Graduate Degree Programs
M.P.S. in Ecological Restoration
Ecological restoration is the process of recovering the health and integrity of degraded or damaged ecosystems, often by re-establishing natural processes and native species. Recognizing the need to restore as well as protect biodiversity, the United Nations designated this decade (2021-2030) as the UN decade of Ecosystem Restoration.
The MPS in Ecological Restoration prepares students for careers actively engaged in the restoration of aquatic, wetland, forest and other types of ecosystems. Graduates of the MPS in Ecological Restoration are well prepared for careers in federal and state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector.
Students enrolled in the MPS in Ecological Restoration program are required to complete 30 credit hours of graduate coursework, and can finish the degree in as few as 12 months.
Program Requirements
Course requirements: 27 credits
Culminating experience: 3 credits, choose one option below
EFB 898 Professional Experience or EFB 899 Master Research
Sample Program of Study:
Fall 1
FOR 607 Restoration Ecology | 3
EST 550 Environmental Impact Analysis | 3
EFB 642 Watershed Ecology and Management | 3
EFB 681 Aquatic Ecosystems Restoration and Enhancements (odd years) or Elective |
3
Spring 1
EFB 605 Indigenous Issues and The Environment | 3
EFB 649 Wetland Conservation and Management for Wildlife (even years) or Elective
| 3
Elective or EFB 502 Ecology and Management of Invasive Species | 3
Elective | 3
Elective | 3
Summer 1
EFB 898 Professional Experience or EFB 899 Master Research | 3
Elective list of courses:
- EFB 634 Ecosystem Restoration Design (4) Fall
- EFB 681 Aquatic Ecosystem Restoration and Enhancement (2) Fall, odd year
- EFB TBD Forest Health and Restoration (3) Fall
- FOR 642 Watershed Ecology & Management (3) Fall
- FOR 659 Advanced GIS (3) Spring
- FOR 540 Watershed Hydrology (3) Spring
- FOR 665 Natural Resources Policy (3) Spring
- FOR 689 Natural Resources Law & Policy (3) Spring
- EHS 560 Environmental Sampling Methods (4) Spring
Participating Faculty
- Jonathan Cohen; [email protected]
wildlife ecology and management, population and habitat ecology, threatened and endangered species - Stewart Diemont; [email protected]
systems ecology, ecological engineering, traditional ecological knowledge, Latin America, ecosystem restoration, sustainability analysis, natural wastewater treatment systems and re-use, less-developed countries, agroecology - Martin Dovciak; [email protected]
Plant Ecology, Forest Ecosystems, Biodiversity, Global Change, Ecosystem Management and Restoration - John M. Farrell; [email protected]
Fisheries Science and Management, Aquatic Ecology, Wetlands Restoration, Invasive Species. - Danilo D. Fernando; [email protected]
plant structure and development, reproductive biology of conifers, pollen transformation, genomics and proteomics of pine pollen tube development, willow flowering and tissue culture, genetic diversity of rare and endangered ferns, and plant evolution, diversity and conservation. - James Gibbs; [email protected]
herpetology, vertebrate conservation biology, genetics and ecology in birds, reptiles and amphibians, songbirds, giant tortoise, statistics, wildlife population monitoring, galapagos islands, conservation biology, ecological monitoring, population genetics, applied demography, undergraduate conservation education - Donald J. Leopold; [email protected]
forest and freshwater wetland ecology, conservation, and restoration, peatland ecology and conservation, local and regional controls of species richness and rarity, dynamics of plant communities as affected by man and environment, management for unique communities and rare species, dendrology, native plants, restoration ecology, rare species conservation - Rebecca Rundell; [email protected]
evolutionary biology, conservation biology, speciation, adaptive and nonadaptive radiations, biogeography, phylogenetics, systematics, Pacific island radiations and biodiversity conservation, land snails, marine/aquatic microscopic invertebrates - Kimberly L. Schulz; [email protected]
nutrient and exotic species effects on aquatic ecosystems, ecological stoichiometry, aquatic community and ecosystem ecology, bioenergetics, nutrient cycling, lower food web studies, great lakes, finger lakes, plankton, limnology, aquatic ecology, biogeochemistry, invasive species - Michael L. Schummer; [email protected]
Waterfowl Ecology, Waterfowl Management, Waterfowl Conservation, Wetlands Management, Wetlands Conservation, Ornithology, Plant-Animal Associations, Conservation Biology, Wildlife Ecology, Wetlands Ecology, Wildlife-habitat relationships, ecology, climate change, human dimensions of wildlife, avian toxicology - Stephen A. Teale; [email protected]
forest entomology, insect behavior, pheromones of forest insects, insect ecology, pest management, chemical ecology, evolution of pheromone communications