Ph.D. in Ecology – Minimum of 72 Credits required to complete this program

• Must take all Required Courses (8 Credits)
• Ecology Fundamentals (6 Credits not taken elsewhere in the program)
• Ecology Tools (3 Credits not taken elsewhere in the program)
• Additional Electives, Research, Dissertation, and/or Independent Study (55 Credits)

Ph.D. – GS6 GDPE Program of Study Supplemental
Ph.D. in Ecology – CSU Catalog

Timeline for the PhD

• Semester 1. Discuss with the Advisor a plan of coursework and enroll in first courses. Discuss potential graduate committee members, and a plan for the dissertation or thesis project. Review the literature on the thesis/dissertation topic.
• Semester 2. Select committee members and hold an initial committee meeting to agree on the plan of coursework and discuss the thesis/dissertation topic and research approach. Develop a draft GS-6 form to discuss with Advisor. Initiate research and data collection.
• Semester 3. Complete research proposal. Complete GS6. Hold a formal committee meeting to gain approval of GS6 and proposal from the committee. Submit GS6 to GDPE for review and approval and then submit to Graduate School. Perform data analysis from research activities.
• Semester 4. Present to-date research results at a professional meeting.
• Semester 5. Take written and oral comprehensive exams (pre-lims).
• Semester 6. Analyze project data to date and prepare manuscripts for publication, and present results at professional meeting.
• Semester 7+. Complete coursework dissertation chapters and defend dissertation in public seminar held in home department. Write manuscripts from dissertation and present key findings at a professional meeting.

Previously completed Master’s

Please refer to the Graduate School’s website for current details on credits that apply from a previously earned Master’s degree.

1. MS in Ecology with GDPE: Students may apply courses taken during their MS toward fulfilling the PhD course requirements with the exception of ECOL571 and ECOL592. These must be retaken.
2. MS from CSU: If students transition immediately from a MS to a PhD, they may apply all of their MS credits toward fulfilling the Graduate School’s 72-credit requirement. If there is one semester or more in between degree plans, students can apply up to 30 credits from their MS to their PhD credit requirements.
3. MS from another Institution:
   • University credit requirements: 30 credits may be applied toward fulfilling the Graduate School’s 72-credit requirement. These will be applied as a single lump sum when the Program of Study is submitted during a student’s 3rd semester. Refer to the Graduate School’s website for details.
   • GDPE course requirements: Students may request to have specific course requirements waived if they have taken analogous, graduate-level, courses during their MS. More details can be found on the GDPE Course Substitution Petition. Note that students are still responsible for fulfilling university credit requirements.

Ph.D. in Ecology, Human-Environment Interactions Specialization –

Minimum of 72 Credits required to complete this program

• Must take all Required Courses, plus ANTH530 (11 Credits)
• Ecology Fundamentals (6 Credits minimum)
• Human-Environment Interactions Fundamentals (3 Credits minimum)
• Ecology Tools (3 Credits minimum)
• Qualitative Ecology Tools (3 Credits minimum)
• Additional Electives and Independent Study (46 Credits)

Ph.D. HEI – GS6 GDPE Program of Study Supplemental
Ph.D. in Ecology, HEI – CSU Catalog

Timeline for the PhD

• Semester 1. Discuss with the Advisor a plan of coursework and enroll in first courses. Discuss potential graduate committee members, and a plan for the dissertation or thesis project. Review the literature on the thesis/dissertation topic.
• Semester 2. Select committee members and hold an initial committee meeting to agree on the plan of coursework and discuss the thesis/dissertation topic and research approach. Develop a draft GS-6 form to discuss with Advisor. Initiate research and data collection.
• Semester 3. Complete research proposal. Complete GS6. Hold a formal committee meeting to gain approval of GS6 and proposal from the committee. Submit GS6 to GDPE for review and approval and then submit to Graduate School. Perform data analysis from research activities.
• Semester 4. Present to-date research results at a professional meeting.
• Semester 5. Take written and oral comprehensive exams (pre-lims).
• Semester 6. Analyze project data to date and prepare manuscripts for publication, and present results at professional meeting.
• Semester 7+. Complete coursework dissertation chapters and defend dissertation in public seminar held in home department. Write manuscripts from dissertation and present key findings at a professional meeting.

Required Courses (MS - 6 credits, PhD - 8 credits)

Course	Title	Credits
ECOL 505	Foundations of Ecology	3
ECOL 571	Distinguished Ecologists Lecture Series (MS - 1 credit, PhD - 2 credits)	1-2
ECOL 592	Interdisciplinary Seminars in Ecology (MS - 1 course, PhD - 2 courses)	1-3
ECOL 693	Research Seminars for Professional Communication (written or oral)	1

Ecology Fundamentals (MS & PhD - 6 credits)

Course	Title	Credits
BZ525	Molecular Ecology	4
BZ526/BSPM526	Evolutionary Ecology	3
BZ535	Behavioral Ecology	3
BZ548	Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology	4
BZ578/MIP578	Genetics of Natural Populations	4
ECOL600	Community Ecology	3
ECOL610	Ecosystem Ecology	3
ECOL620	Applications in Landscape Ecology	4
ESS 660	Biogeochemical Cycling	3
ESS575	Models for Ecological Data	4
FW662	Wildlife Population Dynamics	3
HORT576	Advanced Environmental Plant Stress Physiology	4

Ecology Tools (MS & PhD - 3 credits)

Course	Title	Credits
AREC535	Applied Econometrics	3
AREC635	Econometric Theory I	3
AREC735	Econometric Theory II	3
BZ548	Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology	4
BZ577/MIP577	Computer Analysis in Population Genetics	2
CIVE/WR524	Modeling Watershed Hydrology	3
ERHS 544/STAT 544	Biostatistical Methods for Quantitative Data	3
ESS655	Multivariate Analysis for Community Ecology	2
ESS565	Niche Models	4
ESS 575	Models for Ecological Data	4
FW551	Design of Fish and Wildlife Studies	3
FW552	Applied Sampling for Wildlife/Fish Studies	3
FW663	Sampling and Analysis of Vertebrate Populations	5
FW673/STAT673	Hierarchical Modeling in Ecology	3
GR503/NR503	Remote Sensing and Image Analysis	4
MATH530	Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers	4
MATH540	Dynamical Systems	3
NR505	Concepts in GIS	4
NR506	GIS Methods for Resource Management	4
NR512	Spatial Statistical Modeling-Natural Resources	3
NR523/STAT523	Quantitative Spatial Analysis	3
NR554/ANTH554	Ecological and Social Agent-based Modeling	3
NR621	Design of Geographic Information Systems	3
NRRT765	Applied Multivariate Analysis	3
SOCR522	Micrometeorology	3
SOCR620	Modeling Ecosystem Biogeochemistry	3
SOCR670	Terrestrial Ecosystems Isotope Ecology	3
STAT511	Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I	4
STAT512	Design and Data Analysis for Researchers II	4
STAT520	Introduction to Probability Theory	4
STAT521	Stochastic Processes I	3
STAT530	Mathematical Statistics	3
STAT540	Data Analysis and Regression	3
STAT560	Applied Multivariate Analysis	3
STAT 675A	Topics in Statistical Methods: Sampling	1-3
STAT 675B	Topics in Statistical Methods: Design	1-3
STAT 675C	Topics in Statistical Methods: Multivariate and Regression Methods	1-3
STAT 675D	Topics in Statistical Methods: Computer Intensive Methods	1-3
STAT 675F	Topics in Statistical Methods: Robustness and Nonparametric Methods	1-3
WR674	Data Issues in Hydrology	3

Additional Electives (MS - 15 credits, PhD - 55 credits)

* Note that any "Fundamental" or "Tools" course can be used as an "Additional Electives" course if it has not been used to fulfill another requirement
 

Course	Title	Credits
ANTH 530	Human Environment Interactions	3
AREC505	Agricultural Production Economics	3
AREC535	Applied Econometrics	3
AREC540	Economics of Natural Resources	3
AREC541	Environmental Economics	3
AREC635	Econometric Theory I	3
ATS680	Land-Atmosphere Interactions	2
ATS760	Global Carbon Cycle	2
BSPM509	Herbicide Selectivity and Action	3
BSPM523	Evolution and Classification of Insects	4
BSPM528	Invasive Plants and Weeds: Ecosystems to Molecules	3
BSPM556	Biological Control of Plant Pests	3
BSPM570	Chemical Ecology	3
BZ 561	Landscape Ecology	3
BZ505	Cognitive Ecology	3
BZ510	Zoophysiological Ecology	3
BZ525	Molecular Ecology	4
BZ526/BSPM526	Evolutionary Ecology	3
BZ530	Ecological Plant Morphology	2
BZ535	Behavioral Ecology	3
BZ548	Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology	4
BZ555	Reproductive Biology of Higher Plants	3
BZ572	Phytoremediation	3
BZ578/MIP578	Genetics of Natural Populations	4
BZ580	The Biological Basis of Behavior	4
BZ580 A3	Scientific Basis for Freshwater Sustainability	3
BZ568/FW568	Sustaining River Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services in a Dynamically Changing World	3
ECOL600	Population and Community Ecology	3
ECOL610	Ecosystem Ecology	3
ECOL620	Applications in Landscape Ecology	4
ESS 660	Biogeochemical Cycling	3
ESS524	Foundations for Greenhouse Gas Accounting and Management	3
F610	Advance Forest Ecology	3
F624	Fire Ecology	3
FW544	Ecotoxicology	3
FW555	Conservation Biology	3
FW558	Conservation Genetics of Wild Populations (on-line)	3
FW567	Wildlife Disease Ecology	3
FW605	Advanced Physiological Ecology of Fishes	4
FW662	Wildlife Population Dynamics	3
FW696B	Wildlife Biology: Bioacoustics	3
GEO652	Fluvial Geomorphology	3
GEOL551	Groundwater Modeling	3
GES520	Issues in Global Environmental Sustainability	3
GR580	Forests in a Warming World	3
HORT571	Soil Plant Water Relations	3
HORT576	Advanced Environmental Plant Stress Physiology	4
HORT601	Current Topics in Root and Rhizoshpere Biology	2
MIP 624	Advanced Topics in Microbial Ecology	2
MIP570	Functional Genomics	3
NR504	Computer Analysis of Remote Sensing Data	4
NR510	Ecosystem Services: Theory and Practice	3
NR575	Systems Ecology	4
NR578	Ecology of Disturbed Lands	3
NR678	Advanced Ecological Restoration	4
RS580	Riparian Ecology and Management	3
RS630	Ecology of Grasslands and Shrublands	3
SOCR540	Soil-Plant-Nutrient Relationships	3
SOCR550	Advanced Soil Genesis	3
SOCR567	Environmental Soil Chemistry	4
SOCR755	Advanced Soil Microbiology	3
SOCR770	Advanced Soil Physics	4
STAR500-549*	Applied Stats for Researchers (STAR)	Varies
STAT580A2	Design and Data Analysis for Bioinformatics	3
WR574	Advanced Snow Hydrology	4
WR575	Snow Hydrology Field Methods	1

Human-Environment Interactions Fundamentals

Course	Title	Credits
ANTH 515	Culture and Environment	3
ANTH 529	Anthropology and Sustainable Development	3
ANTH 535	Globalization and Culture Change	3
ANTH 540	Medical Anthropology	3
ANTH 545	Global Mental Health--Theory and Method	3
ANTH 555	Paleoindian Archaeology	3
ANTH 571	Anthropology and Global Health	3
ANTH 572	Human Origins	3
NR 625	Community-Based Natural Resource Management	3
POLS 739	International Environmental Politics	3
SOC 668	Environmental Sociology	3

Qualitative Ecology Tools

Course	Title	Credits
EDRM 704	Qualitative Research	3
EDRM 706	Analysis of Variance--Education Research	3
NRRT 665	Survey Research and Analysis	3
POLS 621	Qualitative Methods in Political Science	3
SOC 610	Seminar in Methods of Qualitative Analysis	3