Biology: Concentration in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology

This program provides students with a broad background in systematic biology and conservation biology through coursework in evolutionary biology, ecology, botany, and physiology. It prepares students for graduate school as well as work in the public sector with agencies such as state and national park services and in the private sector in fields such as environmental consulting and conservation. It is recommended that students work closely with an academic advisor to select courses that best suit their career goals.

The department does not permit multiple concentrations within the biology degree program. All of the curricula require preliminary work in physics and chemistry because many important biological concepts are based squarely upon principles in the physical sciences. Also, each curriculum includes upper-division work in the biological sciences so that students will receive reasonable breadth and depth in their degree program. Because of the sequential arrangement of courses students are urged to consult the descriptions for the prerequisites of all their courses.

Although course electives are listed for most of the majors, new electives are always being added to various programs. Therefore, we highly recommend that students seek advisement prior to enrolling in elective courses in their major.

General Information and Requirements

• Candidates entering the bachelor's programs in biology should have completed three years of high school mathematics and one year of high school chemistry to allow completion of the curriculum in a timely fashion (see Undergraduate Admission Requirements).
• All major coursework must be completed with letter grades (CR/NC is not acceptable).
• A minimum grade point average of 2.0 in all coursework is required to receive a degree in these programs.
• To remain enrolled in a biology course, students must be prepared to provide copies of transcripts demonstrating completion of prerequisite courses with a grade of C- or better.
• Early in the first semester, and at regular intervals thereafter, students must consult with a biology advisor to plan a program of study. For the most current advising information, go to biology.sfsu.edu.

1. UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS OF SCIENCE: Students can design an experiment with the appropriate control groups to test a hypothesis
2. QUANTITATIVE REASONING: Students can interpret a graph or dataset to determine if the results of an experiment support or reject a hypothesis
3. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SCIENCE AND SOCIETY: Students can weigh the costs and benefits to society of the use of recent scientific and technological developments
4. EVOLUTION: Students can explain the role that variation between individuals plays in the processes of natural selection and evolution.
5. RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRUCTURE AND FUNCTION: Students can explain how a change in the structural characteristics of a molecule, tissue or organism will affect its function
6. INFORMATION FLOW AND STORAGE: Students can describe the mechanisms of information flow in classical and molecular genetics and predict the outcomes of crosses
7. PATHWAYS AND TRANSFORMATION OF MATTER AND ENERGY: Students can explain how a carbon molecule flows through a biological process or system
8. SYSTEMS (i.e. living systems are interconnected and interacting): Students can predict the consequences of how a change in one aspect of a biological or complex system will affect other aspects of the system

Shehaadat al-thaanawiya al-'aama | General Certificate of Secondary Education