About the Certificate in Conservation Ecology

Students enrolled in any graduate degree program in the University of Georgia may apply to the Graduate Certificate Program in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development. This program is designed for students who wish to develop an area of specialty that complements their primary degree program.

Students who earn this certificate will receive interdisciplinary preparation to handle the unique, multi-disciplinary problems associated with conservation ecology and sustainability. Students in the natural sciences will gain a social science perspective in their understanding of the ecology of development, and students in the social sciences will learn ecological principles so that their decisions can be grounded in biological fact.

Applicants to the program should meet with the Graduate Program Advisor, Julie Gunby, in the Ecology Graduate Programs Office, Room 19, Ecology Building. The GPA will admit you to the certificate program.  Applications may be approved at any time – there is no deadline.

Course Requirements

The course and credit requirements are the same as for the Master’s Degree in Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development except that a thesis is not required. The Graduate Certificate Program requires a student to complete at least 20 hours of credit. The program of study must include 3 core courses (10 credits):

• ECOL 6080	Principles of Conservation and Sustainable Development I	(4 hours)
  ECOL 8710	Environmental Practicum	(4 hours)
  ECOL 8400	Perspectives on Conservation Ecology and Sustainable Development	(2 hours)

The remaining 10 credit hours will be made up of electives selected from a list of approved courses, which is available here.

Requests for approval of alternative courses may be made to the Graduate Program Advisor, Julie Gunby.  One or more of these approved courses may jointly fulfill the requirements in the student’s major program of study.  The graduate student and their major advisor in the student’s academic department plan the program of study to fulfill the requirements of the certificate program.  Upon completion of the requirements, the student should speak with the Graduate Program Advisor to ensure that the certificate will appear on their transcript.