Housed in the W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation, Systems Ecology is an intercollegiate graduate degree program that emphasizes interdisciplinary approaches to understanding ecological and human systems.  Systems Ecology is an ideal fit for students interested in understanding the biological, physical, chemical, and human processes that shape social-ecological systems across spatial and temporal scales. Choose Systems Ecology for an interdisciplinary approach to the study of ecological systems that focuses on interactions and transactions within and among biological systems.

Systems Ecology has a diverse faculty, a unique graduate curriculum, and each student does their own independent thesis work.  This program brings together collaborators from across the UM campus.  Both the M.S. and Ph.D. programs promote an understanding of ecological systems and problem solving, provides students with knowledge about linkages between natural and social domains at multiple scales, and helps students sharpen the skills they need to engage in an increasingly complex world.

General Graduate Program Requirements

Graduate School policies and standards can be found on the Graduate School Policies page. 

The minimum GPA for any graduate program is 3.0. Individual programs may require more than a 3.0 to remain in good standing. 

The minimum grade for a course to be accepted toward any requirement is C. Individual programs may require higher grades for specific courses.

MASTER OF SCIENCE - SYSTEMS ECOLOGY

Students in the Master of Science in Systems Ecology must:

• Complete a committee-approved program-of-study composed of at least 30 semester credits of graduate-level coursework. As many as 10 credits may be research or thesis (BIOS 590/BIOS 599), and at least 10 credits of the non-thesis coursework must be at the 500-level or above.
• Complete their program-of-study within five years.
• Successfully write and defend a systems-ecology-oriented thesis.
• Complete a condensed core program in systems ecology. Additional courses will be selected in consultation with the graduate committee to support the research program and student's career goals. 

Required Coursework

Course List

Code	Title	Hours
Required Courses
Complete all of the following courses:
BIOS 532	Ecosystem Ecology	4
BIOS 594	Seminar (two semesters)	2
Electives, Research, and Thesis
Complete 24 credits of graduate-level coursework chosen in consultation with your advisor.		24
Total Hours		30