| The Major | Faculty and Courses | Opportunities | Careers | Contact Us |
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Conservation
Biology:
Our major has 36 credit-hours of required and elective courses in the biological sciences, emphasizing populations and ecosystems, organismal biology, and genetics. Many of these courses have field trips, including a two-week marine biology excursion to Belize. Requirements in the social sciences allow majors to analyze the economic, political, social, geographic and ethical issues necessary for problem solving and decision making. The required internship will enable students to apply knowledge to regional, national, or international conservation biology issues, and provide networking opportunities for future employment. A capstone seminar brings students together to discuss timely topics and develop a comradery, while a skills component includes a course in the important field of geographic information systems (GIS).
Over 30 faculty members at the College deliver the required and optional courses for the major. This outstanding group is dedicated to undergraduate instruction. Five of the professors have achieved SUNY’s highest rank of “Distinguished” and eight have received the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Below are the details of the course requirements for the major.
College Core
| Course Number | Course Name | Credits |
| CPN 100 | Academic Writing I | 3 |
| CPN 101 | Academic Writing II | 3 |
| GE 1 | American State and Society | 3 |
| GE 2 | Prejudice and Discrimination | 3 |
| GE 3 | Contrasting Cultures | 3 |
| GE 4 | Fine Arts | 3 |
| GE 5 | History and the History of Ideas | 3 |
| GE 6 | Literature | 3 |
| GE 7 | Science, Technology and Human Affairs | 3 |
Biology
| BIO 201 | Biological Sciences I | 4 |
| BIO 202 | Biological Sciences II | 4 |
| BIO 405 | Conservation Biology | 3 |
| Group A: Cell/Molecular Biology, Genetics, and Physiology | ||
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Required courses: |
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| BIO 210 | Cellular Biology | 4 |
| BIO 312 | Genetics | 4 |
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Elective courses: |
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| BIO 521 | Molecular Genetics | 4 |
| BIO 524 | Physiological Ecology | 3 |
| Group B: Populations and Ecosystems | ||
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Required course: |
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| BIO 412 | Ecology | 4 |
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Elective courses: |
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| BIO 315 | Marine Biology | 4 |
| BIO 422 | Biological Evolution | 3 |
| BIO 512 | Limnology | 3 |
| Group C: Organismal Biology | ||
| Required to choose one from the following: | ||
| BIO 304 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BIO 313 | Taxonomy of Vascular Plants | 3 |
| BIO 323 | Field Herpetology | 3 |
| BIO 401 | Invertebrate Zoology | 4 |
| BIO 402 | Biology of Vertebrates | 4 |
| BIO 408 | Biology of Insects | 3 |
| BIO 411 | Ornithology | 3 |
| BIO 418 | Fungi | 4 |
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Biology
electives: Select additional elective courses from at least two |
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Supporting Areas
| Science and Math | ||
| CHE 221 | General Chemistry I | 4 |
| CHE 222 | General Chemistry II | 4 |
| CHE 301 | Organic Chemistry I | 4 |
| GLY
281 or PSY 201 or MAT 201 |
Statistics | 3 |
| Electives - three courses from the following | ||
| MAT 121 or 125,122 or 126 | Calculus | 3 each |
| PHY 105-106 or 201-202 | Physics | 4 each |
| CHE 302 | Organic Chemistry II | 3 |
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Students interested
in seeking a research graduate degree are advised to take |
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| Skills Requirement | ||
| GRY 328 or GRY 327 | GIS or Mapping | 4 |
| Public Speaking (recommended) | ||
| Policy and Social Sciences: at least 3 courses from the following: | ||
| POL 308 | Environmental Law | 3 |
| POL 342 | Environmental Policy and Biodiversity | 3 |
| GRY/REC 315 | Ecotourism | 3 |
| ECO
335 (prereq. ECO 111) |
Resource and Environmental Economics | 3 |
| PHI 320 | Environmental Ethics | 3 |
| REC 310 | Wilderness and American Culture | 3 |
| REC 402 | Management of Recreation Resources | 3 |
| ANT
410 (prereq. ANT 102 or 300) |
Cultural Ecology | 3 |
| SOC
340 (prereq. SOC 150 or ANT 102) |
Environmental Sociology | 3 |
Conservation Applications
| CON 461 | Conservation Internship | 3 |
| CON 460 | Conservation Seminar | 2 |
| The Major | The Courses | Research & Internships | Careers | Contact Us |