Biology B.S. - Field Ecology
General Degree Requirements
To earn a baccalaureate degree, all students must complete successfully, in addition to any other requirements, the University of Montana General Education Requirements. Please refer to the General Education Requirements page for more information.
Additional requirements for graduation can be found on the Degree/Certificate Requirements for Graduation page.
Unless otherwise noted in individual program requirements, a minimum grade point average of 2.00 in all work attempted at the University of Montana-Missoula is required for graduation. Please see the Academic Policies and Procedures page for information on how your GPA is calculated.
Courses taken to satisfy the requirements of a major, minor, or certificate program must be completed with a grade of C- or better unless a higher grade is noted in the program requirements.
BACHELOR OF SCIENCE - BIOLOGY; FIELD ECOLOGY CONCENTRATION
The Field Ecology Concentration is for students interested in field-based ecology. Students with this concentration spend one or two summers taking field courses at the Flathead Lake Biological Station. This concentration is a graduate prep program, and is for students interested in academia or employment at a governmental, private, or non-profit agency.
Course Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Biology/Microbiology Lower-Division Core | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| BIOB 160 | Principles of Living Systems | 3 |
| BIOB 161N | Principles of Living Systems Lab | 1 |
| BIOB 170N | Principles of Biological Diversity | 3 |
| BIOB 171N | Principles of Biological Diversity Lab | 2 |
| BIOB 260 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 4 |
| BIOB 272 | Genetics and Evolution | 4 |
| Upper-Division Core Courses Required for the Field Ecology Concentration | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 5 | |
| Field Ecology | ||
| General Ecology and General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | ||
| Additional Upper-Division Major Courses Required for the Field Ecology Concentration | ||
| Complete a minimum of 8 credits of upper-division Biology or Microbiology (BIOB, BIOE, BIOH, BIOL, BIOM, or BIOO), with at least one course from each of the following subcategories. 8 total credits required. | 8 | |
Evolution Course Requirement | ||
Complete at least one evolutionary biology course from the following list: | ||
| Conservation Genetics | ||
| Phylogenics and Evolution | ||
| Genomics | ||
| Behavior & Evolution | ||
| Plant Evolution | ||
| Host-Microbe Interactions | ||
-Ology Course Requirement | ||
Complete one of the following courses: | ||
| General Microbiology and General Microbiology Lab | ||
| General Parasitology and General Parasitology Lab | ||
| General Botany | ||
| Rocky Mountain Flora | ||
| Biology and Management of Fishes | ||
| Entomology | ||
| Ornithology | ||
| Mammalogy | ||
| Ecology Requirement at the Flathead Lake Biological Station | ||
| Complete either the Aquatic Emphasis or the Terrestrial Emphasis. | 13 | |
| Aquatic Emphasis | ||
| Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| Conservation Ecology | ||
| Landscape Ecology | ||
| Seminar in Biology | ||
Complete 2 of the following courses: | ||
| Aquatic Microbial Ecology | ||
| Stream Ecology | ||
| Lake Ecology | ||
Terrestrial Emphasis | ||
Complete all of the following courses: | ||
| Alpine Ecology | ||
| Conservation Ecology | ||
| Landscape Ecology | ||
| Forest and Fire Ecology | ||
| Seminar in Biology | ||
| Mathematics - Calculus | ||
| Complete one of the following courses: | 4 | |
| Applied Calculus | ||
| Calculus I | ||
| Mathematics - Statistics | ||
| Complete either one semester or a full year of statistics from the following: | 4-8 | |
One Semester: | ||
| Introduction to Statistics | ||
Full Year: | ||
| Statistical Methods I and Statistical Methods II | ||
| Computer Data Analysis I and Computer Data Analysis II | ||
| Chemistry 2 | ||
| Complete one of the following sequences of general and organic chemistry: | 10-20 | |
Introductory Chemistry (10 credits): | ||
| Introduction to General Chemistry | ||
| Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry and Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry Lab | ||
Advanced Chemistry (20 credits): | ||
| College Chemistry I and College Chemistry I Lab | ||
| College Chemistry II and College Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab | ||
| Physics | ||
| Complete one of the following Physics sequences: | 10 | |
Algebra- and Trigonometry-based Physics: | ||
| College Physics I and College Physics I Laboratory | ||
| College Physics II and College Physics II Laboratory | ||
Calculus-based Physics: | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus I and Physics Laboratory I with Calculus | ||
| Fundamentals of Physics with Calculus II and Physics Laboratory II with Calculus | ||
| Advanced Writing Requirement | ||
| To complete the Advanced Writing Requirement, Biology students take 2 or 3 partial writing courses (either three 1/3 writing courses or one 1/3 writing course and one 2/3 writing course) or one complete writing course. The Field Ecology concentration requires BIOE 371 or BIOE 342 (both 2/3 writing courses). The Advanced Writing Requirement is completed with one additional course, chosen from any of the courses listed below. | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 74-88 | |
- 1
The lower-division core should be completed before attempting most upper-division major courses. AP Biology credit with a score of 3 may be substituted for either BIOB 160/BIOB 161N or BIOB 170N/BIOB 171N.
- 2
Students who begin in the advanced chemistry sequence may substitute those courses for introductory sequence courses at the discretion of the major advisor.
Advanced Writing Distributed Model Courses for Biological Sciences
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| 1/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 482 | Advanced Biochemistry II | 3 |
| BIOB 410 | Immunology | 3 |
| BIOB 425 | Advanced Cellular & Molecular Biology | 3 |
| BIOB 483 | Phylogenics and Evolution | 3 |
| BIOE 403 | Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy | 4 |
| BIOE 428 | Freshwater Ecology | 0,5 |
| BIOM 402 | Pathogenic Microbes | 3 |
| BIOO 320 | General Botany | 5 |
| BIOO 434 | Plant Physiology Lab | 1 |
| BIOO 470 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIOO 475 | Mammalogy | 4 |
| 2/3 Advanced Writing Courses | ||
| BCH 486 | Biochemistry Research Lab | 3 |
| BCH 499 | Senior Thesis/Capstone | 3-6 |
| BIOB 411 | Immunology Laboratory | 2 |
| BIOB 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| BIOE 342 | Field Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 371 | General Ecology Lab (equivalent to 271) | 2 |
| BIOM 411 | Experimental Microbial Genetics Lab | 1 |
| BIOM 499 | Undergraduate Thesis | 3-6 |
| Complete Advanced Writing Course | ||
| BIOH 462 | Principles of Medical Physiology | 3 |
| BIOM 420 | Host-Microbe Interactions | 3 |