Introduction
All curricular requirements are aimed at preparing students for timely and successful completion of a master thesis. The master of arts (M.A.) curriculum in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEB) includes two stages: 1) required coursework, 2) the research, writing, and defense of the master thesis.
Requirements
Course Requirements
M.A. students must take BIOE 200A, BIOE 200B, BIOE 279, and two-quarters of BIOE 203 (or one quarter of BIOE 203 and one quarter of BIOE 215 (formerly BIOE 295) within their first two years. BIOE 281, BIOE 294, and BIOE 297 (Independent Study) must be taken every quarter the student is in residence. All students must be enrolled in at least 15 credits per quarter, unless on approved part-time status. No more than 15 credits from upper-division undergraduate courses may be used as part the student’s coursework.
Core Courses
The following courses must be taken every quarter the student is in residence.
Elective Courses
| BIOE 208 | Marine Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 245 | Plant Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 245L | Field Methods in Plant Ecology Laboratory | 5 |
| BIOE 247 | Community Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 239 | Mathematical Modeling and Data Science in Ecology and Evolution | 5 |
| BIOE 238 | Modeling Evolution and Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 258L | Experimental Marine Ecology | 5 |
| BIOE 262
/CSP 245
| Facilitating Change in Coastal Science Policy | 5 |
| BIOE 271 | Disciplinary Communication for Biologists | 5 |
| BIOE 272 | Population Genetics | 5 |
| BIOE 286
/CSP 241
| Experimental Design and Data Analysis | 5 |
| BIOE 286L
/CSP 241L
| Experimental Design and Data Analysis Lab | 2 |
| BIOE 139 | Mathematical Modeling and Data Science in Ecology and Evolution | 5 |
Other Requirements
The master research project is identified by students and requires approval from the students’ masters reading committee in the fall of the second year. The master thesis manuscript is submitted to the students’ masters reading committee, defended in a closed oral examination, and presented in a departmental seminar by the end of the second year.
Deadlines at each stage must be confirmed with the graduate program coordinator.
Academic Progress
Normative time to degree for the M.A. program is two years. Academic progress is formally reviewed in the spring quarter of each academic year.
Applying for Graduation
Information on applying for graduation may be found on the EEB Graduate Program website. Deadlines should always be confirmed with the graduate program coordinator.