Environmental Conservation - Major
For information, contact Dr. John Cigliano, jaciglia@cedarcrest.edu, (610)-606-4666 x3702.
Program Description
The Environmental Conservation major is for students who are concerned about the environment and are interested in helping to protect species, habitats, and ecosystems – the world’s biodiversity. The B.S. in Environmental Conservation is a field-based major that allows students to pursue a scientific study in environment conservation by providing students with a strong foundation and advanced study in the concepts and principles of ecology and conservation biology. The B.A. in Environmental Conservation also provides a strong foundation in conservation biology but is more interdisciplinary and allows students to focus through the integration of environmental conservation with other disciplines.. Both majors present environmental conservation within global, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts.
Upon graduation, students of either major will be able to pursue graduate study or careers in environmental conservation and related fields, for example, governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations; education, policy and advocacy organizations; environmental consulting, law, and publishing firms; sustainability officers/managers; and museums, zoos and aquariums. The B.A. in Environmental Conservation is especially suited for students who want careers outside the typical science career path, for example in journalism, policy, or writing.
Program Mission Statement – Environmental Conservation B.S.
The mission of the B.S. in Environmental Conservation is to provide women with the knowledge and skills needed to protect biodiversity: species, habitats, and ecosystems. Students majoring in Environmental Conservation study conservation issues within global, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts, become civically engaged, and learn to communicate the importance of preserving biodiversity to a variety of audiences. Students who complete the B.S. degree are prepared to solve the environmental issues that affect biodiversity through scientific study and conservation-related research and to become leaders in the field of environmental conservation.
Program Requirements for the Environmental Conservation Major (B.S.)
A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.000 and a minimum average in the major of 2.000 are required for the major in Environmental Conservation (B.S.). A grade of C- or better is needed for all courses that fulfill the departmental requirements. Courses transferred in for all majors must be taken less than ten years ago. Students may not declare multiple majors in any combination of: Biology, Environmental Conservation (B.S. or B.A.), Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Integrated Biology, Neuroscience, or Nuclear Medicine Technology. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in prerequisite courses before proceeding to subsequent courses. Any student who withdraws from a course or earns a grade lower than a C- may repeat the course only one time.
Total Number of Credits: 66
Course Requirements
BIO 123 Foundations in Biology 4 credits
BIO 124 Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology 4 credits (Students with Advanced Placement credit for BIO123 and/or 124 are required to take the BIO123 and 124 labs.)
BIO 239 Animal Ecology, Development and Evolution 4 credits
BIO 231 Genetics 4 credits
BIO 248 Biostatistics 3 credits
BIO 300 Evolution 4 credits
BIO 360 Advanced Ecology 3 credits
BIO 309 Conservation Biology and GIS 4 credits **
BIO 315 Case Studies in Biodiversity and Conservation Biology 3 credits**
BIO 350 Junior Colloquium 2 credits **
BIO 356 Science, Ethics, and Society 3 credits**
CHE 111 Chemical Principles 4 credits
CHE 112 Chemical Equilibrium & Analysis 4 credits
CHE 205 Organic Chemistry I 4 credits
CHE 320 Environmental Chemistry OR CHE 206 Organic Chemistry II 4 credits
MAT 141 Calculus I 3 credits
Field Research Experience 4 credits***
Electives chosen from the following totaling at least 5 credits:
BIO 207 Botany 3 or 4 credits
BIO 224 Animal Behavior 3 credits
BIO 227 Microbiology 4 credits
BIO 228 Marine Ecology (can be taken without lab) 3 or 4 credits
BIO 313 Advanced Mendelian & Population Genetics 3 credits
BIO 323 Bioinformatics 4 credits
BIO 353 Independent Research† 4 credits maximum
The following courses are strongly recommended for students planning to go to graduate school:
PHY 101 Introductory College Physics I 4 credits
PHY 102 Introductory College Physics II 4 credits
MAT 142 Calculus II 3 credits
ANT 100 Sociocultural Anthropology is recommended to partially satisfy the Social Science Liberal Arts requirement
**Transfer students must take these courses at Cedar Crest; all Environmental Conservation majors must take both lecture and lab of BIO 309.
***Students can take one of the following to satisfy the Field Research Experience requirement (minimum of 4 credits):
BIO 228 Marine Ecology (must take with lab) 4 credits
BIO 261 The Amazon Basin: Natural History, Culture, and Conservation
BIO 229 Ecology & Natural History of the American Southwest 3 credits
BIO 353 Independent Research† 4 credits
School for Field Studies (see below) Variable
Other field research experience (international or domestic) approved by advisor Variable credits
†With Advisor approval. Cannot be used to satisfy both the Field Research Experience and Elective requirements.
School for Field Studies
Cedar Crest College is an affiliate member of the School for Field Studies (SFS).Through this affiliation, Cedar Crest students are able to conduct hands-on, community-focused environmental field work in SFS programs around the world, including sites in Australia/New Zealand, Turks & Caicos Islands (British West Indies), Costa Rica, Panama, Bhutan, Vietnam/Cambodia, Peru, and Tanzania. These are month-long summer and semester-long programs and are in addition to the field opportunities provided directly by Cedar Crest College.
The benefits of the affiliation with SFS to Cedar Crest students include
- Receiving credit for the program directly from Cedar Crest (i.e., not transfer credit)
- Waiver of the $150 registration fee
- Preferential consideration for SFS financial aid
- Access to specially designated spaces held for Affiliates until March 15th and October 15th for the following Fall and Spring semesters, respectively.
For more information about the programs at SFS, visit www.fieldstudies.org
Fulfillment of LAC Requirements
Students fulfill the Technology, Oral Presentation, and Information Literacy requirement through successful completion of the following required courses: BIO 123, 124, 239, 231 350, and 356. Students also fulfill the Natural Sciences (BIO 123 and BIO 124), Mathematics and Logic (MAT 141 and BIO 248), Writing 2 (BIO 309, BIO 356), and Global Studies (BIO 309) requirement upon successful completion of the major.
Additional course requirements for the Thesis Option (B.S. only):
All students, particularly those who are interested in attending graduate school or obtaining a research-based job following graduation, are highly encouraged to participate in independent research, which may culminate in a thesis. The thesis option begins during the student’s junior year as part of Junior Colloquium (BIO 350). Most majors from the Department of Biological Sciences require students to develop a research proposal to investigate an original research question. This experience allows the students to go beyond the basic course information, select a problem that interests them, and apply what they have learned in their coursework to a novel situation. As part of the thesis option, students will spend a minimum of two semesters working with a faculty member to conduct the research outlined in their proposal. They will then develop a written thesis detailing their project and present their final project to the department in the form of a seminar talk or poster. Requirements towards fulfilling the thesis include: a.) two semesters (4 credits) of Independent Research (BIO 353) or b.) two semesters of Independent Research (BIO 243); and one semester of Independent Research (BIO 353), and one semester (1 credit) of Senior Thesis and Presentation (BIO 354) with grades of C- or better.
Program Outcomes
All Majors within the Department of Biological Sciences have the following three outcomes:
- Students can apply the foundation concepts and principles of the Biological Sciences, including cellular structure and function, genetics and molecular biology, evolution and organismal diversity, and ecology.
- Students can discuss the interaction of science and society, including the ethical practice of science, within the local, national, and global community.
- Students can write about and interpret the methodologies of scientific research.
Environmental Conservation B.S. Outcomes
- Students can explain the value of biodiversity and why it is important to conserve it, from both an ecosystem and human health and welfare perspective.
- Students can explain the causes of biodiversity loss and design appropriate strategies to maintain and restore biodiversity.
- Students can build and interpret a phylogeny representing evolutionary relationships among organisms to better understand the cause and nature of biodiversity.
Program Mission Statement – Environmental Conservation B.A.
The mission of the B.A. in Environmental Conservation program is to provide women with the knowledge and skills needed to protect biodiversity: species, habitats, and ecosystems. Students majoring in Environmental Conservation study conservation issues within global, sociopolitical, and cultural contexts, become civically engaged, and learn to communicate the importance of preserving biodiversity to a variety of audiences. Students who complete the B.A. degree are prepared to solve the environmental issues that affect biodiversity through an interdisciplinary approach and to become leaders in the field of environmental conservation.
Program Requirements for the Environmental Conservation Major (B.A.)
A minimum cumulative grade-point average of 2.000 and a minimum average in the major of 2.000 are required for the major in Environmental Conservation (B.A.). A grade of C- or better is needed for all courses that fulfill the departmental requirements. Courses transferred in for all majors must be taken less than ten years ago. Students may not declare multiple majors in any combination of: Biology, Environmental Conservation (B.S. or B.A.), Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, Integrated Biology, Neuroscience or Nuclear Medicine Technology. Students must earn a grade of C- or better in prerequisite courses before proceeding to subsequent courses. Any student who withdraws from a course or earns a grade lower than a C- may repeat the course only one time.
Total Number of Credits: 49
Course Requirements
BIO 123 Foundations in Biology 4 credits
BIO 124 Principles of Cell and Molecular Biology 4 credits
(Students with Advanced Placement credit for BIO123 and/or 124 are required to take the BIO123 and 124 labs.)
BIO 239 Animal Ecology, Development and Evolution 4 credits
CHE 111 Chemical Principles 4 credits
CHE 112 Chemical Equilibrium and Analysis 4 credits
MAT 110 Probability & Statistics 3 credits
BIO 309 Conservation Biology and GIS** 4 credits
BIO 315 Case Studies in Biodiversity & Conservation Biology** 3 credits
ANT 100 Cultural Anthropology 3 credits
GST 100 The Globalizing World 3 credits
ECO 222 Economic Geography 3 credits
PHI 200 Ethics 3 credits
COM 150 Introduction to Journalism 3 credits or COM 212 Intercultural Communication 4 credits
Field Experience 4 credits
Students satisfy the Field Experience requirement (minimum of 4 credits) through the following:
BIO 228 Marine Ecology (with lab) 4 credits
BIO 261 The Amazon Basin: Natural History, Culture, and Conservation
BIO 229 Ecological & Natural History of the American Southwest 3 credits
School for Field Studies, Variable (see above for information about School for Field Studies)
Hawk Mountain courses (totaling at least 4 credits)
Other study abroad experience (international or domestic) approved by advisor, Variable credits
**Transfer students must take these courses at Cedar Crest; all Environmental Conservation majors must take both lecture and lab of BIO 309.
Fulfillment of LAC Requirements
Students fulfill the Technology, Oral Presentation, and Information Literacy requirement through successful completion of the following required courses: BIO 123, 124, and 239. Students also fulfill the Natural Sciences (BIO 123 and BIO 124), Writing 2 (BIO 309), and Global Studies (BIO 309) requirements and partially fulfill the Mathematics and Logic (MAT 110), Humanities (PHI 200), and Social Sciences (ANT 100) requirement upon successful completion of the major.
Program Outcomes
All Majors within the Department of Biological Sciences have the following three outcomes:
- Students can apply the foundation concepts and principles of the Biological Sciences, including cellular structure and function, genetics and molecular biology, evolution and organismal diversity, and ecology.
- Students can discuss the interaction of science and society, including the ethical practice of science, within the local, national, and global community.
- Students can write about and interpret the methodologies of scientific research.
Environmental Conservation B.A. Outcomes
- Students can explain the causes of biodiversity loss and design appropriate strategies to maintain and restore biodiversity.
- Students can discuss show sociopolitical and cultural contexts influence environmental conservation strategies and policies.
- Students can effectively communicate to a variety of audiences the value of biodiversity and the need to conserve biodiversity, from an ecosystem and a human health and socioeconomic perspective.
