Biodiversity & Conservation Biology Major

Would you like to play a role in the preservation of today’s species, habitats and ecosystems for future generations? By pursuing the biodiversity and conservation biology major at Cedar Crest College, you will gain the knowledge, insight and skills needed to conduct research, and the leadership and communication skills to help shape public policy for this purpose.

Through a combination of fieldwork, coursework and laboratory research conducted in collaboration with our experienced faculty-scientists, you will develop the strong foundation you need to succeed in graduate studies or in a rewarding career in areas such as these:

• Conservation and environmental agencies and organizations (governmental and non-governmental)
• Educational institutions
• Environmental consulting firms
• Legal firms
• Museums
• Policy and advocacy organizations
• Publishing companies with a focus on conservation and environmental topics
• Zoos and aquariums

About Our Program

Throughout your studies, you will learn valuable and marketable lab-based skills. For instance, you will be able to:

• Utilize leading-edge technologies such as global positioning and geographic information systems (GPS and GIS) in our state-of-the-art computational biology lab
• Apply molecular genetics tools to research questions in conservation biology and biodiversity
• Integrate your scientific findings into policy recommendations

Research and Field Experiences

Beginning your first year, you may be eligible to participate in research projects with faculty on a variety of environmental and conservation-related issues. During your studies, you may choose to engage in:

• Field studies and research conducted on-campus and in the surrounding communities
• An internship at the world-class and internationally known Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, the Lehigh Valley Zoo, Wildlands Conservancy or at other environmental organizations.
• Independent research projects
• Short-term field studies in locations such as:
  • The Amazon rainforest
  • The coral reefs of the Caribbean
  • Deserts and mountains of Arizona
• Long-term field studies (for a month or a semester), through our affiliation with the School for Field Studies

In addition to providing you with valuable research experience, field studies often provide exposure to other cultures—a tremendous benefit in today’s increasingly global society.

Cedar Crest College and the School for Field Studies

Cedar Crest College is an affiliate member of the School for Field Studies (SFS), an organization whose mission is to create “transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research.” Through this affiliation, Cedar Crest students are able to conduct hands-on, community-focused environmental field work in SFS programs around the world, including sites in:

• Australia and New Zealand
• Bhutan
• Costa Rica
• Kenya and Tanzania
• Turks and Caicos Islands (Caribbean)

These are semester-long and month-long summer programs and are offered in addition to the field opportunities provided directly by Cedar Crest College.

As a Cedar Crest student, you receive the following benefits from our affiliation with SFS:

• Credit for the program directly from Cedar Crest (i.e., not transfer credit)
• Waiver of the $150 SFS registration fee
• Preferential consideration for SFS financial aid
• Access to specially designated spaces held for affiliates until March 15 and October 15 for the following fall and spring semesters, respectively

Program Mission Statement

The biodiversity and conservation biology program educates women to be well-rounded biologists within the scientific, cultural, and sociopolitical components of the field of conservation biology. Students majoring in biodiversity and conservation biology study conservation issues within a global context, conduct conservation-related research, become civically engaged, and learn to communicate the importance of preserving biodiversity to a variety of audiences to prepare them to become leaders in the field of conservation biology.

Program Requirements

A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.0 and a minimum average in the major of 2.0 are required for the major in biodiversity and conservation biology. A grade of C- or better is needed for all courses that fulfill the departmental requirements. Courses transferred in for all majors must be taken less than 10 years ago. Students may not declare multiple majors in any combination of: biology, biodiversity and conservation biology, genetic engineering, or neuroscience. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in prerequisite courses before proceeding to subsequent courses.

Total Number of Credits: 75-78

Course Requirements

 

• BIO 121 Principles of Biology I 4 credits*
• BIO 122 Principles of Biology II 4 credits*
• BIO 235 Ecology, Evolution and Genetics 4 credits**
• BIO 236 Cell and Molecular Biology 4 credits**
• BIO 248 Biostatistics 3 credits
• BIO 300 Evolution 4 credits
• BIO 309 Conservation Biology and GIS 4 credits
• BIO 315 Case Studies in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology 3 credits
• BIO 350 Junior Colloquium 2 credits
• BIO 356 Science, Ethics and Society 3 credits
• CHE 111 Chemical Principles 4 credits
• CHE 112 Chemical Equilibrium & Analysis 4 credits
• CHE 205 Organic Chemistry I 4 credits
• CHE 320 Environmental Chemistry 4 credits
• PHY 101 Introductory College Physics I 4 credits
• PHY 102 Introductory College Physics II 4 credits
• MAT 141 Calculus I 3 credits
• ANT 100 Cultural Anthropology 3 credits
• PSC One appropriate political science course (PSC) [in consultation with your advisor] or ECO 222 Economic Geography 3 credits

Plus ONE course from each of the following categories:

Biodiversity and Systematics

• BIO 207 Botany 4 credits
• BIO 227 Microbiology 4 credits
• BIO 228 Marine Ecology (must be taken with lab) 4 credits***
• Hawk Mountain courses (at least 2 courses, totaling at least 3 credits) 3-4 credits***

Ecology, Genetics and Evolution

• BIO 228 Marine Ecology (can be taken without lab) 3 or 4 credits***
• BIO 224 Animal Behavior 3 credits
• BIO 313 Advanced Mendelian and Population Genetics 3 credits
• BIO 323 Bioinformatics 4 credits

Field Experience

• BIO 228 Marine Ecology (must take with lab) 4 credits***
• BIO 301 Ecology & Natural History of the American Southwest 4 credits
• School for Field Studies (see above) Variable
• Hawk Mountain courses (at least 2 courses, totaling at least 3 credits) 3-4 credits***

*Students with advanced placement credit for BIO121 and/or 122 are required to take the BIO121 and 122 Labs.
**Students who have previously taken BIO 231 or 234 should consult their adviser to determine the courses needed to complete the major.
***Can count towards only one required category.

Independent Research and Thesis Requirements (Optional)

 

All students, particularly those who are interested in attending graduate school or obtaining a research-based job following graduation, are highly encouraged to participate in independent research, which may culminate in a thesis. Students can begin conducting independent research in the lab of one of the program’s faculty-scientists in their sophomore year.

The thesis option begins during the student’s junior year as part of Junior Colloquium (BIO 350). As part of the thesis option students will develop a research proposal to investigate an original research question. This experience allows the students to go beyond the basic course information, select a problem that interests them, and apply what they have learned in their coursework to a novel situation.

As part of the thesis option, students will spend a minimum of two semesters working with a faculty member to conduct the research outlined in their proposal. They will then develop a written thesis detailing their project and present their final project to the department in the form of a seminar talk or poster.

The title of a student’s thesis will appear on her transcript if she completes two semesters (4 credits) of Independent Research (BIO 353) and one semester (1 credit) of Senior Thesis and Presentation (BIO 354) with grades of C- or better.

Click here for the requirements checklist.