In the interest of gaining familiarity with the full range of whole-organism biology, EEB requires that all students take at least one course in each of these three areas: 
        1) Ecology and Conservation 
        2) Evolution and Genetics
         3) Behavior and Physiology
We also recommend that our students take at least one upper-level lab course. Since we accept all Molecular Biology courses as departmentals, genetics and lab courses from their offerings should be seriously considered.
    The biological sciences are increasingly important in formulating and implementing policies relating to conservation, disease control, reproductive planning, and the ethics of science. For this reason we encourage our students to take an approved policy course; we will count one policy course as a departmental.
   We suggest to our students, if their schedules permit, that they should take three departmentals in the fall of junior year—one in each area of the department. This breadth of experience enables our students to discover their area of special interest before needing to choose an advisor for the spring term. Most students take EEB 309 (Evolution and Genetics), EEB 311/313 (Animal Behavior/Behavioral Ecology, which alternate years with each another), and EEB 321 (Introduction to Population and Community Ecology).
   We encourage our students to design a program that suits their interests and needs, so long as it meets our basic guidelines. The extensive list of cognates represents preapproved courses from other departments; proposals for one-time approval of 300- and 400-level courses directly relevant to a student’s interests should be directed to the Departmental Representative.