Field Courses

The following courses have a field component that may include day trips and excursions.

Courses:

• BIOE 16 Introduction To Horticulture

• BIOE 20F Field Biology in Practice

• BIOE 75 Scientific Diving Certification

• BIOE 82 Introduction to Field Research And Conservation

• BIOE 85 Natural History of The UCSC Natural Reserves

• BIOE 112L Ornithology Field Studies

• BIOE 114L Field Methods in Herpetological Research

• BIOE 117 Systematic Botany of Flowering Plants Laboratory

• BIOE 120L Marine Botany Laboratory

• BIOE 122L Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory

• BIOE 124L Mammalogy Laboratory

• BIOE 127L Ichthyology Laboratory

• BIOE 129L Biology of Marine Mammals Laboratory 

Field experience can be in the form of five unit courses, more intensive ten unit courses, or immersion experience field quarters.

Five Unit Field Courses:

• BIOE 128L Large Marine Vertebrates Field Course

• BIOE 141L Behavioral Ecology Field Course

• BIOE 155L Freshwater Ecology Laboratory

• BIOE 158L Marine Ecology Laboratory

Ten Unit Field Courses:

• BIOE 145 Plant Ecology + BIOE 145L Field Methods in Plant Ecology

• BIOE 150 Ecological Field Methods + BIOE 150L Ecological Field Methods Laboratory

• BIOE 161 Kelp Forest Ecology + BIO 161L Kelp Forest Ecology Laboratory
  Completion of BIOE 75 Research Diving Certification is a prerequisite for enrollment in this course.  Be sure to plan ahead to be SCUBA ready.

Field Quarters offer highly motivated students a total field immersion experience.

These courses provide 15-20 units of credit and will fulfill elective requirements for the EEB majors.

Students are not allowed to concurrently enroll in any other courses the quarter they undertake a Field Quarter (except for BIOE 153ABC). 

Entrance into field quarter courses is by application/interview typically two quarters in advance of the course.

BIOE 151ABCD Ecology & Conservation in Practice Supercourse - 19 units - SPRING 2024

Prerequisites:  BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B, BIOE 20C or ENVS 23, 24, 100; and AMS 7 and 7L.  

Ecology and Conservation in Practice Supercourse is designed to provide hands on research experience for undergrads. The course is intensive quarter long endeavor that consists of 19 units. Approximately half of the quarter is spent in the field at various UC Natural Reserves implementing field projects. The remainder of the course is spent at UCSC where students attend lectures, design research projects, and provide oral presentations to their peers.

Provides equivalency* of BIOE 150, BIOE 150L and one EEB General Elective. *Students enroll in BIOE 151A,B,C, and D. Successful completion of BIOE 151B fufills one DC Requirement course for students in EEB Department majors. Course equivalency listed above is for the purposes of tracking number of major courses completed only.

For more information visit this webpage and/or contact Gage Dayton at ghdayton@ucsc.edu

BIOE 157A Evolution Field Class in Southern Africa - 5 Units - SUMMER 2024

Prerequisite(s): equivalent of UCSC's BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B, and BIOE 20C; satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements.

Covers the fundamentals of evolution, including macro-evolution (the science of the evolution of organisms) and micro-evolution (the science of the evolution of populations, within a species). Field observations and field work is an integral part of the class, where demonstrations and examples are shown directly in the field. Students think, write, and report, on projects that will be elaborated and discussed with peers and faculty. Course is delivered in the field, and in person, visiting sites of archaeological importance pertinent to human evolution (caves of Sterkfontein, where hominid remains have been discovered), and national parks (Kruger National Park, Malawi National Park) where we will observe animal interactions, sexual selection, and kin selection. Students write daily journals with observations and reports. 

BIOE 157B Ichthyology Field Class in Southern Africa - 7 Units - SUMMER 2024

Prerequisite(s): equivalent of UCSC's BIOL 20A, BIOE 20B, and BIOE 20C; satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements.

Covers the fundamentals of ichthyology (fish biology), including taxonomy and classification, morphology, physiology, zoogeography and fisheries. Field observations and field work is an integral part of the class, where demonstrations and examples are shown directly in the field. Students think, write, and report, on projects that will be elaborated and discussed with peers and faculty. The course is delivered in the field, and in person, including visiting streams and rivers to learn about local fishes and hands-on approaches to studying the science of ichthyology. Research projects are done at Malawi National Park, a site with the greatest diversity of freshwater fishes in the world. Students write daily journals with observations and reports.

BIOE 159ABCD Marine Ecology Field Quarter - 20 Units

Prerequisites:  Satisfaction of the Entry Level Writing and Composition requirements.  Admission by application and interview two quarters in advance.

The Marine Ecology Field Quarter is a course that combines 4 modules including a field component into a quarter-long lecture-field course that is split between UCSC campus and a field station.  Currently the field locations are Corsica, France and Sitka, Alaska.  This course provides total immersion in marine ecology for very motivated students.  It is specifically designed for students that are anticipating a career in marine biology/ecology and/or those interested in pursuing a graduate degree in marine ecology or conservation.  In addition the curriculum is designed to ensure students make accelerated progress to their degree.  All students in the class develop a research project during first five weeks on campus and then spend five weeks of immersion in directed research in isolated locations off campus (Corsica, or Sitka; past locations include the Gulf of California in Mexico, South Africa,  and Moorea in French Polynesia).

For students who intend to SCUBA dive, BIOE 75 (Scientific Diving) or the equivalent AAUS Scientific Diving certification is a prerequisite. Note that several SCUBA courses are prerequisites to BIOE 75.  Visit http://www2.ucsc.edu/sci-diving/ to learn about the schedule of these courses and the physical exam options. For those who intend to snorkel/skin dive, UCSC Skin Diving certification is a prerequisite. Visit the Scientific Skin Diving website to learn about the schedule of these courses and the physical exam options.

BIOE 159 Corsica, FR - Fall 2025

• How it applies to your major: Students enroll in BIOE 159A,B,C, and E, which will appear in their transcript. Successful completion of these courses provides students major requirement credit of four upper division courses comparable to: BIOE 108, BIOE 127/L, BIOE 158L, and BIOE 140. Students will receive credit for one of their two required DC Requirement courses with successful completion of BIOE 159A.

BIOE 159 Sitka, AK - Winter 2025

• How it applies to your major: Students enroll in BIOE 159 A,C,D, and F, which will appear in their transcript. Successful completion of Sitka program provides equivalency of four upper division courses comparable to: BIOE 108, BIOE 158L, BIOE 159F Global Change Ecology (Topical or EEB General Elective) and one Marine Biology Topical Elective. Students will receive credit for one of their two required DC Requirement courses with successful completion of BIOE 159A.

Natural Reserve System California Ecology & Conservation - 19 Units

Prerequisites:  All students must pass an introductory ecology or biology course prior to acceptance. A minimum GPA of 2.5 is required.

California Ecology and Conservation is a UC wide course offered through the Natural Reserve System.   It is an intensive program of study with a focus on field methods, ecology, and conservation.  A total of 27 students will be accepted, ideally three from each of the nine general campuses.

Provides equivalency* of BIOE 150, BIOE 150L and one EEB General Elective. *Students enroll in BIOL 188. Course equivalency listed above is for the purposes of tracking number of major courses completed only. This program does not fulfill any DC Requirement courses.

Offered annually Fall, Spring and Summer. Application information and deadlines are located here.

ENVS 107ABC Natural History Field Quarter - 15 Units

Natural History Field Quarter (NHFQ) focuses on studying natural history and land management issues all over California.  NHFQ is taught every spring quarter.  Applications for this course are due early fall quarter.  

For more information about NHFQ, please visit the Natural History Field Quarter page on the Kenneth S. Norris Center for Natural History webpage.  Information about the structure of the course, the current-year application, and upcoming informational meetings and due dates can be found there.

Questions regarding NHFQ can be directed to Chris Lay, the Administrative Director of the Norris Center and NHFQ instructor.  He can be reached via email (cml@ucsc.edu), or phone: (831) 459-4763.

Provides equivalency of one Topical elective and one EEB General Elective for the Ecology and Evolution BS and Plant Sciences BS.  For the Marine Biology BS provides equivalency for two EEB General Electives.

Offered annually Spring quarter.

Education Abroad Programs (EAP) offer qualified students unique opportunities to broaden their educational horizons.
The EEB Department encourages interested students to  participate. It can be possible to participate in EAP and graduate on time.

It is important to plan early for EAP opportunities.
Begin your exploration of the possibilities at the UCSC International Education Office.  You can learn about EAP, how to apply, when to apply, financial aid availability, and available programs and their requirements.  You can also consider Independent Programs or UC Summer Abroad.  If you need help choosing a program, meet with a Programs Abroad Advisor.

It can be possible to satisfy requirements of your EEB major while abroad.

Two EAP programs of particular interest to EEB student are pre-articulated:

Tropical Biology & Conservation - Monteverde Institute Costa Rica

Completion of the program provides EEB majors the equivalency of 3 courses including one lab.

• Biology BA - 3 Biology Electives

• Ecology & Evolution BS - 2 ECEV Topical Electives, 1 EEB General Elective

• Marine Biology BS - 3 EEB General Electives

• Plant Sciences BS - 2 PLNT Topical Electives, 1 EEB General Elective

Marine Ecology & Terrestrial Ecology Program - University of Queensland

Completion of the program provides EEB majors the equivalency of 3 courses including one lab.

• Biology BA - 3 Biology Electives

• Ecology & Evolution BS - 1 ECEV Topical Elective, 2 EEB General Electives

• Marine Biology BS - 2 MABI Topical Electives, 1 EEB General Elective

• Plant Sciences BS - 3 EEB General Electives

One Summer Session Faculty-led Global Seminar is approved to fulfill major requirements:

Global Seminar: Evolution and Fish Biology in Southern Africa

• Biology BA - BIOE 109 + one EEB General Elective (or 2 EEB General Electives if BIOE 109 has been previously completed)

• Ecology & Evolution BS - BIOE 109 +  one elective comparable to BIOE 127/L (or 2 electives if BIOE 109 and/or BIOE 127/L has been previously completed)

• Marine Biology BS - BIOE 109 +  one elective comparable to BIOE 127/L (or 2 electives if BIOE 109 and/or BIOE 127/L has been previously completed) 

• Plant Sciences BS - BIOE 109 +  one elective comparable to BIOE 127/L (or 2 electives if BIOE 109 and/or BIOE 127/L has been previously completed)

• This Global Seminar does not fulfill any DC Requirement courses for EEB Department majors.