This program also offers training that leads to a Master of Arts in Biological Sciences with a Concentration in Applied Ecology. Our master’s program in applied ecology is intended to address the need for professionals in environmental sciences at federal, state, county, and other levels of government, as well as in environmental departments of large industrial companies and smaller environmental consulting firms. Conservation and environmental protection groups also seek qualified individuals.

Usual phases of applied environmental projects include data collection followed by analysis of the results and interpretation of the findings. The greatest employment opportunities exist in the second of these three phases – data analysis – and our curriculum is particularly strong in this area.

The plan of studies is individually tailored within the course offerings and other training opportunities to match the student’s personal goals. Six courses offered by the Department of Ecology and Evolution provide training in ecology, mathematical methods, and statistics, as applied to ecological problems:

Graduate Courses

• Principles of Ecology (4 cr.)
• Biometry (4 cr.)
• Research Design and Analysis in Ecology (4 cr.)
• Ecology Laboratory (3 cr.)
• Mathematical Methods in Biology (3 cr.)
• Applied Ecology and Conservation Biology Laboratory (3 cr.)

A total of eight to ten courses will satisfy the master's degree requirements. Credits can also be earned through a traineeships and participation in research projects on or off campus. Students enrolled in the program must complete 30 graduate credits and a master’s paper to graduate in accordance with Graduate School requirements. This program can be completed in three to four semesters.

Ecology at Stony Brook

Ecology is a basic science that determines how organisms interact with each other and with their physical environment. Ecological science concerns how these interactions determine when species are common and rare, and where species are found. Ecologists perform comparative studies and manipulative experiments in the field and laboratory to test hypothesis, they construct mathematical models to forecast how ecological systems behave, and apply technology to follow the passage of energy and matter through organisms and their environments.

Ecology, which builds upon natural history studies, has traditionally defined “natural” as non-human. Ecologists have traditionally sought to study uncut forest, unplowed prairie, and unpolluted lake, stream, or ocean shores. However, ecologists recognize that the earth changes. Thus, the "natural" state has always included for some change – by day, by season, by year, and even by millennium. Today, however, massive global changes are being caused by a single species, Homo sapiens. Thus, modern ecology also includes investigations to determine how humans interact with the environment.

Many of the environmental problems that challenge human society are fundamentally ecological in nature. Ecologists are a crucial resource to provide citizens and decision-makers with the fundamental understanding of the ways in which the natural systems of the earth function and how they are affected by human activities. Ecological knowledge and understanding are needed to detect and monitor change, to evaluate the consequences of a wide range of human activities, and to plan for the management of sustainable natural and human-dominated ecological systems. Faculty and students in the Department of Ecology and Evolution at Stony Brook address ecological issues at all these levels – from studies of individuals in populations, to problems of species-species interactions, and on to the effects of global change on biological systems. Many of our Ph.D. students, of course, go on to teach at major research universities, but many of them, including the masters students in Applied Ecology, are employed as environmental consultants or work on policy issues around the country and in Washington, D.C.

Further Information?

For further information, please contact:

Dr. Lev Ginzburg, Director
Master’s Program in Biological Sciences
Concentration in Applied Ecology
Department of Ecology & Evolution
Stony Brook University
Stony Brook, New York 11794-5245

Or call the Department of Ecology & Evolution at 631-632-8600.

Stony Brook University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity educator and employer.