Requirements
  1. Biology
    One year of introductory Biology with lab at the 1500-level sequence
    One lecture course in ecology with lab
    One lecture course in organismal biology
    One additional     lecture course in Biology (not including organismal biology)
  2. Environmental Science
    One year of in    troductory Environmental Science with lab
    One course in methodology
    One additional lecture course offered in Environmental Science
  3. One year of introductory Chemistry with lab, including one semester of Organic Chemistry
  4. One course in data handling
  5. Senior Thesis completed in Biology or Environmental Science
For details, see Major Requirements Worksheet below.


Advice
 Students may substitute courses taught at Columbia (in the Departments of Biology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, or Statistics) or at other institutions with the prior approval of both major advisers. Calculus, Physics, and a second year of Chemistry are recommended for students planning graduate study in Environmental Biology.

Students interested in Environmental Biology often choose to spend a semester "abroad", at the School for Field Studies program, the Organization for Tropical Studies, or at comparable programs offered by other institutions. We encourage students to take advantage of such opportunities, and we expect that most of the courses they complete in these programs will be accepted in lieu of some of the major requirements. In addition, we recommend that those students planning to go abroad in the junior year elect to do so in the Fall Semester rather than the Spring Semester in order to take best advantage of senior seminar research planning and programming.

Students who elect a major in Environmental Biology will have a major adviser in each department. Although one member of the faculty will serve as the primary adviser, requests to substitute courses from Columbia or other institutions must be approved by both major advisers.

Internships or some type of work or field experience are extremely valuable in preparing students for careers in the environment. Go to Research Opportunities for listings. Studies have shown that students who have had related work experience are more attractive to employers and graduate schools.

Students should check the catalogue and the department for additional information on the major and courses offered by Barnard and Columbia. Classes with grades less than C- or taken pass/fail can not be counted towards the major.

See also Senior Research Seminar for information on senior thesis requirements completed in Environmental Science Department.


Major Requirements Worksheet
(Printer-friendly Worksheet)

Part A, Biology   Term/Year
Introduction to Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (was BC2002x) BIOL BC1500x  

Introductory Lab in Organismal and Evolutionary Biology (was BC2003x)

      		BIOL  BC1501x  

Introduction to Cell and Molecular Biology (was BC2001y)

      		BIOL BC1502y  
Introductory Lab in Cell and Molecular Biology (was BC2004y) BIOL BC1503y  

A lecture course in Ecology : Ecology, BC2272 or Applied Ecology and Evolution, BC3380, or other Ecology course.

    
Laboratory in Ecology (was BC3373y) BIOL BC2873y  
An Upper Level Course in Organismal Biology:    
Plant Evolution and Diversity (was BC3240x)
 BIOL BC2240  
or Invertebrate Biology (was Invertebrate Zoology, BC3250)
 BIOL BC2250  
or Vertebrate Biology (was Vertebrate Zoology, BC3260)
 BIOL BC2262y  

or Microbiology

 BIOL BC3320x  

One additional lecture course in Biology (not listed above), for example, Genetics, BC3200.  Other Organismal courses may be substituted with the prior permission of the advisor.

    
Part B, Environmental Science    
Earth's Environmental Systems: Climate + lab EESC V2100x,y  
Earth's Environmental Systems: Solid Earth + lab EESC V2200x, y  
One of the following courses in methodology:    
Field Methods
 EESC BC3014x  
or Environmental Measurements
 EESC BC3016y  
or Global Assessment Remote Sensing
 EESC NO356x  
or GIS-Remote Sensing, Environmental Infrastructure Management
 EAEE E4009x,y  
One additional lecture course in Environmental Science, for example Ecotoxicology, Case Studies in Land-use Dynamics, Forests and Environmental Change, Hydrology.    
Part C, Chemistry    
Preferred: General Chemistry I with lab CHEM BC2001x  
Preferred: Organic Chemistry I CHEM BC3230y  

+ Organic laboratory

 CHEM BC3328y  
Part D, Data Handling    
Research Design and Analysis (was BIOL BC3386) BIOL BC2286  
or Data Analysis
 EESC BC3017  
or Statistics for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (offered alternate years)
 EEEB W3020  
Part E, Senior Thesis (completed with a Biology or Environmental Science seminar course)
    
Senior Seminar in Biology BIOL BC3590  
or Senior Thesis Research and Seminar BIOL BC3593 x, BIOL BC3594y  
or Senior Research Seminar (fall and spring) EESC BC3800x, EESC BC3801y