Ecology and evolutionary biology is the study of how organisms interact with their environments and how species change and diversify over time through evolutionary processes. This field combines genetics, physiology, behavior, and ecosystem science to understand the complexity of life and address pressing conservation and environmental challenges.

One of the following two courses is required to be taken in the Fall or Spring of Senior year: 

-EBIO 5970 is 3 credits and satisfies the writing-intensive requirement.
-EBIO 5971 is 2 credits and does not satisfy the writing intensive requirement.  

Students attend departmental research seminars and meet separately to discuss them as contemporary topics in ecology and evolutionary biology. Career development is also considered in the course.  

-Two semesters of Mathematics: A minimum of 6 credits of mathematics is required for the Bachelor's degree. Any two Mathematics courses numbered 1210 and above may be used to satisfy this requirement. However, the combination of MATH 1150 and MATH 1160 (Long Calculus) may count as one course towards this requirement.
-Two semesters of General Chemistry with labs (CHEM 1070/1075, 1080/1085 or H1090/H1095, H1100/H1105)
-One semester of Organic Chemistry with lab may be counted as a lab elective in the major. If it is counted, then no other courses outside the department can be used as elective courses.
-Courses in Statistics and Physics are highly recommended but not required.

Only one course from this list may count toward the major in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology (EEBI). These courses may not be used to satisfy requirements of the major in Environmental Biology (ENVB).

Anthropology
ANTH 3140 – Primate Behavior and Ecology
ANTH 3720 – Adaptation and Human Variability
ANTH 6500 – Human Evolution

Cell and Molecular Biology
CELL 3750 – Cell Biology
CELL 3755 – Cell Biology Laboratory
CELL 3030 – Molecular Biology
CELL 3035 – Molecular Biology Laboratory
CELL 4010 – Cellular Biochemistry
CELL 4110 – Cells and Tissues
CELL 4160 – Developmental Biology
CELL 4220 – Microbiology
CELL 4225 – Microbiology Laboratory

Chemistry
CHEM 2500 – Environmental Chemistry
CHEM 3830 – Introduction to Biochemistry
CHEM 3835 – Introduction to Biochemistry Laboratory
Other Courses
SCEN 4110/GBCH 6110 - Basic Medical Biochemistry

EBIO and ENVB degree tracks:

One elective course from outside the EEB major/department can count

*ENVB Options:
CHEM2500 Environmental Chemistry
ECON3330 Environmental & Natural Resources
EVST3310 Approaches to Environmental Studies
EVST3950 Special Topics Environmental Thought
POLI4620 Global Environmental Politics
SOCI2600 Environmental Sociology
EBIO 4-credit lab

** ENVB Options
EENS2120 Climate and Extinction w/lab
EENS Environmental Geochemistry
RSCE 6800 Intro to River Science and Engineering
RCSE6802 Intro to Coastal Science & Engineering
RCSE6810 River and Stream Restoration
EBIO 4-credit lab

EEB Degree Policies for undergraduate students

YOU, the student, are ultimately responsible for regularly reviewing and understanding your degree audit. Your advisors provide guidance but do not over-ride the audit. If you have uncertainty about a requirement or course plan, it is your responsibility to ensure that any changes or course modifications still meet the requirements for your degree according to your audit.

• All ENVB/EEBI majors and minors must meet with a major advisor in the EBIO department. We recommend that you meet with your major advisor at least once a semester. You MUST complete this template in order to be certified for graduation.
• Your major advisor can help you with EBIO related questions and the ENVB/EEBI curricula. Your major advisor is NOT responsible for answering questions or advising you on majors or minors in other departments. You should have an academic advisor and a major advisor from each department in which you are seeking a degree or certificate.
• You may earn major credit for EBIO1020 Mechanisms of Life OR CELL1010 Inro to Cell but not both.
• You may earn major credit for either EBIO2070 Genetics OR CELL2050 Genetics+QPE but not both.
• A course that counts for lecture elective credit = 3 credits.
• A course that counts for lab credit = 4 credits.
• For the EEBI major, only one elective lecture or lab credit may be earned outside of the major/department to satisfy requirement 12. For the ENVB major, see the list of approved courses outside of the major for requirements 10 and 11. Requirement 14 must be satisfied within the major/department. The req. numbers may change; see opposite side of this page.
• Requests to transfer credits from other biology departments while studying abroad should be submitted for approval by the EBIO department through Dr. Renata Ribeiro (rduraes@tulane.edu) BEFORE travelling. You can earn credit for one lecture and lab elective at another institution.
• If you are completing a Marine Biology minor and an ENVB/EEBI major there can be NO overlap in elective courses between the degrees. Contact Dr. Jaymes Awbrey (jawbrey@tulane.edu) for more information about the Marine Biology minor.
• You can complete an EEBI minor OR an ENVB/EEBI major but not both. For more information about the EBIO minor contact Dr. Jelagat Cheruiyot (dcheruiyot@tulane.edu). No courses counting towards one minor will count towards a second minor or certificate.
• Students who choose to pursue a double major need to fulfill requirements for both majors AND also take enough courses to have 18 non-overlapping courses.
• A student who would like to request an exception to the ENVB/EEBI degree audit must submit a petition to the EEB curriculum committee for review. Send your specific request about the courses involved and the justification for your request to Dr. Donata Henry (donata@tulane.edu) and cc your academic advisor.

Suggested timeline for Ecology and Evolutionary Biology majors

Freshman Fall
EBIO1010/1015 Diversity of Life (pre-req)
CHEM1070 Gen Chem I
MATH Calc I

Freshman Spring
EBIO2020 Theory and Methods (pre-req)
EBIO1020 Mechanisms of Life or CELL1010 Intro to Cell (pre-req)
CHEM1080 Gen Chem II

Sophomore Fall
EBIO3040/3045 Ecology (fall only)
EBIO2070 Genetics with recitation OR CELL2050 Genetics + QPE

Sophomore Spring
EBIO3080 Evolution (spring only)
EBIO lab elective I
 
Junior Fall
EBIO lecture elective I
EBIO lab elective OR CHEM Orgo I

Junior Spring
EBIO lecture elective II
MATH stats for sci (or any second MATH)

Senior Fall
EBIO lecture elective III
EBIO5970 (WI) or 5971 Senior Capstone (either semester)

Senior Spring
EBIO lab elective II

If you are ready to declare a major in EEB, please fill out this form and submit it to the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology. The form will be signed and returned to you, and you can send it along to NTC Advising. Please note that it is your responsibility to send this form to your NTC advisor.

If your major advisor does not reach out, you may want to contact them to introduce yourself or to set up a meeting.

Major Declaration Form

The Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology may approve transfer of credit for courses taken outside of Tulane if certain criteria are met, specific supporting documentation is provided and the request is approved by the Academic Advising Center.

To have your request reviewed for possible transfer credit in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, you must meet the following criteria:

-The course must be taught in an accredited college or university.
-The course must be comparable in content to the Tulane course to be given equivalency to a Tulane course.
-Summer laboratory courses must be at least 5 weeks in length for credit.
-We do not give course credit for internships not coordinated by Tulane University.

The following materials must be provided when requesting approval:

-Properly completed Transfer of Credit Form from the Academic Advising Center.
-Course description from the course catalog or summer school bulletin.
-Syllabus for the course.
-List of exercises and/or experiments done in the labs.

The Transfer of Credit Form must be turned in to the EBB main office:

-Students can obtain the Transfer of Credit Form from the Academic Advising Center. For more information, visit the Academic Advising Center's website.
-When the form is completed and signed by the Academic Advising Center, students should bring it to the Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology office, 400 Lindy Boggs, along with the required supporting documentation.
-The EEB Department will review the request and determine if the transfer of credit can be approved.

Transfer of Credits from Study Abroad Programs:

-The EBIO department encourages students to study abroad but doing so requires planning. If you are considering studying abroad, follow the steps outlined in this document, preferably in the order they are presented. If you have any questions, contact Dr. Renata Ribeiro (rduraes@tulane.edu).

Any qualified sophomore, junior or senior may apply to be an Undergraduate Fellow in the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Scholars Program. Students who have declared a major in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, have a cumulative GPA of 3.0 or greater, and a 3.5 or greater GPA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology may apply to become an Undergraduate Fellow. Applications should be submitted by April 1st for consideration for fellowships the following academic year. A limited number of students will be admitted to the program, therefore, admission is competitive.

As an Undergraduate Fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, students will join a cadre of leaders among Ecology and Evolutionary Biology majors by participating in undergraduate teaching as peer teachers. The peer-teaching program involves serving as a laboratory aid in freshman courses under the supervision of the department’s Laboratory Supervisor and a Laboratory Instructor during the junior and senior years. Peer teaching is an extremely valuable educational experience, providing the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology scholars with an in-depth understanding of ecology and evolutionary biology and experience in working effectively in groups.

Fellowships are honorary awards which are renewable each semester and provide each Undergraduate Fellow with a small supplemental income (honorarium) of $400 each semester in their first (usually junior) year and $500 each semester in the second (usually senior) year as long as the scholar meets all of the peer teaching responsibilities and maintains a cumulative 3.0 GPA and a 3.5 GPA in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology as a major in good standing at Tulane. The teaching responsibilities include attendance of the laboratory training and preparation meeting on Monday morning and assisting in one laboratory each week. The time of the laboratory section will be arranged with the Laboratory Supervisor. The total time commitment is about four to five hours per week.

Students interested in applying to become an Undergraduate Fellow in the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology should complete the application form and submit it to the department office, 400 Boggs, by April 1st. The statement of interest in the program, background in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, and description of the impact the fellowship would have on the undergraduate educational experience are very important. Fellowship awards will be made based on academic qualifications as well as interest and anticipated educational benefits. Please keep in mind that Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Undergraduate Fellowships may be awarded in addition to other scholarship awards, and that they do require a time commitment (training/preparation and one lab each week) to participate in the peer-teaching program.

Download the EEB Undergraduate Fellow's Program application