Lesley University, located Cambridge, Massachusetts, offers a Master of Science in ecological teaching and learning. Students who have earned their bachelor's degree complete this 18-month, 32-credit program with fall and spring online courses and two, three-week summer field experiences -- one in a wilderness setting and one in an urban location. Students explore the principles of ecology as they apply to any ecosystem; the language of ecology; nature journaling and field sketching; the role of the ecologist as change agent, teacher researcher and teacher activist/leader; ecological literacy and ecological interactions in the urban ecosystem. The curriculum culminates in an action research paper on a particular ecological topic that results in new ecological knowledge. The program meets the requirements for professional licensure in elementary science in Massachusetts and may satisfy teacher licensure requirements in other states.
The University of Georgia's Odum School of Ecology offers a Master of Science in ecology that prepares students for a variety of academic positions in the public and private sectors. Students gain extensive training in the field at the school in Athens, Georgia, as well as many off-campus sites, including the Savannah River Ecology Laboratory; the Coweeta Hydrologic Laboratory; the University of Georgia Marine Odum School; mountains, coastal plains, wetlands, lakes and rivers; coast and sea throughout Georgia and international sites in locations such as Ecuador and Costa Rica. Students concentrate their studies in a wide range of disciplines including agricultural engineering, animal science, biochemistry and molecular biology, conservation ecology and sustainable development, dairy science, forest resources, marine sciences and pharmacy.
Colorado State University offers Master of Science and Ph.D. degrees in ecology. Both degrees require four core courses: Foundations in Ecology, Distinguished Ecologists Lecture Series, Interdisciplinary Seminars in Ecology and Research Seminar. Master of Science candidates must complete 30 credits over a fall, spring and summer semester. Students working toward their doctorate must complete a total of 72 credit hours in addition to their bachelor's degree. The university's location along the western edge of the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountain foothills offers students easy access to a number of ecosystems, including prairie, mountain meadows, forests, lakes, streams, desert and tundra.
Rice University, located in Houston, Texas, offers both undergraduate and graduate degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology. Undergraduates may pursue a B.A. or a B.S. in ecology and evolutionary biology. Students in either program typically go on to graduate or professional school. The B.S. degree requires extensive research in the fall and spring semesters of the senior year that culminates in a thesis. Graduate students may pursue M.S., M.A. or Ph.D degrees in ecology and evolutionary biology. Graduate study is tailored to the individual student and includes classroom lectures, discussion, seminars, lab and field work. The M.S. program requires 10 hours of research credit. The M.A. program requires the completion of a thesis. Ph.D. candidates must pass the admission exam given by the Graduate Thesis Committee and then investigate, complete and publicly defend a doctoral thesis with the potential for publication in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Number three in "U.S. News & World Report's" 2010 ranking of top graduate programs in ecology and evolutionary biology, the University of California-Davis Graduate Group in Ecology offers both Master's and Ph.D. degrees. Master of Science candidates concentrate their studies in one of the school's "Areas of Emphasis," such as human ecology, math biology, restoration ecology, integrative ecology, marine ecology and ecotoxicology. Students begin their graduate studies in the program's week-long "Odyssey" orientation trip through UC Davis' system of field stations and landscapes. Curriculum requirements include core courses such as ecological theory, evolution and field ecology, as well as courses that pertain to the student's "Area of Emphasis." Students working toward their Ph.D. pursue a joint doctoral program with San Diego State University.