Ecol/ HORT/ STAT 571 Statistical Methods for Bioscience I, 4 cr
F&W Ecol 699 1-4 Special Problems
GENETICS 466 General Genetics, 3 cr
GEOG/ GEOLSCI 420 Glacial and Pleistocene Geology, 3 cr
GEOSCI/ GLE 627 Hydrogeology, 3-4 cr
LAND ARC 262 Landscape Inventory & Eval Methods, 4 cr
MICROBIO 101 General Microbiology, 3 cr
MICROBIO 102 General Microbiology Laboratory, 2 cr
SOIL SCI 301 General Soil Science, 4 cr
STAT 572 Statistical Methods for Bioscience II, 4 cr
ZOOLOGY 535 Ecosystem Analysis, 3 cr
*If you’d like to inquire about counting a directed study, independent study, internship, or senior thesis course towards the major, please contact your faculty advisor or BAC student services coordinator.
**When planning ahead, be sure to check course pre-requisites and the term(s) in which courses are typically offered.