Advising
Internship/Field Experience
Requirements for the Major
Honors Program
I. Core Required Courses
II. Species and Field Biology
III. Other Electives
445 Henry Mall, Room 118, Madison, WI 53706-1574; 608/262-9690; BAC@icbe.wisc.edu; www.biology.wisc.edu/academic_programs/BAC
Committee of Advisors: Professors Dodson (Zoology), Givnish (Botany), Ives (Zoology), Jeanne (Entomology), Lindroth (Entomology), Strier (Anthropology), Waller (Botany), Young (Entomology), Zedler (Botany/Environmental Studies)
The major in biological aspects of conservation (BAC) is designed to provide students broad training in biological and related disciplines most relevant to conservation. The program emphasizes basic knowledge of natural history, whole organism biology, ecological interactions, and conservation biology. Aldo Leopold and Norman Fassett first initiated this major in the 1940s to prepare individuals for careers as game wardens, ranger naturalists, and museum workers. These opportunities continue and have expanded to include work in environmental education; forest, game, and park management; endangered species research and recovery efforts; and work with private conservation organizations. The major is also recommended for those seeking a liberal education in the intrinsic values of natural resources and those preparing for graduate study in the rapidly developing field of conservation biology (e.g., the M.S. Program in Conservation Biology and Sustainable Development).
Because the program allows considerable flexibility, joint majors and the environmental studies certificate are practical and encouraged. To ensure a coherent and customized program, prospective majors are asked to consult an advisor as early as possible. Students contemplating graduate work in a biological discipline are advised to take Biology/Botany/Zoology 151 &152; Botany/Forest/Zoology 460 General Ecology; and Anthro/Botany/Zoology 410 Evolutionary Biology. Such students are also encouraged to take Chem 103-104 or 109; general physics; Math 211 or 221; a statistics course such as 371, or 571; and Botany/Genetics/Zoology 466 General Genetics.
For help with general college requirements, contact L&S Student Academic Affairs (70 Bascom Hall, 262-2644). To declare the BAC major, students are invited to go to 445 Henry Mall, Room 118 (262-9690) to fill out a major declaration form and be assigned a BAC faculty advisor to help them select courses and chart a career path.
Students in the BAC major should try to obtain at least one summer of practical field experience by working in conservation or by taking course work at a biological field station. Volunteer or paid internships are available at many state and national parks and forests, state departments of natural resources, and private conservation organizations (e.g., The Nature Conservancy). Students who wish to obtain academic credit for such an experience should arrange in advance to take a Directed Study course (see III. Other Electives) during or immediately after the internship. A maximum of 10 credits of directed study (698, 699), senior honors thesis (681, 682), senior thesis (691, 692), or internships (Wl Ecol 399, Zoology 677) will count toward the major.
BAC Majors must take at least 50 credits in the major. At least 3 of these credits must be social science taken from elective (III) courses. In addition, students must satisfy the college B.A. or B.S. requirements.
The BAC honors curriculum requires: (1) 16 honors credits in the major; (2) 6 to 8 credits of Senior Honors Thesis, 681/682 (Botany, Zoology, Environmental Studies, or other appropriate department with approval of BAC faculty) OR 6 credits of graduate seminars in appropriate departments (600 or higher, with approval of BAC faculty). Honors students must earn a 3.3 overall cumulative GPA in all courses taken at UW-Madison at the time of graduation.
Biology/Botany/Zoology 151-152 Introductory Biology, 10 cr (recommended)
or at least 10 cr from Biocore/Biology 301, 302, 303, 304, 323, or 324
or Biology/Botany 130 General Botany and Biology/Zoology 101-102 Animal Biology, 10 cr
Chem 103 General Chemistry, 4 cr (for those who might take more chemistry)
or Chem 108 General Chemistry, 5 cr
or Chem 109 Advanced General Chemistry, 5 cr (for those who might take more chemistry)
Atm Ocn/Geol 105 Survey of Oceanography, 3-4 cr
or Envir St/Geol 106 Environmental Geology, 3 cr
or Envir St/Geog 120 Global Physical Environments, 3 cr
or Envir St/Geog 127 Physical Systems of the Environment, 5 cr
or Geol 100 General Geology, 3 cr
or Geol 107 Life of the Past, 3 cr
Students are required to take courses from at least two of the following three areas and are encouraged to take courses in all three areas:
1. Ecology
Botany/Forest/Zoology 460 General Ecology, 4 cr
2. Evolution
Geol 110 Evolution and Extinction, 3 cr or Anthro/Botany/Zoology 410 Evolutionary Biology, 3 cr
3. Extinction
Envir St/Wl Ecol/Zoology 360 Extinction of Species, 3 cr
Choose at least 12 credits from among the following courses:
Agronomy/Botany/Soil Sci 375/575 Grasslands Ecology, 3 cr
AHABS/MM&I/Zoology 350 Parasitology, 3 cr
AHABS/MM&I/Zoology 351 Parasitology Laboratory, 2 cr
AHABS/Entom/Zoology 371 Medical Entomology, 3 cr
AHABS/Wl Ecol 548 Diseases of Wildlife, 3 cr
Anthro 391 Bones for the Archaeologist, 3 cr
Anthro 458 Primate Behavioral Ecology, 3 cr
Anthro 668 Primate Conservation, 3 cr
Botany 330 Algae, 3 cr
Botany/Pl Path 332 Fungi, 4 cr
Botany 400 Plant Systematics, 4 cr
Botany 401 Vascular Flora of Wisconsin, 4 cr
Botany/Forest 402 Dendrology, 2 cr
Botany 403 Field Collections and Identification, 1-4 cr
Botany 422 Plant Geography, 3 cr
Botany 430 Tropical Plant Diversity, 3 cr
Botany/Forest 455 Vegetation of Wisconsin, 4 cr
Botany/Zoology 459 Ecological Field Techniques, 1-2 cr
Botany/Entom/Zoology 473 Plant-Insect Interactions, 3 cr
Botany/Zoology 639 Capstone Course in Field Biology I, 4 cr
Botany/Zoology 640 Capstone Course in Field Biology II, 4 cr
Entom/Zoology 302 Introduction to Entomology, 4 cr
Entom 331 Taxonomy of Mature Insects, 4 cr
Entom 342 Insect Ecology, 3 cr
Entom 432 Taxonomy and Bionomics of Immature Insects, 4 cr
Entom 468 Studies in Field Entomology, 3 cr
Entom/Zoology 530 Insect Behavior, 3 cr
Envir St/Zoology 315 Limnology: Conservation of Aquatic Resources, 2 cr
Envir St 375 Field Ecology Workshop, 3 cr
Envir St/Zoology 510 Ecology of Fishes, 3 cr
Envir St/Zoology 511 Ecology of Fishes Laboratory, 2 cr
Geology 333 The Age of Dinosaurs, 3 cr
Geology 540 Invertebrate Paleontology, 3 cr
Geology 541 Paleobiology, 3 cr
Geology 544 Evolution of the Vertebrates, 2 cr
Hort 370 World Vegetable Crops, 3 cr
Microbio 303 Procaryotic Microbiology, 3 cr
Microbio 304 Procaryotic Microbiology Laboratory, 2 cr
Microbio/Soil Sci 425 Environmental Microbiology, 3 cr
Psych* 449 Animal Behavior, 3 cr
Psych 450 Animal Behavior- The Primates, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 301 Terrestrial Vertebrates: Life History and Ecology, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 318 Principles of Wildlife Ecology, 2 cr
Wl Ecol 401 Physiological Animal Ecology, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 655 Animal Population Dynamics, 3 cr
Zoology 316 Limnology Lab: Conservation of Aquatic Resources, 2 cr
Zoology* 425 Evolution of Behavior, 3 cr
Zoology 430 Comparative Anatomy of Vertebrates, 5 cr
Zoology 520 Ornithology, 2 cr
Zoology 521 Field Ornithology, 2 cr
*Students may not receive credit for both Zoology 425 and Psych 449 in the BAC program
To fulfill the 50 credit requirement, students may take additional courses in categories I or II or choose any of the additional courses listed here. At least 3 of these credits must be social science taken from elective (III) courses.
*AAE 215 Introduction to Agricultural and Applied Economics, 3 cr
*AAE/Envir St 344 Environment and Global Economy, 3 cr
Agronomy/Entom/M&EnvTox/Wl Ecol 630 Ecotoxicology: Toxicant Effects on Ecosystems, 3 cr
AHABS/Entom/M&EnvTox/Pl Path/Soil Sci/Wl Ecol 606 Colloquium in Environmental Toxicology, 1 cr
Anthro 658 Ecological Models of Behavior, 3 cr
Atm Ocn 100 Weather and Climate, 3 cr
Atm Ocn 101 Weather and Climate, 4 cr
Atm Ocn/Envir St/Geog 121 Atmospheric Environment and Society, 2 cr
Atm Ocn/Envir St 171 Global Change: Atmospheric Issues and Problems, 2 cr
Atm Ocn/Envir St/Physics 472 Scientific Background to Global Environmental Problems, 3 cr
Biocore 333 Biological Interactions, 3 cr
Botany/Pl Path 123 Plants, Parasites, People, 3 cr
Botany/Zoology/Genetics 160 Heredity, 3 cr
Botany/Zoology 260 Introductory Ecology, 3 cr
Botany 300 Plant Anatomy, 4 cr
Botany 305 Principles of Plant Structure, 4 cr
Botany/Zoology 450 Midwest Ecological Issues, 2 cr
Botany/Envir St/ forest 461 Environmental Systems Concepts, 3 cr
Botany/Envir St 463 Environmental Studies in UNESCO: Studies in Biosphere Reserves of the World, 1 cr
BotanyGenetics/Zoology 466 General Genetics, 3 cr
Botany 468 Patterns in Biological Design: Introduction to Systems Biology, 3 cr
Botany/Entom/Pl Path 505 Plant-Microbe Interactions: Molecular and Ecological Aspects, 3 cr
Botany/Envir St/Wl Ecol/Zoology 651 Conservation Biology, 3 cr
Botany 681 Senior Honors Thesis, 3 cr
Botany 682 Senior Honors Thesis, 3 cr
Botany 691 Senior Thesis, 2-3 cr
Botany 692 Senior Thesis, 2-3 cr
Botany 699 Directed Studies, 1-4 cr
*Econ 101 Microeconomics, 3-4 cr
*Econ 111 Principles of Economics- Accelerated Treatment, 4 cr
Entom/Zoology 540 Theoretical Ecology, 2-3 cr
Entom 699 Directed Study, 1-4 cr
Envir St 126 Principles of Environmental Science, 4 cr
*Envir St/Geog 139 Resources and People, 3 cr
Envir St/Geog/Soil Sci 230 Soil: Ecosystem and Resource, 3 cr
Envir St 307 Literature of the Environment: Speaking for Nature, 3 cr
Envir St/Soil Sci 324 Soils and Environmental Quality, 3 cr
*Envir St/Geog 339 Environmental Conservation, 4 cr
Envir St/Land Arc 361 Wetlands Ecology, 3 cr
*Envir St/M&Envtox/Pl Path 368 Environmental Law, Toxic Substances and Conservation, 2 cr
Envir St/Geog 377 Introduction to Geographic Information and Systems, 4 cr
*Envir St/Geog/Rur Soc 434 People, Wildlife, and Landscapes, 3 cr
*Envir St/Philos 441 Environmental Ethics, 4 cr
*Envir St/Econ/Poli Sci/Urb R Pl 449 Government and Natural Resources, 4 cr
*Envir St/Geog/History 460 American Environmental History, 4 cr
Envir St/Pop Hlth 471 Introduction to Environmental Health, 3 cr
*Envir St/Forest/Wl Ecol 515 Renewable Resources Policy, 3 cr
Envir St/Geog 537 Culture and Environment, 4 cr
Envir St/Soil Sci 575 Assessment of Environmental Impact, 3 cr
Envir St 699 Directed Studies, 1-4 cr
*Forest/Rur Soc/Soc 248 Environment, Natural Resources, and Community, 3 cr
Forest 410 Principles of Silviculture, 3-4 cr
Forest 450 Communities and Forests, 3 cr
Forest 550 Forest Ecology, 3 cr
Forest/Land Arc/Zoology 565 Principles of Landscape Ecology, 2 cr
Forestry/Hort/ Stat 571 Statistical Methods for Bioscience I, 4 cr
Forest 699 Directed Study, 1-4 cr
*Geog 303 The Human Role in Changing the Face of the Earth, 3 cr
Geog/Geology 320 Geomorphology, 3 cr
*Geog 338 Stability and Change, 3 cr
*Geog 344 The American West, 3 cr
Geog/Geology 420 Glacial and Pleistocene Geology, 3 cr
Geology 456 Geologic Field Methods, 2 cr
Geog 535 Environmental Geography and Conservation in Developing Countries, 3 cr
*Geog 536 American Wilderness: Perception and Preservation, 2 cr
*Geog 538 The Humid Tropics: Ecology, Subsistence, and Development, 4 cr
Geology/GLE 627 Hydrogeology, 3-4 cr
Microbio 101 General Microbiology, 3 cr
Microbio 102 General Microbiology Laboratory, 2 cr
Psych 556 Hormones and Behavior, 3 cr
*Rur Soc/Soc 140 Introduction to Rural Sociology, 3 cr
Soil Sci 301 General Soil Science, 4 cr
Stat 371 Introductory Applied Statistics for the Life Sciences, 3 cr
Stat 572 Statistical Methods for Bioscience II, 4 cr
Wl Ecol/Zoology 335 Human/Animal Relationships: Biological and Philosophical Issues, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 379 Principles of Wildlife Management, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 561 Wildlife Management Techniques, 3 cr
Wl Ecol 699 Directed Study, 1-4 cr
Zoology 532 Sociobiology/Social Ethology, 3 cr
Zoology 535 Ecosystem Analysis, 3 cr
Zoology 677 Internship in Ecology, 2 cr
Zoology 680 Honors Seminar, 1 cr
Zoology 681 Senior Honors Thesis, 1-6 cr
Zoology 682 Senior Honors Thesis, 1-4 cr
Zoology 691 Senior Thesis, 1-6 cr
Zoology 692 Senior Thesis, 1-4 cr
Zoology 699 Directed Study, 1-6 cr
* Social Science Courses