Graduate students in the Odum School are part of a community of engaged and committed scholars exploring fundamental—and pressing—basic and applied questions in ecology.  The Odum School offers doctoral, master’s, and certificate programs that provide students with options for in-depth disciplinary training in ecology as well as broad interdisciplinary study in allied disciplines.  Our degree programs offer tremendous flexibility to allow students to define a program that best facilitates their professional development.

At Odum our students have access to all the resources of a major research university, including world-class facilities and faculty in ecology and other units, including the Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources, College of Veterinary Medicine, Savannah River Ecology Laboratory, College of Engineering, and Departments of Plant Biology, Environmental Health Science, Genetics, Crop and Soil Sciences, and Entomology. UGA offers expertise in research groups and centers including: the Center for the Ecology of Infectious Diseases, the River Basin Center, Institute for Bioinformatics, and the Institute for Resilient Infrastructure.  Our faculty have research expertise that spans biological levels of organization (from the cell to biosphere) and various spatial scales (e.g., local interactions between mycorrhizae and tree roots to global carbon and nitrogen dynamics), with major areas of strength in aquatic and watershed ecology, conservation ecology, infectious disease ecology, ecosystem ecology and biogeochemistry, and evolutionary ecology and biogeography.

Careers after the Program

Our graduate programs have attracted outstanding students and produced exceptionally talented ecologists and environmental scientists, many of whom are now leaders in their fields.  Alumni of our PhD programs include college and university faculty and administrators, environmental consultants, policy analysts, conservation directors, nonprofit executives, and scientists and decision-makers in government agencies. Graduates of our MS programs have obtained positions with government agencies working at the global, national and local levels, including USAID, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and the National Park Service, as well as nongovernmental organizations such as The Nature Conservancy. Many have used our MS programs as a portal to Ph.D. or other advanced degree programs (such as a JD).

We offer two Ph.D. programs and one M.S. program (although the M.S. program provides several options), as well as several certificate programs. Our programs are designed to be flexible and to accommodate a wide range of career aspirations.

PhD in Integrative Conservation and Ecology (ICON)

The PhD in Integrative Conservation and Ecology (ICON) is designed to provide disciplinary depth in ecology while also facilitating collaboration with other disciplines and fields of practice to seek integrative solutions to complex conservation challenges.

M.S. in Ecology (non-thesis option)

The non-thesis option for the M.S. in Ecology replaces the thesis with additional quantitative and conceptual training in ecology for students pursuing a non-research based career path (e.g., focused on management, education, or law).

MS in Ecology (Double Dawgs)

Double Dawgs is a “4+1” program in which UGA undergraduate initiate graduate studies in their senior year and complete a MS with one additional year of coursework and research. Double Dawgs students must be admitted to the “pathway” at the start of their junior year and must be subsequently accepted into the MS program during their senior year.