Ecology and Environmental Science (B.S.)

Location(s): Brookings Main Campus

Print Degree Planner (opens a new window) |

Student kneeling in grass taking a photo of plants with his phone.

Program Coordinator/Contact

Lan Xu, Professor
Department of Natural Resource Management
Edgar S. McFadden Biostress Laboratory, Room 142C
605-688-5060

Program Information

The Ecology and Environmental Science major includes a strong core in biological and physical sciences and a variety of elective courses that allow students to follow different career paths within the major. Most students enrolled in this major are planning careers with state and federal natural resource agencies, consulting firms and industry. Predefined emphases are available to support careers in ecological informatics and analysis, watershed management, ecology, analytical laboratory analysis and health. Students seek employment with state or federal environmental monitoring and regulatory agencies or private consulting firms immediately following graduation. Many go on to pursue graduate degrees in conservation, ecology and environmental science.

Accreditation, Certification, and Licensure

Ecology students within this program may gain Ecologist in Training certification through the Ecological Society of America upon completion of degree requirements. Students may also select courses to meet knowledge requirements for Certified Ecological Restoration Practitioner-in-Training through the Society for Ecological Restoration.

Course Delivery Format

Ecology and Environmental Science coursework is delivered on-campus in lecture, discussion, and laboratory settings, and off-campus in numerous field-based settings.

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the Ecology and Environmental Science major, students will:

Understand ecological and environmental principles required for management of natural resources for multiple-uses, including (but not limited to) wildlife habitat, water management, ecosystems services, recreation, and livestock production.
Describe how natural resource management fits into the context of society and how societal factors (e.g., economics, policy, laws, regulations, attitudes, behaviors, norms) influence natural resource management.
Lead and work with others as appropriate to successfully manage natural resources.
Apply natural resource field and lab techniques and contemporary technologies to management of natural resources.
Analyze and critically evaluate data and other information.
Analyze and critically evaluate data and other information.
Communicate (both written and orally) with both scientific and non-scientific audiences.
Display professional and ethical behavior consistent with that expected in a natural resource management field.

Academic Requirements

Students must achieve a grade of “C” or better in all major core courses.

Requirements for Ecology and Environmental Science Major: 120 Credits

Bachelor of Science

System General Education Requirements

Goal #1 Written Communication: SGR #1 Elective Credits: 6
Goal #2 Oral Communication: SGR #2 Elective Credits: 3
Goal #3 Social Sciences:
SGR #3 Electives Credits: 6
Goal #4 Arts and Humanities:
SGR #4 Electives Credits: 6
Goal #5 Mathematics:
MATH 114 - College Algebra (COM) [SGR #5, HSDC] Credits: 3
or higher
Goal #6 Natural Sciences:
- BIOL 151 - General Biology I (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 3
  and BIOL 151L - General Biology I Lab (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 1
- CHEM 106 - Chemistry Survey (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 3 and CHEM 106L - Chemistry Survey Lab (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 1
  or CHEM 112 - General Chemistry I (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 3 and CHEM 112L - General Chemistry I Lab (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 1

Major Requirements

Major Electives

Select a minimum of 25 credits from the following courses. Maximum of 6 credits at the 200 level in this section. Students should work with their advisor to select groupings of electives providing an “area of emphasis”. ⁺Course requires additional prerequisites or instructor consent. Credits: 25

AST 353 - Physical Climatology and Meteorology Credits: 3
BIOL 202 - Genetics and Molecular Biology Credits: 3
BIOL 202L - Genetics and Molecular Biology Lab Credits: 1
BIOL 371 - Genetics (COM) Credits: 3
BIOL 373 - Evolution (COM) Credits: 3
BOT 201 - General Botany (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 3
BOT 201L - General Botany Lab (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 0
BOT 301 - Plant Systematics (COM) Credits: 3
BOT 301L - Plant Systematics Lab (COM) Credits: 0
BOT 303 - Forest Ecology and Management Credits: 2
BOT 303L - Forest Ecology and Management Lab Credits: 1
BOT 327 - Plant Physiology Credits: 3
BOT 327L - Plant Physiology Lab Credits: 1
BOT 405 - Grasses and Grasslike Plants Credits: 1
BOT 405L - Grasses and Grasslike Plants Lab Credits: 2
BOT 415 - Aquatic Plants Credits: 1
BOT 415L - Aquatic Plants Lab Credits: 2
BOT / RANG 419 - Plant Ecology (COM) Credits: 2
BOT / RANG 419L - Plant Ecology Lab (COM) Credits: 1
CEE 323 - Water Supply and Wastewater Engineering Credits: 3 ⁺
CEE 422 - Environmental Engineering Instrumentation Credits: 2 ⁺
CEE 422L - Environmental Engineering Instrumentation Lab Credits: 1
CEE 434 - Hydrology Credits: 3 ⁺
CHEM 326 - Organic Chemistry I (COM) Credits: 3
CHEM 326L - Organic Chemistry I Lab (COM) Credits: 1
CHEM 328 - Organic Chemistry II (COM) Credits: 3 ⁺
CHEM 328L - Organic Chemistry II Lab (COM) Credits: 1
CHEM 332 - Analytical Chemistry (COM) Credits: 3
CHEM 332L - Analytical Chemistry Lab (COM) Credits: 1
CHEM 464 - Biochemistry I (COM) Credits: 3 ⁺
CHEM 482 - Environmental Chemistry (COM) Credits: 3-4 ⁺
EES 430 - Biological Invasions Credits: 3
EES 491 - Independent Study (COM) Credits: 1-3
EES 494 - Internship (COM) Credits: 1-12
EES 496 - Field Experience (COM) Credits: 1-12
EES 498 - Research (COM) Credits: 1-4
GEOG 473 - GIS: Data Creation and Integration (COM) Credits: 2
GEOG 473L - GIS: Data Creation and Integration Lab (COM) Credits: 1
GEOG 474 - GIS: Vector and Raster Modeling Credits: 2
GEOG 474L - GIS: Vector and Raster Modeling Lab Credits: 1
GEOG 475 - GIS Applications Credits: 2
GEOG 475L - GIS Applications Lab Credits: 1
GEOG 483 - UAS Remote Sensing Credits: 2
GEOG 483L - UAS Remote Sensing Lab Credits: 1
HSC 443 - Public Health Science Credits: 3
HSC 445 - Epidemiology Credits: 3
LA 331 - Landscape Architecture Site Engineering Credits: 3
LA 341 - Public and Social Place Design Credits: 3 ⁺
LA 352 - Planting and Ecological Design Credits: 4 ⁺
MICR 231 - General Microbiology (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 4
MICR 231L - General Microbiology Lab (COM) [SGR #6, HSDC] Credits: 0
MICR 310 - Environmental Microbiology Credits: 3 ⁺
MICR 310L - Environmental Microbiology Lab Credits: 1
MICR 421 - Soil Microbiology Credits: 2
MICR 421L - Soil Microbiology Lab Credits: 1
NRM 350 - Conservation and Management of Endangered and Nongame Wildlife Credits: 3
NRM 410 - Conservation Biology (COM) Credits: 3
NRM 450 - Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment Credits: 2
NRM 450L - Freshwater Monitoring and Assessment Lab Credits: 1
NRM 466 - Environmental Toxicology and Contaminants (COM) Credits: 3
NRM 482 - Natural Resource Management Biometry Credits: 2
NRM 482L - Natural Resource Management Biometry Lab Credits: 1
PS 412 - Environmental Soil Chemistry Credits: 3
PS 462 - Environmental Soil Management Credits: 2
PS 462L - Environmental Soil Management Lab Credits: 1
RANG 374 - Habitat Conservation and Management Credits: 3
RANG 374L - Habitat Conservation and Management Lab Credits: 1
RANG 425 - Rangeland Assessment and Monitoring Credits: 2
RANG 425L - Rangeland Assessment and Monitoring Lab Credits: 1
STAT 381 - Introduction to Probability and Statistics (COM) Credits: 3 ⁺
STAT 414 - Basic R Programming Credits: 1 ⁺
STAT 441 - Statistical Methods II Credits: 3 ⁺
STAT 445 - Nonparametric Statistics (COM) Credits: 3 ⁺
WL 355 - Mammalogy (COM) Credits: 3
WL 355L - Mammalogy Lab (COM) Credits: 0
WL 363 - Ornithology (COM) Credits: 4
WL 363L - Ornithology Lab (COM) Credits: 0
WL 367 - Ichthyology Credits: 2
WL 367L - Ichthyology Lab Credits: 1
WL 417 - Large Mammal Ecology and Management Credits: 2 ⁺
WL 417L - Large Mammal Ecology and Management Lab Credits: 1
WL 418 - Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates Credits: 2
WL 418L - Ecology of Aquatic Invertebrates Lab Credits: 1
WL 419 - Waterfowl Ecology and Management Credits: 2
WL 419L - Waterfowl Ecology and Management Lab Credits: 1
WL 427 - Limnology and Stream Ecology Credits: 2
WL 427L - Limnology and Stream Ecology Lab Credits: 1
WL 429 - Ecology of Fishes and Habitat Credits: 3
WL 430 - Human Dimensions in Natural Resource Management Credits: 3
WL 434 - Herpetology (COM) Credits: 3
WL 434L - Herpetology Lab (COM) Credits: 0

Electives

Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Total Required Credits: 120

Summary of Program Requirements

Bachelor of Science
System General Education Requirements*	32-34 Credit Hours
Major Requirements	74-77 Credit Hours
Electives**	9-14 Credit Hours

*System General Education Requirements for students pursuing a baccalaureate degree shall include a minimum of 30 credit hours. Some general education coursework may be counted for Major Requirements and Supporting Coursework.
**Taken as needed to complete any additional degree requirements.

Academic Advising Guide Sheet

The goal of the academic advising guide sheets and sample plans of study is to promote undergraduate student success by guiding all students to timely completion of an undergraduate degree. Students are not limited to the course sequence provided for their academic program. Instead, the sample plan of study is one possible path to completing your degree and is meant to be used as a guide for planning purposes in consultation with an academic advisor. The plans also help students prepare for meetings with their academic advisor and track their progress in their selected academic program.