The Graduate Group in Ecology offers M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. Ecology is a science that integrates numerous fields of study to attain deep understanding of natural and societal influences on the distribution, abundances, behaviors, traits, and ecosystem functions of organisms. In order to accommodate varied student interests, the Group has developed several 'areas of emphasis' with specialized programs of study: agricultural ecology, conservation ecology, ecological genomics and genetics, ecosystems and landscape ecology, ecotoxicology and physiological ecology, environmental policy and human ecology, integrative ecology, marine ecology, and restoration ecology. For further details, contact the Group office. The graduate group in ecology is an interdisciplinary graduate program that offers students a combination of both basic and applied ecology. Students gain advanced knowledge in one of the following areas: agricultural ecology, conservation ecology, ecological genomics and genetics, ecosystems and landscape ecology, ecotoxicology, environmental policy & human ecology, integrative ecology, marine ecology, physiological ecology, or restoration ecology. Students graduate with the qualitative and quantitative skills necessary for professional research and teaching in ecological theory and its applications.
The Ecosystems and Landscape Ecology Area of Emphasis (E&LE-AOE) in the Graduate Group in Ecology (GGE) is designed to meet the needs of students who wish to earn a Masters or a Ph.D. degree in the study of ecological processes at scales between the organismal level and the global landscape. The program is intrinsically interdisciplinary and emphasizes the study of integrated dynamic systems, involving biological, physical, chemical, and cultural components of ecological systems. Members of the group take approaches that are both theoretical and applied, and involve the study of: (1) process dynamics through time, including energy and material flows in ecosystems, (2) the interaction of ecosystem components at multiple levels of organization, (3) how patterns and controls over ecological systems vary across space and through time, (4) the importance of scale and scale-dependence in studying patterns and controls over ecological systems, (5) landscape modification and change, and (6) landscape ecology as applied to environmental planning. Students may choose to focus on theoretical and/or applied questions and to concentrate primarily on ecosystem ecology or landscape ecology, but all students will engage with core concepts of both fields.
