Biology: Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation

Major

Why This Program & What You'll Learn

Life is everywhere, and it doesn't exist on its own. Animals, plants and microorganisms live side-by-side. Together, they form complex ecosystems that not only coexist, but depend on each other for survival.

When you major in biology with a concentration in ecology, evolution, and conservation, you'll learn about the individual systems that sustain life in animals, plants and microorganisms. You'll also gain insight into how different life forms interact with each other and their environment. 

You'll have the opportunity to take the knowledge you learn in the classroom and lab and bring it into the field. There, you'll learn to collect samples, manage wildlife and even gauge the impact of climate change on sensitive landscapes. Your hands-on experience may include work at our biological station on Beaver Island. There, you'll find cedar swamps, sand dunes, beaver ponds and abundant plant and animal life. We even have our own research vessel, the MV Chippewa, a 38-foot ship that may support your work.

Program Highlights

As a biology: ecology, evolution and conservation major, you will:

• Study at one of only two universities in the Midwest to operate an island research station. The CMU Biological Station on Beaver Island includes six labs and hundreds of acres to study.
• Get a chance to share their findings on campus and beyond—even in the halls of Congress—in BIO403, Undergraduate Research.
• Take your work south: Our affiliation with the University of Southern Mississippi's Gulf Coast Research Laboratory means you can participate in a summer field school there at CMU tuition rates.