Student Handbook

Curriculum

The CB curriculum recognizes that the field of conservation biology requires a multidisciplinary approach. It is designed to give students the scope to develop individualized programs (see Appendix B for examples) that span the full range of disciplines needed to accomplish conservation. To understand the complex array of biological, economic and social dimensions of conservation, a core sequence is required of all students during the first year. While taking the sequence, students will develop graduate programs to fit their individual needs and participate in a seminar that focuses on understanding the interdisciplinary nature of the program.

The program assumes that students will enter with undergraduate training that satisfies all the prerequisites for the required graduate coursework in one of the many academic dimensions of conservation biology. Those entering without an appropriate background in biology will be expected to complete the necessary prerequisites early in their graduate program. At a minimum, students will be expected to have an advanced undergraduate level course in general ecology. This deficiency needs to be remedied in the first year of a student's program.

Integrative Courses and Seminars

The following courses are required for all students in CB. The content of these courses addresses both biological and human dimensions of conservation biology.

  • FW 8452 Conservation Biology 3 credits (Fall)
  • CBio 8004 Econ. & Social Dimensions of Conservation Biology 3 credits (Spring)
  • CBio 8001 Conservation Biology Seminar 1 credit

All students are also required to take one graduate level course in statistics and complete bioethics training (held during seminar sessions and core courses). Bioethics training is a Graduate School requirement and must be completed once during a student's degree program.

Ph.D students need to take an additional credit of CB8001 as well as:

  • CBio 8095 Contemporary Problems in Conservation Biology 1 credit

Registration for CBio 8095 is required to prepare for the written preliminary examination. All doctoral students planning to take their preliminary written and oral exams in a given academic year will take this seminar together, under the guidance of a faculty member. After successfully completing this seminar, students may be eligible to take the written preliminary exam.

Core Sequence (FW 8452, CBio 8004) . Students are expected to enroll in FW 8452 during their first fall semester and CBio 8004 during the first spring semester of their graduate program to foster a sense of community among newly enrolled CB students and serve as a basis for thesis development. CB provides an overview of the biological and human dimensions of this discipline. It serves to bring students from a variety of backgrounds to a common level of understanding of critical issues and concepts in the field. Economic and Social Dimensions of Conservation introduces students to basic economic and social science principles that are applicable to the wide range of problems studied in FW 8452.

Conservation Biology Seminar (CBio 8001). Students are expected to attend CB seminar all semesters they are in residence. The seminar constitutes a major intellectual forum for this interdepartmental graduate program and involves presentations by external speakers, faculty and graduate students of the CB program. Students are encouraged to use this seminar as the venue for their thesis proposal, research progress reports, or any topic of relevance to conservation biology. By the end of their graduate programs, MS students must make one presentation and PhD students, two presentations in this seminar. FAB-track PhD students should make at least one presentation in CBio 8001 and another arranged with their advisor.

All MS students must register twice for CBio8001 for 1 S/N credit; FAB track students can substitute 1 semester of FW 8200. PhD students must register for 3 semesters of CBio 8001; FAB-track students must take 1-2 semesters of FW 82000 which can count towards this requirement. Students do not need to be enrolled in CBio 8001 during the semester they make presentations. Students who register for the seminar should plan on attending all scheduled meetings. One unexcused absence per student will be permitted during the semester. If a student anticipates missing more than one class session, he/she should ask permission of either the program assistant or the DGS for waiver of the "one miss" rule. Students who do not follow these guidelines will not receive credit for CBio 8001.

Contemporary Problems in Conservation Biology (CBio 8095) . All PhD students planning to take their preliminary written and oral exams in a given academic year take this seminar together, under the guidance of a faculty member. Students are required to consult with their advisor prior to enrolling for this course and request that the advisor notify the prelim committee chair in writing (email) that the student is ready to take the written preliminary exam. Students taking the written prelim exam must file their PhD program form with the Graduate School by the time they register for CBio 8095. Exceptions to this will only be approved under unusual circumstances: the student should petition the DGS by sending a letter co-signed by the PhD advisor.

At a minimum, students should have completed the core sequence prior to enrolling for CBio 8095. The preliminary written course covers 1 semester. The first 10 weeks of the semester are spent completing a comprehensive review of an important conservation biology issue. During this time the students (with advice from the faculty member) share in writing and coordinating the editorial process to produce a publishable document on the topic. When this paper is finished, students may be eligible to take the day-long written exam. The written exam is graded by a preliminary exam faculty committee. Students must pass this written exam before they can schedule the individual oral preliminary examination.

Electives

CB Students choose electives in consultation with their advisor and/or Student Advisory Committee. Given the multidisciplinary nature of the field of conservation biology, all student programs are expected to reflect coursework or knowledge in both social and biological sciences. Additionally, students are encouraged to develop depth in their area of greatest interest. Sample Course Programs are provided in Appendix B.

Electives in Biological Dimensions of Conservation. Students in CB need to have a good understanding of ecology, population and organismal biology. Ecological implications of issues and policies involving species diversity, endangered species concerns, and habitat protection all require a basic understanding of ecological principles and their associated models. Students in the program must be prepared to deal with such issues through formal academic training. NOTE: Students lacking a background in biological sciences sufficient to enroll in graduate-level courses should take a graduate level general ecology course prior to fulfilling the course requirements in this section of the curriculum.

Electives in Social Aspects of Conservation Biology. Problems in conservation biology and their potential solutions occur within diverse societal contexts. These contexts are defined by social institutions and processes such as economics, policy and law, politics, cultural identities, history, values and ethics, and spiritual traditions. Courses in this section of the curriculum analyze societal contexts and/or describe the operations of specific institutions. For example, students whose career goals include a desire to influence conservation policy need to understand workings of the public policy framework in which economics and law play a critical role. It is important that every graduate program include courses in the social sciences.

Research Credits

MS students must register for 10 thesis credits (CBio 8777) and PhD students must register for 24 dissertation credits (CBio 8888) as part of their program. These are Graduate School requirements. Doctoral students cannot register for CBio 8888 until the semester after they successfully complete their oral preliminary examination. Graduate students must register for 6-14 credits/semester to be considered full-time; students generally take 6-9 course credits each semester. The CB program encourages students to enroll for research credits up to the maximum of 14 credits each semester they take courses. MS students can enroll in CBio 8777 throughout their program; PhD students should enroll in CBio 8666 (Doctoral Pre-Thesis credits) until they have passed their preliminary exams. Pre-thesis credits and research credits beyond those required by the Graduate School cannot be used to meet other degree requirements.