Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Major, MS

Students trained in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department at the University of Tennessee will demonstrate a core knowledge in ecology and evolution. Training will prepare students to pursue careers such as professional ecologists and evolutionary biologists at institutes of higher education, national laboratories, and private industries; land managers; conservation biologists; and bioinformaticians.

Concentrations (Optional) and Options Available

Behavior (Thesis)
Ecology (Thesis)
Evolutionary Biology (Thesis)

Campus Code

Knoxville Campus

Admissions Standards/Procedures

Applications are accepted once a year.
The deadline for receipt of all application materials is December 1 for those applicants wishing to enroll in the following fall or spring semesters.
- Applications incomplete as of that date or received after that date will not be considered.
Applicants are expected to have an academic background consistent with a bachelor’s degree in one of the life sciences.
- Students are expected to have completed a minimum of one year of general biology, two years of chemistry including one year of general chemistry, one year of physics, and one year of college-level calculus.
- Occasionally, applicants who are highly qualified otherwise but lack one of these courses or course sequences will be admitted with the expectation that the deficiency will be made up within the first year of graduate study.
Applicants are also expected to have an overall grade point average of at least 3.00 and 3.00 or above for all science and mathematics courses on a 4.00 scale (successful applicants will usually have grade point averages well above these minima).
The departmental requires three letters of reference from persons capable of assessing the applicant’s suitability for graduate work in biology and a statement of professional goals and reasons for applying to this program.
Application must be made to the Office of Graduate Admissions.
Applicants for the master’s degree are expected to have made prior contact with potential research advisors in the department’s graduate program. Inquiries should be directed to the Chair of Graduate Admissions, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Dabney 569, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-1610.

Credit Hours Required

Minimum 30 graduate credit hours

Required Courses

Complete course requirements as determined by the department:

Two-thirds of courses 500-level or above (400-levels from approved list only: see below)
EEB 500 - Thesis (6 credit hours)
EEB 509 - Core: Ecology (3 credit hours)
EEB 511 - Core: Evolution (3 credit hours)
1 quantitative course taken once for 3 credit hours, selected in consultation with the major professor
EEB 503 - Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Seminar (required for all first- and second-year students and GTAs; taken at least four times for 1 credit hour each)
EEB 507 - Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (required for all second- and fourth-year students; taken twice for 1 credit hour each)

Additional Course Requirements

All other credit hours must be from an approved list including:

Non-Course Requirements

The concentrations (Behavior, Ecology, and Evolutionary Biology) are areas of focused research. They are not distinguished by specific courses.
Graduate students are expected to make progress towards meeting degree requirements. For more detailed information, see the EEB Graduate Handbook available on the department’s website.
Satisfactorily complete and defend a thesis with oral exam and public seminar

Undergraduates

Graduate Students