Ecology, Behavior & Evolution
This major includes the fields of population biology, ecology, conservation biology, animal behavior, population genetics, biogeography, and evolution. These fields have in common a focus on evolutionary processes and whole organisms in relation to each other and to their environments. Research careers in ecology, behavior, and evolution can be found in universities, government agencies, and the biotechnology industry. More applied careers for ecologists are equally varied: recent graduates now work in forestry and wildlife management, as ecological consultants for U.S. and foreign governments and private industry, as teachers, or in new fields such as ecological medicine and epidemiology, environmental design and planning, and conservation biology. Because organismal biology spans such a wide variety of topics, this major has been designed to provide the basic fundamentals while allowing maximum flexibility within the general topic areas
Important things you should know....
Entered UCSD as a Freshman
Entered UCSD as a Transfer
Learning Goals (PDF format)
Ecology, Behavior & Evolution Major Requirements
Lower-Division Requirements
BILD 1, 2 and 3
Mathematics 10A, B, 11/10C or 20A, B, C
Chemistry 6A, B, C Laboratories in Chemistry are not required.
Physics 1A+1AL, 1B+1BL, 1C+1CL or 2A, B, C
Upper-Division Requirements
1. Genetics (BICD 100)
2. Biometry (BIEB 100)
3. Introduction to Ecology (BIEB 102)
4. Evolution (BIEB 150)
5. Seven EBE core courses to be chosen from BIEB 121 to 180 are required. At least two of these courses must be laboratory or field courses (BIEB 121, 123, 131, 165, 167, and/or 179). Laboratory courses may be taken concurrently with the prerequisite lecture course if Biometry (BIEB 100) has been taken. Note that some of the laboratory courses may not be offered every year. For that reason, it is recommended that students take as many required courses as possible when the courses are offered.
6. Three additional upper-division courses (each course must be at least four units) taken through the UCSD Division of Biological Sciences, or related departments are required. EBE related courses are offered in mathematics, chemistry, environmental systems, earth sciences, economics, biological anthropology, urban studies, other social science departments, and in the graduate programs at SIO (marine biology and oceanography) and IR/PS. Courses to be completed outside of the UCSD Division of Biological Science must be petitioned (prior to enrollment) to satisfy this requirement. Only one quarter of BISP 196, 197 or 199 and/or one quarter of BISP 195 may be used to fulfill this requirement. Subsequent quarters of 195, 196, 197 or 199 may be applied toward college and university requirements.
EBE students whose graduate education or careers require biochemistry should take Organic Chemistry (140A, 140B) and Metabolic Biochemistry (BIBC 102) to satisfy this three-course requirement.
* For more information on BISP 196 (Honors Thesis) or 199 (Independent Research) click here
* For more information on BISP 197 (Biotechnology Internship) click here
For further information, please contact Biology Student Affairs or check out the UCSD Catalog!
