Ecology is the study of how plants, animals and other organisims interact with each other and with their environment. We learn about species, populations, and communities in a wide range of habitats from alpine to marine, and from semi-arid grasslands to cloud- and rainforests.Ecology is a multidisciplinary subject which links departments across the University: Botany, Geography, Geology, Information Science, Marine Science, Maths, Philosophy, Statistics, Surveying, and Zoology.The Ecology Degree Programme at Otago is organised to allow you to build pathways as you discover your interests – for example, animal and plant ecophysiology, freshwater ecology, marine ecology, plant ecology, molecular and evolutionary ecology, as well as paleoecology, plant–animal interactions and information systems.
The career opportunities available to Ecology graduates reflect the breadth of training offered. Our graduates are spread far and wide in jobs as diverse as nature guides, resource management consultants, and information technologists.
The Department of Conservation, Crown Research Institutes, local and and regional councils, tourism operations, secondary and tertiary teaching institutions and a range of environmental non-governmental organisations all employ graduates – here in New Zealand and around the world.