Graduate Degree Program in Ecology
Ruth Hufbauer, Director
Dawn Koschnitzki, Program Coordinator
Johnson Hall 102
Phone: 970-491-4373
ecology.colostate.edu

The Graduate Degree Program in Ecology (GDPE) offers outstanding opportunities for graduate studies ecology. The overall objective of the M.S. in Ecology is to develop students to be science professionals who use their interdisciplinary problem-solving skills to address ecological challenges from local to global scales. Students enrolled in the Plan A (thesis option) program are engaged in independent and collaborative research guided by advisors in the program and aim to have their thesis work published in the peer-reviewed literature. The Plan B option provides a non-thesis alternative available upon special request.

Students interested in graduate work should visit the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology website for more information.

Effective Fall 2023

REQUIRED COURSES
ECOL 505Foundations of Ecology3
ECOL 571Advanced Topics in Ecology1
ECOL 592Interdisciplinary Seminar in Ecology1
ECOL 693Research Seminar1
ECOLOGY FUNDAMENTALS
Select 6 credits not taken elsewhere in the program from the following:6
Human-Environment Interactions
Advanced Conservation & Evolutionary Genomics
Evolutionary Ecology
Behavioral and Cognitive Ecology
Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology
Community Ecology
Ecosystem Ecology
Applications in Landscape Ecology
Models for Ecological Data
Biogeochemical Cycling in Ecosystems
Wildlife Population Dynamics
Advanced Environmental Plant Stress Physiology
ECOLOGY TOOLS
Select 3 credits not taken elsewhere in the program from the following:3
Ecological and Social Agent-based Modeling
Applied Econometrics
Econometric Theory I
Econometric Theory II
Modeling Watershed Hydrology
Biostatistical Methods for Quantitative Data
Niche Models
Models for Ecological Data
Design of Fish and Wildlife Studies
Applied Sampling for Wildlife/Fish Studies
Sampling & Analysis Vertebrate Populations
Hierarchical Modeling in Ecology
Remote Sensing and Image Analysis
Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers
Dynamical Systems
Concepts in GIS
GIS Methods for Resource Management
Spatial Statistical Modeling-Natural Resources
Quantitative Spatial Analysis
Applied Multivariate Analysis
Micrometeorology
Modeling Ecosystem Biogeochemistry
Terrestrial Ecosystems Isotope Ecology
Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I
Design and Data Analysis for Researchers II
Introduction to Probability Theory
Stochastic Processes I
Mathematical Statistics
Data Analysis and Regression
Applied Multivariate Analysis
Topics in Statistical Methods: Sampling
Data Issues in Hydrology
ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES, INDEPENDENT STUDY, RESEARCH, AND THESIS15
Program Total Credits:30

A minimum of 30 credits are required to complete this program.

Effective Fall 2023

REQUIRED COURSES
ECOL 505Foundations of Ecology3
ECOL 571Advanced Topics in Ecology1
ECOL 592Interdisciplinary Seminar in Ecology1
ECOL 693Research Seminar1
ECOLOGY FUNDAMENTALS
Select 6 credits not taken elsewhere in the program from the following:6
Human-Environment Interactions
Advanced Conservation & Evolutionary Genomics
Evolutionary Ecology
Behavioral and Cognitive Ecology
Theory of Population and Evolutionary Ecology
Community Ecology
Ecosystem Ecology
Applications in Landscape Ecology
Models for Ecological Data
Biogeochemical Cycling in Ecosystems
Wildlife Population Dynamics
Advanced Environmental Plant Stress Physiology
ECOLOGY TOOLS
Select 3 credits not taken elsewhere in the program from the following:3
Ecological and Social Agent-based Modeling
Applied Econometrics
Econometric Theory I
Econometric Theory II
Niche Models
Modeling Watershed Hydrology
Models for Ecological Data
Design of Fish and Wildlife Studies
Applied Sampling for Wildlife/Fish Studies
Sampling & Analysis Vertebrate Populations
Hierarchical Modeling in Ecology
Remote Sensing and Image Analysis
Mathematics for Scientists and Engineers
Dynamical Systems
Concepts in GIS
GIS Methods for Resource Management
Spatial Statistical Modeling-Natural Resources
Quantitative Spatial Analysis
Applied Multivariate Analysis
Micrometeorology
Modeling Ecosystem Biogeochemistry
Terrestrial Ecosystems Isotope Ecology
Design and Data Analysis for Researchers I
Design and Data Analysis for Researchers II
Introduction to Probability Theory
Stochastic Processes I
Mathematical Statistics
Data Analysis and Regression
Biostatistical Methods for Quantitative Data
Applied Multivariate Analysis
Topics in Statistical Methods: Sampling
Data Issues in Hydrology
ADDITIONAL ELECTIVES, AND INDEPENDENT STUDY15
Program Total Credits:30

A minimum of 30 credits are required to complete this program.