Biology (BS) – Ecology, Evolutionary and Conservation Track

The Ecology, Evolutionary and Conservation Biology (EECB) track is designed for students to learn about biological systems ranging from the smaller scale processes that occur within cells up to, and including, larger scale processes that result in the diversity and dynamics of ecological communities. This track emphasizes courses in genetics, taxonomic diversity, structural biology, ecology, evolution, and physiology. Courses such as Conservation Biology, Population Genetics, Biogeography, and Evolutionary Biology introduce students to a solid understanding of the natural world. Other courses such as Disease Ecology & Eco-immunology, specialized lab courses and experiential learning opportunities broaden the experience that students receive. This track allows for significant opportunities for independent research working with professors and their graduate students in both laboratory and field settings. The EECB track prepares students for graduate study at any major university or immediate employment with local, state and federal agencies, with the private sector (e.g., environmental assessment firms), and/or privately-funded environmental and conservation organizations.

Degree Requirements

• Students who change degree programs and select this major must adopt the most current catalog.
• Co-op credit cannot be used in this major.
• Major Requires 13 credits of the Biology Core and 22 credits of the Biology Track for a total of 35 upper-level credits.
• All tracks within the Biology Major must complete two (2) upper-level labs from those listed below (A Lab and B Lab).
• All tracks within the Biology Major must complete at least one (1) Plant Class and one (1) Animal Class.
• The Departmental Residency Requirement is fulfilled by completing at least 10 hours of the 22 hour Track, and by completing at least 22 hours of the 35 total upper-level credits (3000-4000 level courses) with courses offered by the UCF Department of Biology.
• Students seeking a double major must satisfy the requirements for both majors and must take no fewer than 40 semester hours of upper division restricted elective course work appropriate to the combined areas of specialization in the two majors.
• Courses designated in Common Program Prerequisites are usually completed in the first 60 hours.
• A "C" (2.0) or better is required in all BSC or PCB prefix courses meeting Biology Core Requirements.
• All prerequisites of courses taught within the College of Sciences will be enforced.
• No more than 4 semester hours of Independent Study, Directed Research, Thesis, and Internship credit, may be applied toward major requirements.
• Upon reaching junior standing (60 hours), Biology majors are expected to have completed the following courses and associated laboratories. These classes are prerequisites for advanced science classes and students entering the major without these classes will be unable to register for most of the advanced courses.
  • BSC 2010C - Biology I
  • BSC 2011C - Biology II
  • CHM 2045C - Chemistry Fundamentals I
  • CHM 2046 - Chemistry Fundamentals II
  • CHM 2046L - Chemistry Fundamentals Laboratory
  • CHM 2210 - Organic Chemistry I
  • CHM 2211 - Organic Chemistry II
  • CHM 2211L - Organic Laboratory Techniques I
  • PHY 2053C - College Physics I (or PHY 2053 and PHY 2053L)
  • PHY 2054C - College Physics II (or PHY 2054 and PHY 2054L)
  • STA 2023 - Statistics
  • MAC 2233/2253/2311C - Calculus

Degree Requirements

Core Requirements: Basic Level

• Complete all of the following
  • Completion of the required GEP and CPP fulfills the Chemistry Sequence (CHM2045C, CHM2046, & CHM2046L), the Physics Sequence (PHY2053C/PHY2054C or PHY2048C/PHY2049C - or lecture lab combinations), the Mathematics course requirement (MAC2311C, MAC2233 or MAC2253), and the Statistics course requirement (STA2023).
  Basic Core: Cognate Sciences Organic or Analytic Sequence:
  • Complete 1 of the following
    • Organic sequence - Preferred
    • Complete the following:
      • CHM2210 - Organic Chemistry I (3)
      • CHM2211 - Organic Chemistry II (3)
      • CHM2211L - Organic Laboratory Techniques I (2)
    • Complete the following:
      • CHM2205 - Introduction to Organic and Biochemistry (5)
      • CHM3120 - Analytical Chemistry (3)
      • CHM3120L - Analytical Chemistry Laboratory (1)

Core Requirements: Advanced Level

• Complete all of the following
  Biology Advanced Core
  • Complete all of the following
    • Note: A minimum grade of "C" (2.0) is required in these Biology courses to satisfy the requirement, and to allow their use as a course prerequisite.
    • Complete the following:
      • PCB3023 - Molecular Cell Biology (3)
      • PCB3044 - Principles of Ecology (3)
      • PCB3063 - Genetics (3)
      • PCB4683 - Evolutionary Biology (4)
  Biology Laboratories:
  • Complete all of the following
    • Students are required to take two upper-level labs from those listed below
    • One of these labs must come from section A. The second lab must come from section B, which may include a lab from section A that was not originally selected.
    • Biology Laboratories will also count towards the additional biology elective section within your chosen track.
    A. Laboratories
    • Must Complete 1 of the following:  PCB3044L - Principles of Ecology Laboratory (1)  PCB3063L - Genetics Laboratory (1)  PCB4683L - Evolutionary Biology Lab (1)
    B. Laboratories
    • Complete all of the following
      • Each track must complete one of the following laboratories that differ from the A Laboratory completed above.
      •  BOT3018C - Culinary Botany Across the Cultures (4)  BOT4223C - Plant Anatomy (4)  BOT4303C - Plant Kingdom (4)  BOT4503C - Plant Physiology (4)  BOT4530C - Plant Genomics and Biochemistry (4)  BOT4713C - Plant Taxonomy (5)  BOT4430C - Biology of Fungi (4)  BSC4312C - Advanced Marine Biology (4)  BSC4445C - Genomics Laboratory (4)  ENY3571 - Honey Bee Biology and Beekeeping (3)  ENY4004C - General Entomology (4)  MCB3020C - General Microbiology (5)  PCB3044L - Principles of Ecology Laboratory (1)  PCB3063L - Genetics Laboratory (1)  PCB4301C - Wetland Ecology & Biogeochemistry (4)  PCB4315C - Marine Ecology of Florida (4)  PCB4353L - Florida Ecology Lab (1)  PCB4683L - Evolutionary Biology Lab (1)  ZOO3713L - Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy Lab (1)  ZOO4205C - Invertebrate Biodiversity (4)  ZOO4310C - Vertebrate Evolution & Ecology (4)  ZOO4405C - Sea Turtle Ecology and Conservation Internship (3)  ZOO4462C - Herpetology (4)  ZOO4480L - Mammalogy Lab (1)  ZOO4603C - Embryology/Development (5)  ZOO4756C - Comparative Vertebrate Histology (4)  ZOO4910L - Research Experience in Animal Behavior in a Zoo Environment (3)

Biology Tracks - Notes

• Complete all of the following
  • Students must complete at least one course dealing exclusively with Animals and one course dealing exclusively with Plants.
  • At least 10 hours of the 22 hours required of the Biology Track must be taken within the UCF Biology Department. Courses offered by the Department of Biology have been identified.
  • Transferred courses must be at a 3000 level or higher, and be evaluated by the undergraduate program coordinator, to count toward the Biology Track.
  • Courses at the 5000 level are only open to seniors and beginning graduate students. Faculty teaching course must approve override.

Ecology, Evolutionary and Conservation Biology Track

• Earn at least 22 credits from the following types of courses: o Required Elective: A "C" (2.0) or better is required in each course taken in the below requirement. Complete at least 1 of the following: BSC3052 - Conservation Biology (3) ZOO4513 - Animal Behavior (3) o Restricted Electives: Additional courses may be added to the below list of Restricted Electives and will appear on the myKnight audit. Complete at least 4 of the following: BOT4303C - Plant Kingdom (4) BOT4223C - Plant Anatomy (4) BOT4713C - Plant Taxonomy (5) BSC3052 - Conservation Biology (3) BSC3453C - Biological Research Methods and Experimental Design (3) BSC4330 - Invasion Biology (3) BSC4861L - Urban Ecological Field Studies (3) BSC4927 - Scientific and Public Engagement for Biology Majors (3) OCE3008 - Oceanography (3) PCB3343L - Principles of Field Ecology (5) PCB3354 - Tropical Ecology and Conservation (3) PCB3442 - Aquatic Ecology (3) PCB4301C - Wetland Ecology & Biogeochemistry (4) PCB4353 - Florida Ecology, Natural History and Conservation (3) PCB4402 - Disease Ecology & Ecoimmunology (3) PCB4413 - Sensory Ecology (3) PCB4575 - Wildlife Genomics (3) ZOO3454 - Ichthyology (3) ZOO3713 - Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4) ZOO4205C - Invertebrate Biodiversity (4) ZOO4272 - Ornithology (3) ZOO4310C - Vertebrate Evolution & Ecology (4) ZOO4462C - Herpetology (4) ZOO4480 - Mammalogy (4) ZOO4513 - Animal Behavior (3) BSC4821 - Biogeography (4) o Complete additional courses from the following to earn a total of at least 22 hours in this track: Remaining biology electives, including the Plant class and the Animal class; the A Lab and the B Lab will count towards the Additional Biology Electives. Additional Biology elective courses must be selected from the General Biology Track's Restricted Elective List.

Grand Total Credits: 43 - 44

Total Undergraduate Credit Hours Required: 120

Electives

• To fulfil the 120 hours required in this degree, select primarily from upper level courses after consulting with your departmental advisor. May be outside of the department.

Foreign Language Requirements

Graduation

• None

Departmental Exit Requirements

• A "C" (2.0) or better is required in all BSC or PCB prefix courses meeting Biology Core Requirements.
• All attempts of UCF courses that could meet requirements are included in the major GPA calculation. All attempts of UCF courses listed for the major taken beyond the minimum required are included in the GPA calculation (e.g, additional restricted electives taken beyond the required 22 hours).
• The Departmental Residency Requirement is fulfilled by completing at least 10 hours of the 22 hour Track, and by completing at least 22 hours of the 35 total upper-level credits (3000-4000 level courses) with courses offered by the UCF Department of Biology.
• Students are required to pass the comprehensive exit exam in Biology. We recommend that this exam be taken as soon as you have completed all of the Biology core courses.
• Students seeking a double major must satisfy the requirements for both majors and must take no fewer than 40 semester hours of upper division restricted elective course work appropriate to the combined areas of specialization in the two majors.
• Biology majors are discouraged from taking courses as a transient student at a Florida College System institution, except in situations where the first semester of a two semester sequence has already been taken at a Florida College System institution.

University Minimum Exit Requirements

• A 2.0 UCF GPA
• 42 semester hours of upper division credit completed
• 60 semester hours earned after CLEP awarded
• 30 of the last 39 hours of course work must be completed in residency at UCF.
• A maximum of 45 hours of extension, correspondence, CLEP, Credit by Exam, and Armed Forces credits permitted.
• Complete the General Education Program, the Gordon Rule, Foreign Language Admission, Civics Literacy Requirement, and nine (9) hours of Summer credit requirement.

Honors In Major

• Application and admissions through The Burnett Honors College and department. More information about Honors in
  the Major can be found at https://honors.ucf.edu/research/.

Related Programs

• Environmental Engineering (B.S.Env.E)
• Biomedical Sciences (B.S.)
• Secondary Education, Science Education Biology Track (B.S.)
• Environmental Studies (B.S.)

• Biology Minor
• Health Science Minor
• Environmental Studies Minor
• Biomedical Sciences Minor

Advising Notes

• It is the student's responsibility to ensure they have satisfied course prerequisites before registering for a class.
• Students are encouraged to contact their departmental or college advisor before registering for courses.
• Students are encouraged to contact their department advisor regarding substitutions for requirements. These will be accepted on a case-by-case basis.
• Contact the College of Sciences Advising Services (COSAS) office (CSB 250) for more information about overall progress toward your degree, GEP and other university requirements, academic probation, disqualification, special problems as well as general academic advising.

Transfer Notes

• Lower division courses do not substitute for upper division courses.
• Courses transferred from private and out-of-state schools must be evaluated for equivalency credit by the undergraduate program coordinator. The student must provide all supporting information.
• Submit your requests for course evaluations at https://sciences.ucf.edu/cosas/ and click on "COS Course Evaluation".
• Honors versions of courses will substitute for regular versions.
• The following substitutions are acceptable for common program prerequisites if taken as part of the AA course work.
  Although the GEP may be satisfied, prerequisites for subsequent Biology courses may still have to be met:
  o BSC 1010C or BSC 2010C
  o CHM 1045C or CHM2045C
  o STA 2023
  o MAC 2233, MAC2253, or MAC2311C
  (Although several courses will satisfy the CPP, please refer to the catalog copy for the specific courses that are required in the program.)

Program Academic Learning Compacts

• Program Academic Learning Compacts (student learning outcomes) for undergraduate programs are located at:
  http://www.oeas.ucf.edu/alc/academic_learning_compacts.htm

Equipment Fees

• Part-Time Student: $45.00 per term
• Full-Time Student: $90.00 per term