Aquatic and Fisheries Science
Bachelor of Science

Directed Electives

To ensure both strength and breadth of knowledge, 27 elective credit hours must be obtained through courses in the following subject areas (S=spring semester, F=fall semester).

• Field Experience Elective
  At least three elective credits must come from an approved field course in biology (this is in addition to the core field course, EFB 202). These credits may be obtained through an elective course at our Cranberry Lake Biological Station, an approved internship (EFB 420) or field trip course (EFB 500). Winter Mammalian Ecology (EFB 484) and Tropical Ecology (EFB 523) meet this requirement, as can approved field courses from other institutions.
• Structure and Function
  At least 3 credit hours must be in the subject area of organism-level physiology, anatomy, or development. The list of allowable courses below may vary slightly from year to year.
  • EFB 385—Comparative Vertebrate Anatomy (4 cr.) S
  • EFB 427—Plant Developmental Biology (3 cr.) F
  • EFB 462—Animal Physiology: Environmental and Ecological (3 cr.) F
  • EFB 530—Plant Physiology (3 cr.) S
  • EFB 570—Insect Physiology (3 cr.) S
  • BIO 447—Immunology (3 cr.) S
  • BIO 503—Developmental Biology (3 cr.) S
• Organismal Diversity
  To encourage breadth in organism-level biology, students must complete (in addition to the core requirement of EFB  486 or EFB 388) at least 3 credit hours in each of the following two categories:
  • 1. Plants and Microbes:
    • EFB 303—Introductory Environmental Microbiology (4 cr.) F
    • EFB 326—Diversity of Plants (3 cr.) S
    • EFB 336—Dendrology (3 cr.) F
    • EFB 340—Forest and Shade Tree Pathology (3 cr.) S
    • EFB 428—Mycorrhizal Ecology (3 cr) F even years
    • EFB 435—Flowering Plants: Diversity, Evolution, and Systematics (3 cr.) F
    • EFB 440—Mycology (3 cr.) F
    • EFB 446—Ecology of Mosses (3 cr.) S
  • 2. Invertebrate and Vertebrate Animals:
    • EFB 351—Forest Entomology (3 cr.) F, even years
    • EFB 352—Elements of Entomology (3 cr.) F, odd years
    • EFB 355—Invertebrate Zoology (4 cr.) S
    • EFB 388—Ecology of Adirondack Fishes (3 cr.) CLBS
    • EFB 453—Parasitology (3 cr.) S
    • EFB 482—Ornithology (4 cr.) S
    • EFB 483—Mammal Diversity (4 cr.) S
    • EFB 485—Herpetology (3 cr.) F
    • EFB 554—Aquatic Entomology (3 cr.) F
• Physical/Chemical Environment
  To encourage understanding and familiarity with the aquatic habitat, students must complete at least 3 credit hours from one of the following courses:
  • EFB 415—Ecological Biogeochemistry (3 cr.) F
  • EST 231—Environmental Geology (3 cr.) S
  • FCH 510—Environmental Chemistry I (3 cr.) S
  • FCH 515—Methods of Environmental Chemical Analysis (3 cr.) F
  • FOR 338—Meteorology (3 cr.) S
  • FOR 340—Watershed Hydrology (3 cr.) S
  • FOR 345—Introduction to Soils (3 cr.) F
  • EAR 101—Dynamic Earth (3 cr.) F
  • EAR 105—Earth Science (3 cr.) S
• Environmental Systems Science
  To further promote understanding of the systems approach to aquatic ecosystems and an integration of environmental and biological factors, students must complete at least 3 credit hours from one of the following courses.
  • EFB 423—Marine Ecology (4 cr.) S, even years
  • EFB 516—Ecosystems (3 cr.) S
  • EFB 518—Systems Ecology (4 cr.) F
  • EFB 542—Freshwater Wetland Ecosystems (3 cr.) S
  • ERE 325—Ecological Engineering  I (3 cr.) S
• Management
  At least 3 credit hours in resource or ecosystem management must be obtained through a course in the following list.
  • EFB 487—Fisheries Science and Management (3 cr.) F
  • EFB 390—Wildlife Ecology and Management (4 cr.) F
  • FOR 360—Principles of Management (3 cr.) F
  • FOR 372—Fundamentals of Outdoor Rec. (3 cr.) F,S
  • FOR 442—Watershed Ecology & Management (3 cr.) F 
• Analytical Tools
  To increase the breadth of practical skills and knowledge students must complete at least 3 credit hours, obtained through one of the following courses:
  • APM 360—Introduction to Computer Programming (3 cr.) F
  • BTC 401—Molecular Biology Techniques (3 cr.) F
  • EFB 488—Fisheries Science Practicum (1 cr.) F
  • EFB 519—Geographic Modeling (3 cr.) S
  • EFB 525—Limnology Practicum (2 cr.) F
  • ERE 445—Hydrological Modeling (3 cr.) F
  • ESF 300—Introduction to Geospatial Information Technologies (3 cr.) F,S
• Communications
  Students must complete at least 3 credit hours from one of the following communication or interpretation courses.
  • EWP 405—Writing for Science Professionals (3 cr.) F,S
  • EWP 220—Public Presentation Skills for Environmental Professionals (3 cr.) F,S
  • EFB 312—Introduction to Personal Environmental Interpretation Methods (3 cr.) F
  • EFB 417—Non-Personal Environmental Interpretive Methods (3 cr.) S