Program Revision Guidelines
EASTERN MICHIGAN UNIVERSITY
DIVISION OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
OUTLINE FOR SUBMITTING PROPOSALS TO REVISE PROGRAMS
Use this outline to prepare proposals to revise existing programs, including undergraduate majors and minors and
graduate degree programs and certificates. Proposals for revising programs should be submitted in narrative form,
using the following outline. Guidelines are on the following page.
PROGRAM NAME AND SUBJECT CODE: ECOLOGY & ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY (EOBI)
REVISED PROGRAM NAME AND SUBJECT CODE: ECOLOGY, EVOLUTION & ORGANISMAL BIOLOGY (EEOB)
DEGREE:
MASTER OF SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT(S)/SCHOOL(S): BIOLOGY
CONTACT: DR. MARIANNE LAPORTE PHONE:
REQUESTED START DATE: TERM
WINTER
COLLEGE(S): ARTS & SCIENCES
7-4242
EMAIL: MLAPORTE@EMICH.EDU
YEAR 2013
I. Rationale
Required courses.
Requiring all students to take a graduate course in Evolutionary Biology ensures that each student completing the
program will have a solid understanding of the most fundamental principle in biology, evolution. While each of the
restricted electives includes evolutionary content, we feel the need to make the evolutionary underpinnings of the
program more explicit, both in the course requirements and the name of the program.
Restricted elective courses.
During Program Review we identified a need to clarify and describe the roles of methods or process-based ecology
courses and organism-centered courses in the graduate curriculum in “Ecology, Evolution and Organismal Biology.”
The specification of two sets of restricted electives in separate “Process” and “Organismal” categories provides
matriculating students with improved guidance and graduating students with a solid foundation that includes courses in
both advanced, process-based areas and in organismal diversity and classification areas. The proposed change clarifies
the roles of the listed courses. The proposed distribution of elective courses allows the student to focus more closely on
a particular type of organism (e.g., plants) or ecosystem (e.g., freshwater lakes), while insuring that nonthesis students
will be exposed to a greater diversity of organisms outside the classroom. We have added some new courses that
correspond to areas of faculty expertise (e.g. Behavioral Ecology) and added graduate level versions of some of our
courses that were previously 400-level courses approved for graduate credit (e.g. Biogeography and Comparative
Anatomy). The increased course offerings will allow us to relieve existing bottlenecks in the program.
Format.
The current program does not enumerate admission requirements but refers students to our General Biology program
for more information. The electronic catalog allows us to list full requirements for each program. We have changed the
admission requirements for the EEOB program to match the changes we are making in the General Biology program.
The rationale for the proposed changes to those requirements is given in the General Biology program revision
paperwork.
II. Description of Current Program with III. Proposed Revisions Indicated in Red
The master of science in ecology, evolution, and organismal biology program prepares students for research and
teaching careers in such fields as aquatic ecology, terrestrial ecology, evolutionary biology, behavioral ecology and
physiological ecology. It provides background for students entering doctoral programs in diverse areas of plant, animal
and microbial ecology. It also prepares research personnel for careers with government agencies or private companies
concerned with the protection or management of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. The program stresses the
development of research skills, taxonomic expertise, field and laboratory methods and their application to both
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theoretical and applied ecology.
Admission Requirements
1. A bachelor’s degree from an accredited institution;
2. At least 20 hours in biology, with a courses in genetics and physiology;
3. One year of general chemistry;
4. One year of organic chemistry, or one semester of organic chemistry and one semester of biochemistry;
5. One year of basic physics; One semester of physics, including electricity and light;
6. One semester of calculus or statistics;
7. An academic record of B (3.0) or better during the junior and senior years;
8. Submission to the Office of Graduate Admissions of a completed departmental admission form, two letters of
recommendation and a personal statement;
9. Submission to the Office of Graduate Admissions scores from the Graduate Record Examinations (GRE) general
test (subject test not required); and
10. Meeting the admission requirements of the Graduate School.
Conditional Admission
Students deficient in a requirement for admission to any of the programs may be granted conditional admission,
subject to removal of the deficiency, while beginning graduate study. Hours earned in making up deficiencies are in
addition to those normally required for the degree.
Degree Requirements
At least 30 hours of approved graduate-level work is required, including a minimum of 24 hours within the
Department of Biology. To ensure scheduling of appropriate research experiences, internships and specialized course
work, students must, by the end of their first semester, formulate a specific program of study in consultation with their
faculty guidance committee. After approval, this program is kept on file by the graduate coordinator and may not be
changed without written approval of the guidance committee.
In addition to the common requirements, students must opt for one of two alternative degree plans: thesis or non-thesis.
Thesis: This plan is most appropriate for students intending on a research career in biology. A candidate completes
an original investigation under the supervision of a guidance (thesis) committee. This research must be suitable for
publication, written in a form acceptable to the Graduate School and defended in an oral examination. The plan
requires a minimum of 30 credit hours including a minimum of six credit hours and a maximum of 10 credit hours in
research (thesis and independent study). A maximum of six hours may be earned in BIO 690/691/692 Thesis for thesis
research.
Non-thesis: This plan is most appropriate for students intending on a professional career that does not emphasize
research or for those interested in obtaining a broader understanding of biological theory. All students in this plan
must complete 34 credit hours of course work. All candidates are encouraged to include research or practical
experiences by enrolling for three hours in either Cooperative Education in Biology (BIO 595), Practicum (BIO
686/687/688) or Independent Study (BIO 697/698/699).
Advising
Upon admission to the biology program, students will receive initial advising from the graduate coordinator, the
principal adviser in their selected concentration, or the departmental graduate committee. Students are responsible for
forming a permanent guidance committee and developing a program of study approved by that committee before
registering for their second semester. After the first semester, if no program of study is on file, the guidance committee
is not obligated to include any unapproved courses taken as part of the student’s final program. The guidance
committee for Thesis students will include at least three faculty members from the Department of Biology. The student
usually selects the chair of the committee, and the other two members are chosen by the chair in consultation with the
student. Additional members of the committee may be added from inside or outside the department by agreement
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between the chair and the student.
The guidance committee for Non-thesis students will consist of the principal graduate adviser for the selected
concentration and the graduate coordinator. The graduate adviser, in consultation with the student, will prepare the
student’s program, which must be approved by the graduate coordinator. The student may select a third member of the
guidance committee from faculty within the Department of Biology.
Course Requirements:
This concentration in ecology and organismal biology requires a minimum of 30 credit hours for thesis students and 34
credit hours for nonthesis students. As many as six hours may be taken outside of the Department of Biology as
cognates. All courses in the program of study must be approved by the student’s guidance committee.
Required Courses: 5-11 8-14 hours
•
BIO 501 - Proposal Development in Biology 1 hr
•
BIO 502 - Seminar in Biology 1 hr
•
BIO 505 - Evolutionary Biology 3 hrs (new course proposal enclosed)
•
BIO 509 - Statistics for Biologists 3 hrs
Thesis students must select a minimum of six hours of research:
•
BIO 690 - Thesis 1 hr
•
BIO 691 - Thesis 2 hrs
•
BIO 692 - Thesis 3 hrs
•
BIO 697 - Independent Study 1 hr
•
BIO 698 - Independent Study 2 hrs
•
BIO 699 - Independent Study 3 hrs
Restricted Elective Courses: 8-14 12-21 hours
Thesis students must select a minimum of three and nonthesis students must select a minimum of five from the
following:
Ecology Process Courses (9-15 hours):
Thesis students must select a minimum of three and nonthesis students must select a minimum of five of the
following courses:
•
BIO 412 - Biogeography 3 hrs
•
BIO 510 - Limnology 3 hrs
•
BIO 511 - Animal Physiological Ecology 3 hrs
•
BIO 512 - Biogeography 3 hrs (new course proposal enclosed)
•
BIO 513 - Wetland Ecosystems 3 hrs
•
BIO 514 - Terrestrial Ecosystems 3 hrs
•
BIO 515 Microbial Ecology 3 hrs (new course proposal enclosed)
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•
BIO 516 Behavioral Ecology 3 hrs (new course proposal enclosed)
•
BIO 546 - Genome Analysis 3 hrs
•
BIO 557 - Aquatic Plants 3 hrs
•
BIO 588 - Biology of Arachnids 3 hrs
•
BIO 572 - Parasitology 3 hrs
Organismal Biology and Classification Courses (3-6 hours):
Thesis students must select at least one animal or one plant courses, whereas nonthesis students must select at
least one animal course and one plant course from the following list:
Animal Courses:
BIO 572 - Parasitology 3 hrs
BIO 580 - Natural History of Invertebrates 3 hrs
BIO 581 - Natural History of Vertebrates 3 hrs
BIO 582 - Ichthyology 3 hrs
BIO 583 - Mammalogy 3 hrs
BIO 584 - Herpetology 3 hrs
BIO 585 - Ornithology 3 hrs
BIO 586 - Entomology 3 hrs
BIO 588 - Biology of Arachnids 3 hrs
Plant Courses:
BIO 555 - Plant Evolution and Classification
BIO 556 - Freshwater Algae
BIO 557 - Aquatic Plants
BIO 558 - Trees and Shrubs
BIO 559 - Mycology (new course proposal attached)
Elective Courses: 11-15 0-10 hours
Elective courses to be selected in consultation with a graduate adviser. Non-thesis students must include a minimum of
two taxonomic field courses, as listed in the Graduate Catalog.
Cognate Courses: 0-6 hours
Up to six credit hours selected in consultation with graduate adviser.
Program Total: 30-34 hours
IV. Impact
No other Departments or Programs will be affected except possibly by the change in admission requirements as
described in the General Biology program revision.
V. Budget
There will be no budgetary impacts of the proposed changes.
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VI. Action of the Department/College
1. Department/School:
Vote of faculty:
For
14
Against 0
Abstentions
(Enter the number of votes cast in each category.)
I support this proposal. The proposed revision can
X
cannot
affected Department(s)/School(s) without additional College or University resources.
Department Head/School Director Signature
1
be implemented within the
Date
2. College/Graduate School:
A. College
I support this proposal. The proposed program can
affected College without additional University resources.
cannot
College Dean Signature
be implemented within the
Date
B. Graduate School (Graduate Program Revisions ONLY)
Graduate Dean Signature
Date
VII. Approval
Associate Vice-President for Academic Programming Signature
Date
VIII. Appendices
A. Market Analysis/Needs Assessment
B. Mandates
C. Request for New/Revised Course Forms
D. Letters of Support from Impacted Departments
E. Cost Analysis (Complete only if the revision cannot be implemented without additional University
resources. Fill in Estimated Resources for the sponsoring department(s). Attach separate estimates for other
affected departments.)
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