EEB Program Graduate Courses

The graduate course listings are sortable by Course, Title, Instructor and Semester. Click on the column header to sort.   If you are looking for Undergraduate Courses, click here.

 

Course	Title	Description/Comments	Instructor	Semester	Syllabus
ANSC 614	Maximum Likelihood Estimation of Genetics	Theoretical and analytical approaches to the application of maximum likelihood for the estimation of parameters under linear and nonlinear models; single and polygene genetic modles including Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, linkage analysis and quantitative trait loci detection	Gill	Fall
ANSC 689	Special Topics in Relational Databases for Biologists	--	Elsik	Varies
ANTH 601	Biological Anthropology	--	Varies	Fall
ANTH 609	Culture and Evolution	--	Alvard	Fall (odd years)
ANTH 625	Zooarchaeology	--	de Ruiter	Varies
ANTH 630	Human Evolutionary Ecology	--	Alvard	Varies
ANTH 631	Primate Behavioral Ecology	Survey of the behavioral ecology of the nonhuman primates exploring topics such as their hunting behavior, sexual coercion, language capabilities, culture, tool use, homosexuality, ethics and conservation status.	Gursky-Doyen	Varies
ANTH 689	Australopithecine Paleoecology	Course currently being upgraded from 689 to full course status	de Ruiter	Varies
BIOL 651	Bioinformatics	--	Xiong	Spring
BIOL 663	Biology of the Crustacea	Course discusses basic anatomy, development and physiology of crustaceans, followed by coverage of the living taxa by lineages. The laboratory includes exercises involving living animals in aquaria and preserved material., including a collection of over 17,000 specimens of marine crustaceans from the Gulf of Mexico and adjacent oceanic areas.	Wicksten	Fall 2009 / varies
BIOL 665	Biology of the Invertebrates	Course covers all living phyla of invertebrates, including anatomy, phylogeny, development, physiology and natural history. The laboratory includes exercises involving living animals in aquaria and terraria. Students will be expected to use keys to identify "unknowns" and complete exercises to acquaint them with the morphology and living behavior of the various taxa. Students have access to the invertebrate material of the Texas Cooperative Wildlife Collection as well as teaching material designated for more advanced students. Prerequisite is Invertebrate Zoology (BIOL 335) or equivalent, or consent of the instructor. This class can be "stacked" with ZOOL 335 in case a graduate student needs to take it during a semester in which it is not formally offered.	Wicksten	Varies
BIOL 689	Special Topics: Ecological and Evolutionary Applications in Studies of Parasites and Pathogens	Parasite ecology and evolution	Criscione	Spring
BIOL 689	Special Topics: Genes, Behavior, and Evolution	--	Carney/Rosenthal	Fall
BOTN 620	Field Systematic Botany	--	Manhart or Wilson	Spring (odd years)
ENTO 601	Principles of Systematic Entomology	An introduction to the principles and theory of systematic zoology and comparative biology including species concepts and speciation; methods for higher classification including phylogenetic systematics, phenetics, and evolutionary taxonomy; and an introduction to zoological nomenclature.	Woolley	Fall (odd years)
ENTO 606	Quantitative Phylogenetics	See GENE/ENTO/WFSC 606	Woolley	Fall
ENTO 621	Biology and Systematics of Entomophagous Insects	Systematics and biology of entomophagous insects at the family level; collecting and rearing parasitoids from their hosts; emphasis on groups used in biological control; emphasis on parasitic Hymenoptera	Wharton	Fall (even years)
ENTO 681	Insect-Plant Biology	Interactions between plants and insects and factors that influence reactions	Behmer/Eubanks	Spring
ENTO/GEOG 625	Landscape Ecology	Information about the course is posted at kelab.tamu.edu	Coulson	Fall
ESSM 600	Principles of Ecosystem Science and Management	This course reviews the principles of ecology that are fundamental to the development of sustainable land use systems, and examines contemporary land use practices and their ecological significance in the major ecosystems of the world. First, the importance of ecosystems and the services they provide to human society will be identified and discussed. Then, basic ecological principles critical to man's sustainable use of ecosystems will be reviewed. Emphasis is placed on ecosystem processes that also have significance at landscape, regional, and global scales. Finally, current land use practices and issues in forests, rangelands, croplands, and wetlands will be covered.	Boutton	Fall
ESSM 601	Current Issues in Ecosystem Science and Management. (2-0). Credit 2.	Define the social and scientific context for ecosystem science and management; evaluate current social, economic and environmental issues confronting forest, rangeland, wetland and riparian ecosystems and implications for ecosystem services, resource management, research and policy; develop professional communication skills. Prerequisites: Graduate classification.	Tjoelker	Spring
ESSM 605	The Research Process	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 610	Rangeland Resource Management	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 611	Grazing Management and Range Nutrition	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 612	Advances in Range Improvement Practices	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 615	Advanced Silviculture	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 616	Arboriculture	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 617	Urban Forestry	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 620	Plant and Range Ecology	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 621	Physiological Plant Ecology		TBA	TBA
ESSM 622	Biogeochemistry of Terrestrial Ecosystems	This course provides a framework for understanding biogeochemical cycles, their significance at both global and ecosystem levels of organization, and their contemporary relevance to ecosystem science and management. The cycles of carbon, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus are emphasized due to their significance in the earth-atmosphere-biosphere system. Ecosystem-level processes are studied in forest, grassland, and agricultural ecosystems. Because many of our current environmental problems are manifestations of disturbed biogeochemical cycles, this course is fundamental to understanding environmental issues such as global climate change, changes in atmospheric composition, land cover/land use changes, carbon sequestration, nitrogen saturation, acid precipitation, nonpoint-source pollution, and water quality. This course is of interest to graduate students in ecology, soil science, geosciences, hydrology, atmospheric sciences, agricultural sciences, and environmental engineering.	Boutton	Spring
ESSM 624	Terrestrial Ecosystems and Global Change	Credit 3. Identify the physical and biological principles governing the structure and function of terrestrial ecosystems in an earth-system context; analyze how plants and microorganisms respond to environmental change and affect global carbon, nutrient, and water cycles; evaluate ecosystem response to global change, including rising carbon dioxide, climate warming, and human impacts. Prerequisite: Graduate classification.	Tjoelker	Fall (even years)
ESSM 626	Fire and Natural Resources Management	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 628	Wetland Delineation	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 630	Restoration Ecology	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 631	Ecological Restoration of Wetland and Riparian Systems	Steps in ecological restoration include problem identification, restoration design, implementation, and assessment; students in rangeland and other natural resources disciplines will relate fundamentals of ecology to steps in restoration of wetlands and riparian systems through interdisciplinary approaches, case studies, and field trips to restoration sites.	G. Moore	Fall
ESSM 635	Ecohydrology	--	Wilcox	Fall
ESSM 636	Range and Forest Watershed Management	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 644	Plant Cell Culture in Genetic Improvement and Conservation	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 647	Range Grasses and Grasslands	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 648	Wetland Plant Taxonomy	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 651	Geographic Information Systems	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 652	Advanced Topics in Geographic Information Systems	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 655	Remote Sensing of the Environment	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 656	Advanced Remote Sensing	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 660	Landscape Analysis and Modeling	Introduction to quantitative methods of landscape analysis and modeling for applications in natural resource conservation and management; quantification of landscape composition and configuration; spatial statistical methods for characterizing landscape pattern; methods for hypothesis testing with spatial data; landscape modeling approaches and applications; current literature and software.	Wu	Spring
ESSM 663	Applied Spatial Statistics	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 665	Computer Programming for Natural Resources Applications	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 670	Ecosystems and Markets	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 671	Ecological Economics	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 672	Environmental Impact Analysis for Renewable Natural Resources	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 676	Leadership Development and Management of Environmental NGO's	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 681	Seminar	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 684	Professional Internship	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 685	Directed Studies	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 689	Special Topics in	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM 691	Research	--	TBA	TBA
ESSM/MEPS/GENE 689	Special Topics in Molecular Ecology	Molecular ecology is a relatively young an interdisciplinary and integrative biological discipline that applies molecular population genetics, phylogenetics, and genomics to traditional ecological questions (e.g., species diagnosis, conservation and assessment of biodiversity, species-environment relationships, and many other questions in behavioral ecology). It overlaps with the field of ecological genetics, but a heavy emphasis on molecular genetics and population genomics tools makes it a distinctive discipline. Broadly speaking, it is application of molecular genetic methods to ecological problems. Molecular ecology represents an approach to a full understanding of interaction between genotypes, phenotypes, and environment, and is a truly integrative discipline that embraces many related disciplines, such as ecology, population and conservation genetics, molecular evolution, etc. Molecular ecology unites these fields in the attempt to study ecological problems and molecular genetic processes that underlie them, having matured now into a well-developed field of research with emphasis on using molecular genetic data to understand the interaction of organisms with their physical environment and their evolution as a result of adaptation to different ecological conditions. In this course students will study theoretical, empirical, and experimental ecological and population genetics. The molecular marker methods and population genomics concepts will be introduced in detail. The course provide students with understanding of the breadth and significance of the field and will make them able to apply ecological and population genetic principles and methods in related fields, such as ecological restoration, community genetics, landscape genetics, etc.	Krutovsky	Spring
GENE 489	Analysis of Genomic Signals	Overview of current high throughput technology for data acquisition and analysis of genomic signals, e.g. mRNA or proteins.	TBA	Spring
GENE 612	Population Genetics	Theoretical, empirical, and experimental aspects of population genetics are studied in detail in this course with focus on modern molecular marker methods and population genomics concepts. The course provides students with understanding of the breadth and significance of the field and practical knowledge on how to apply population genetic principles and methods in related fields, such as evolutionary biology, conservation genetics, molecular ecology, ecological restoration, forensics, and others.	Krutovsky	Fall
GENE 613	Quantitative Genetics	--	Gill	Spring
GENE 614	Maxiumu Likelihood Estimation of Genetics	Theoretical and analytical approaches to the application of maximum likelihood for the estimation of parameters under linear and nonlinear models; single and polygene genetic modles including Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium, linkage analysis and quantitative trait loci detection	Gill	Fall
GENE 689	Analysis of Genomic Signals	Overview of current high throughput technology for data acquisition and analysis of genomic signals, e.g. mRNA or proteins. A special emphasis will be placed on the existing high throughput platforms for acquiring and analyzing DNA, mRNA, protein or metabolites data, and on different approaches to model the underlying phenomena from the systems biology perspective.	Ivanov	Spring
GENE/ENTO/WFSC 606	Quantitative Phylogenetics	Designed to provide students with the theory and tools required for inference of phylogenetic (evolutionary) relationships among biological taxa using various types of comparative data including morphological characters, biochemical and molecular characters, and DNA sequences; hands-on analysis of data using contemporary tools. Prerequisite: Entomology 601 or approval of instructor	Mateos/Woolley	Spring (even years)
GEOG 624	Plant Geography	Factors influencing spatial distributions of plants; quantifying vegetation	Cairns	Fall
GEOG 625	Landscape Ecology	Structure, function, and change in heterogeneous landscape composed of interacting ecosystems	Coulson	Fall
GEOG 635	Advanced Biogeography	Spatial and temporal dynamics of vegetation; research seminar with emphasis on disturbance, succession, landscape patterns, etc.	Lafon	Varies
GEOG 689	Special Topics in Advanced Topics in Land Change Science	Techniques (e.g., maps, documents, photos, air photos, satellite images) that can be used in land change science, applied specifically to landscape analysis, land use change and historical ecology	Millington	Spring
GEOL 650	Paleoecology	The fossil record of ancient communities, using fossils to interpret ancient environments and climates, paleocommunities as biological entities, paleoproductivity, and the paleoecological implications of mass extinction	Raymond	Spring (even years)
GEOL 654	Evolutionary Patterns and Processes	Evolutionary patterns and processes revealed in the fossil record: the timing and consequence of major innovations (eucaryotes, homeobox genes, multicellular organisms), speciation in the fossil record, evolutionary rates and mass extinction.	Raymond	Spring (07, 09)
GEOL 689	Paleocommunity Analysis	A course about multivariate analysis of ecological and paleoecological community data. The main aim of the course is for students to learn how to make use of the full potential of community-type ecological and paleoecological data.	Olszewski	Fall (odd years)
MARB 689	Special Topics: Evolutionary Biology	See flyer	TBA	Fall
MATH 669	Seminar in Mathematical Biology	Problems, methods and recent developments in Mathematical Biology.	Walton	Fall/Summer (odd years)
OCNG 622	Analysis of Benthic Communities	Comprehensive study of marine benthos with principal emphasis upon Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean Sea. Prerequisite: OCNG 620 or equivalent.	Thornton	Spring (odd years)
OCNG 625	Current Topics in Biological Oceanography	Areas of current research; plankton processes; microbial food web; benthic communities; fisheries; global change. May be taken up to three times. Prerequisite: OCNG 620 or approval of instructor.	Campbell	Fall
OCNG 627	Ecology of the Continental Shelf	Environments, populations and communities of the continental shelf. Interactions of the shelf with the estuaries and the deep sea; man’s impact on the shelf ecosystems. Prerequisite: Approval of instructor.	Thornton	Spring (even years)
OCNG 649	Estuarine Biogeochemistry	Geomorphology; physical oceanography and sedimentation dynamics of estuaries; chemistry of nutrients; trace metals and organic matter; major controls in estuarine productivity and interactions among estuaries, marshes and coastal waters. Prerequisites: OCNG 620 and 640.	Bianchi	Spring (odd years)
OCNG 652	Sedimentary Biogeochemistry	Focus on benthic processes occurring near the sediment-water interface of marine sediments; interdisciplinary approach in examining complex interrelationships among organisms, pore waters and sedimentary minerals in different marine environments; laboratory methods taught and applied to field case studies in different marine environments. Prerequisites: OCNG 620 and 640 or approval of instructor.	Thornton/J. Morse	Fall (odd years)
OCNG 654	Plankton Ecology	Elective course, overview of phytoplankton and zooplankton; taxonomy; physiology; ecology; sampling design; current methods of investigation. Prerequisite: OCNG 620.	Campbell/J. Wormuth)	TBA
OCNG/WFSC 650	Aquatic Microbial Ecology	Microbes in natural environments, including both water and sediment habitats in marine, fresh and ground water systems; process studies of microbial foodwebs and biogeochemical cycling; current methods and research directions. Prerequisites: OCNG 620 and WFSC 414 or approval of instructor. Cross-listed with WFSC 650.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 600	Fundamentals of Epidemiology	An overview intended to familiarize students with the basic principles and applications of epidemiological concepts in the study of disease occurrence in populations.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 602	Biostatistics I	An introduction to statistical issues in public health including basic probability, significance levels and confidence intervals, interpretation of public health data, and specific statistical techniques such as regression, analysis of variance, nonparametric techniques and categorical data.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 603	Fundamentals of Biostatistics	A second course in biostatistical methods that emphasizes linear models and designed experiments. Designed for students wishing a deeper understanding of topics introduced in PHEB 602. Prerequisite: PHEB 602.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 605	Biostatistics II	The course includes the fundamentals of maximum likelihood estimation, hypothesis testing, confidence intervals and small sample inferences. Other topics include probability distributions, Bayes theorem and distributions of functions of random variables. Prerequisite: PHEB 602.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 610	Epidemiologic Methods I	An intensive introduction to epidemiological concepts and methods for students in the epidemiology concentration and others who will collaborate in - or be required to - interpret the results of epidemiological studies. Emphasis is placed on calculation and interpretation of crude and adjusted data, measures of association, and study design. Prerequisite: PHEB 600 and STAT 652 or concurrent enrollment.	TBA	TBA
PHEB 611	Epidemiologic Methods II	In-depth treatment of key methodological and analytic topics in epidemiology. Emphasis on study design and implications for data analysis, such as confounding, model selection and effect modification. Analytic techniques using logistic regression and stratified analysis will be emphasized. Prerequisite: PHEB 610 and STAT 652 or permission of instructor.	TBA	TBA
STAT 689	Advanced Statistical Genetics	--	Fan	Spring (odd years)
STAT 689	Special Topics in Statistical Genetics	--	Fan	Spring (even years)
VTMI 615	Immunogenetics and Comparative Immunology	New Course! Overview of molecular immunology. Receptor systems. Diversification mechanisms. Evolution of divergent immune systems in unusual life forms. Prerequisites: general immunology (VTPB 409) and genetics (GENE 320)	Criscitiello	Spring
WFSC 603	Vertebrate Ecology	Provides an examination of the philosophical perspectives and ecological paradigms associated with modern animal ecology. Emphasis is placed on historical development the field, classic publications, the basics of population ecology, community ecology - including structure and organizing processes - and the theoretical foundation and applicability of various applications of ecology.	Peterson	Spring (odd years)
WFSC 609	Wildlife Research Methods	Upon course completion, students should understand and be able to rigorously apply the hypothetico-deductive scientific method as well as understand other approaches to knowledge. Specifically, students should be able to use a research library effectively, design a laboratory or field experiment appropriately, write effective research proposals that could be funded, prepare professional papers for refereed outlets, referee technical manuscripts, and give effective professional presentations. In sum, students should be prepared to succeed as wildlife professionals	Peterson	Fall
WFSC 610	Conservation Biology	Conservation Biology at the graduate level covers fundamental, must-know, paradigms in conservation biology: Ecological Functions and Biodiversity; Conservation Genetics; Metapopulations; Landscape Ecology; Ecosystem Management. The course is organized around modules: 1) Biodiversity Module - Classic patterns of Biodiversity; Speciation and Extinction; 2) Population Module - Conservation Genetics, Forms of Rarity, Metapopulations, Minimum Viable Populations; 3) Landscape Conservation Module - Landscape ecology, Reserve design, Ecosystem management; and 4) Sustainability Module - Sustainable use approaches to conservation, Community-based approaches.	Fitzgerald	TBA
WFSC 611	Estuarine Ecology	Principles governing the relationships of estuarine organisms to their environment; productivity, adaptations to the environment, community structure and factors affecting the distribution and abundance of biota	Roelke	TBA
WFSC 612	Evolutionary Ecology	Evolutionary Ecology will survey the history and status of several paradigms in evolutionary ecology, such as incorporating phylogenies into comparative analyses, macroecology, and the roles of historical and local processes in determining species diversity. Class meetings are based on primary literature and organized like mini-workshops. The goal of the course is to learn a lot about theory and practice of some of the major paradigms in evolutionary ecology. Naturally, achieving this goal depends on how well I can orient the discussions and how prepared you are to ask questions about things we are learning.	Fitzgerald	TBA
WFSC 613	Animal Ecology	Concepts of animal ecology which emerge at various levels of organization; the ecosystem, the community, the population and the individual; laboratories emphasis on the quantitative analysis of field data and the simulation of population dynamics. Prerequisites: WFSC201 and RENR 205 or approval of instructor; junior classification.*	Gelwick	Spring
WFSC 616	Physiological Ecology of the Vertebrates	Effects of temperature, oxygen and other environmental factors on the distribution and abundance of animals; comparative behavioral and physiological adjustments to environment as an evolutionary response; students will be expected to develop and execute a research project in an appropriate subject area. Prerequisite: ZOOL 388 or WFSC 417 or approval of instructor.	Neill	Spring
WFSC 620	Vertebrate Ethology	Mechanisms and control of vertebrate behavior in an ecological context, as shaped by natural selection; classical and current theories regarding the genetic basis of development, specialized sensory systems and organization of responses in changing environments; laboratory emphasizes observational skills and quantitative analysis of behavior occurring in natural settings; lab is taught in the field during the week before classes start.	Packard	Spring
WFSC 621	Aquatic Ecology	This course explores aquatic ecosystems from a system-level perspective by acquainting students with contemporary models of ecosystem structure and function. After an introduction to nonlinear dynamics and chaos theory, aquatic ecosystem behavior and predictability as a function of competition for resources, food-web interaction strength, and functional food-chain length are discussed.	Roelke	TBA
WFSC 622	Behavioral Ecology	This course centers on several related themes: (1) theoretical and historical foundations of ethology, behavioral ecology and sociobiology, (2) mechanisms that underly behavior, and (3) adaptive value of behaviors. The latter is emphasized. I also emphasize analysis of behavioral issues using theoretical models and require some modeling or empirical work by students. Also taught online as a distance education course in SSI by J. Packard	DeWitt	TBA
WFSC 628	Wetland Ecology	Wetlands as ecological systems that are prime habitat for wildlife and fish; geomorphology, hydrology, limnology, plant and animal communities, and human use and management. Prerequisite: WFSC 403 or RLEM 316 or equivalent. Field trips likely.	Davis	Fall
WFSC 633	Conservation Genetics	The purpose of this course is to provide students with a review of Genetic concepts and techniques that are relevant to the management and conservation of biological diversity. After the course students are expected to critically examine research and conservation strategies within a conservation genetics framework. The format of the course includes lectures and student presentations/discussions.	Hurtado	Fall
WFSC 670	Excel Biometry	This course centers on learning biometry through weekly practice and experimentation. The goal is to learn the rationale and mathemetics behind upper level biometrical methods. We will construct spreadsheets and analyze a common dataset each week. Students pick topics and serve as moderator for two or three discussions. Students end up with a portfolio of spreadsheets for most major methods in biometry.	DeWitt	Spring
WFSC 681	Seminar in Ecology	Important current developments in wildlife or fisheries fields with special reference to literature. Students may register up to but no more than two sections of this course in the same semester.	Gelwick/Winemiller	Fall/Spring
WFSC 689/ RPTS 689	Applied Biodiversity Science I	Efforts to halt the loss of biodiversity must be based on integration between science and practice. Linking theory with real-world conservation requires the engagement of many different kinds of actors, including biologists and social scientists, universities and museums, governments and nongovernmental organizations, industries, interest groups, and communities. Such collaboration is critical for establishing conservation priorities, developing ecologically and socially acceptable management plans, building local capacity for stewardship, and guiding effective policy. Currently, a great deal of conservation research is based in universities with few linkages between scientists and practitioners, or between theory and practical strategies for conservation. Moreover, research on patterns and processes that underlie the loss of biodiversity are often conceptual and discipline specific, with few lessons shared among researchers from diverse disciplines.	TBA	Fall
WFSC tba	Principles of Fisheries Management	Basic knowledge from ichthyology, biology of fishes and limnology related to applied aspects of freshwater and marine fishery science. Management techniques applicable to streams, ponds, reservoirs, estuaries and the oceans. Prerequisites: WFSC 311 and 414; STAT 302 or concurrent enrollment; or approval of instructor.*	Gelwick	Fall
WFSC/ENTO 624	Population Dynamics	Principles, models and methods for analysis of population dynamics; analysis of contemporary research emphasizing theory and its uses in evaluation and management of animal populations. Laboratory emphasizes mathematical, statistical and computer modeling of population phenomena. Cross-listed with ENTO 624.	Winemiller	Fall
WFSC/GENE 648	Molecular Evolution	Examine the theory and tools used in the analysis of molecular evolutionary patterns of DNA and protein sequences. Format combines lecture presentations by instructor, discussion of relevant scientific literature, computer exercises, preparation of research proposal or independent research project, and practice in peer-review process .	Mateos	Spring (odd years)

107 graduate courses

 

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