The Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology at Texas A&M University provides advanced educational opportunities to prepare students for careers in the science and stewardship of biological diversity, ecosystems and their services, and the biosphere. Our undergraduate and graduate degrees in Ecology and Conservation Biology emphasize fundamental ecological knowledge and its application to biodiversity conservation, environmental health, and management of complex systems, involving diverse aspects of ecology, ranging from genes to ecosystems and microcosms to the entire biosphere. ECCB is home to more than 70 experts and 300 students, representing a community of scholars working to understand nature, to conserve our natural resources, and to maintain the health and services of natural and human-dominated systems that sustain our communities.

Vertebrate Zoology Track (pre-vet)

The Vertebrate Zoology track is tailored specifically for those ECCB students with a deep interest in vertebrates, their diversity, ecology, and conservation and/or are interested in pursuing veterinary school. This track capitalizes on the collective experience of ECCB faculty in the areas of vertebrate ecology, evolution, genetics, anatomy, physiology, and behavior to provide a comprehensive understanding of vertebrate biology and ecology. In addition to core courses in ecology and conservation, ECCB students in the Vertebrate Zoology track complete coursework in vertebrate ecology, diversity, and evolution, and enroll in national or international field courses that focus on vertebrates, including their collection and identification. This is a flexible track that permits the inclusion of courses specifically required by graduate programs as well as schools of veterinary medicine. Students on this track may use free electives to personalize or broaden their experience to meet certification requirements for vertebrate-focused professional societies (e.g., American Fisheries Society and The Wildlife Society). The Vertebrate Zoology track satisfies all prerequisite requirements for veterinary school.

Plan of Study Grid

First Year
Fall		Semester Credit Hours
BIOL 111	Introductory Biology I	4
ECCB 101	Introduction to Ecology and Conservation Biology	1
ECCB 205	Fundamentals of Ecology	3
MATH 140	Mathematics for Business and Social Sciences	3
General elective 1		3
	Semester Credit Hours	14
Spring
BIOL 112	Introductory Biology II	4
MATH 142	Business Calculus	3
American history 2		3
Language, philosophy and culture 2		3
Social and behavioral sciences 2		3
	Semester Credit Hours	16
Second Year
Fall
CHEM 119	Fundamentals of Chemistry I	4
ECCB 215	Fundamentals of Ecology--Laboratory	1
ECCB 285	Directed Studies	1
ECCB 302	Diversity and Evolution of Vertebrates	3
STAT 302	Statistical Methods	3
American history 2		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Spring
CHEM 222	Elements of Organic and Biological Chemistry	3
ECCB 304	Conservation Biology	3
Biodiversity 3		3
Communication 2		3
Government/Political science 2		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Third Year
Fall
ECCB 403	Population and Community Ecology	3
Select one of the following:		4
CHEM 120	Fundamentals of Chemistry II
GEOL 101 & GEOL 102	Principles of Geology and Principles of Geology Laboratory
OCNG 251 & OCNG 252	The Blue Planet - Our Oceans and The Blue Planet - Our Oceans Laboratory
PHYS 201	College Physics
SCSC 301	Soil Science
Ecosystem
Select one of the following:		3
ECCB 309	Forest Ecology
ECCB 320	Ecosystem Restoration and Management
ECCB 416	Fire Ecology and Natural Resource Management
RWFM 404	Aquatic Ecosystems
Creative arts 2		3
Government/Political science 2		3
	Semester Credit Hours	16
Spring
ECCB 301	Diversity and Evolution of Plants	3
ECCB 303	Fire Ecology and Biogeochemistry	3
Communication 2		3
Ecology practice 4		3
Professional development 5		3
	Semester Credit Hours	15
Fourth Year
Fall
ECCB 400	Molecular Ecology	3
Biodiversity 3		3
Ecology practice 4		4
Professional development 5		3
General elective 1		3
	Semester Credit Hours	16
Spring
ECCB 485	Directed Studies	1
Individual Function
Select one of the following:		3-4
BIOL 206	Introductory Microbiology
BIOL 318	Chordate Anatomy
BIOL 351	Fundamentals of Microbiology
BIOL 388	Principles of Animal Physiology
ECCB 422	Behavioral Ecology
ECCB 448	Fish Ecophysiology
VTPB 405	Biomedical Microbiology
Ethical Dimensions
Select one of the following:		3
AGEC 350	Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
ECCB 308	Fundamentals of Environmental Decision-Making
ECCB 318/RWFM 318	Coupled Social and Ecological Systems
ECCB 405	Forest Resource Assessment and Management
ECCB 460/RPTS 460	Nature, Values, and Protected Areas
RWFM 308	Fish and Wildlife Laws and Administration
RWFM 436	Natural Resources Policy
Professional development 5		3
General elective 1		2-3
	Semester Credit Hours	13
	Total Semester Credit Hours	120

¹

Select from any 100-499 course not used elsewhere.

²

Graduation requirements include a requirement for 3 hours of International and Cultural Diversity courses and 3 hours of Cultural Discourse courses. A course satisfying a Core category, a college/department requirement, or a general elective can be used to satisfy this requirement.

³

Select from ECCB 311, ECCB 315, ECCB 401, ECCB 402.

⁴

Select from ECCB 314, ECCB 316, ECCB 324, ECCB 351, ECCB 406/GEOG 462, ECCB 407, ECCB 417, ECCB 444, ECCB 446, ECCB 462, ECCB 484, ECCB 485, ECCB 491; ENTO 300/ECCB 300, ENTO 450/ECCB 450, ENTO 451/ECCB 451; PHYS 201, PHYS 202; RWFM 325, RWFM 400/ECCB 452, RWFM 408, RWFM 410, RWFM 484, RWFM 485, RWFM 491; STAT 307.

⁵

Select from ANSC 303/NUTR 303, ANSC 318, ANSC 320; CHEM 227 & CHEM 237, CHEM 228 & CHEM 238; ECCB 203, ECCB 311, ECCB 312, ECCB 313, ECCB 315, ECCB 401, ECCB 402, ECCB 420; ENTO 201; OCNG 251; RWFM 301, RWFM 302, RWFM 314, RWFM 443, RWFM 447, RWFM 470.

Must make a grade of C or better in BIOL 111, BIOL 112, and all ECCB major core coursework (ECCB 101, ECCB 205, ECCB 301, ECCB 302, ECCB 303, ECCB 304, ECCB 400, ECCB 403, and ECCB 485.)