About GDPE
GDPE student Rebecca Chong
The Graduate Degree Program in Ecology is CSU's first and largest interdisciplinary graduate degree program. Our primary goal is to provide outstanding training for graduate students in the ecological sciences. Since its inception in 1992, GDPE has grown to become the principal organization that catalyzes cutting-edge and world-renowned ecological research performed at Colorado State University. GDPE has over 100 faculty from 6 colleges, 17 departments, and 9 government agencies, and has graduated over 200 MS and PhD students. There are typically 100 to 150 students enrolled at any given time, and the program accepts an average of 20 to 30 students each year out of approximately 120 applications. GDPE offers research-based MS and PhD degrees in Ecology, a non-thesis MS (Plan B) in Ecology, and a certificate in Human and Environment Interactions.
The mission of the Graduate Degree Program in Ecology is to provide the highest quality education in ecology through advanced training in current ecological methods, theories, controversies, applications, and teaching methods by drawing on the great depth and breadth of ecological expertise at Colorado State University and in our local community of scientists.
Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence
The Graduate Degree Program in Ecology has been recognized by Colorado State University as a Program of Research and Scholarly Excellence (PRSE). The Programs of Research and Scholarly Excellence at Colorado State University were initiated in 1991. Programs are awarded this designation because they have achieved great distinction and set a standard for excellence that may serve as a model for programs throughout the institution. Programs are selected after an extensive nomination and review process that takes place every four years.
National and International Recognition
Our faculty and graduate students are nationally and internationally recognized for their achievements and leadership within the field of ecology. For instance, the GDPE Senior Ecologist, Alan Knapp, has been recognized by CSU with a University Scholarship Impact Award and has been named a Professor Laureate in the College of Natural Sciences. Our faculty also includes several Aldo Leopold Leadership Fellows, National Academy of Sciences Education Fellows, and American Association for the Advancement of Science Fellows, as well as many faculty members recognized by Colorado State University and their departments for their dedication to teaching and graduate student mentoring. Additionally, our faculty are active in numerous professional societies including the Ecological Society of America, where several have served on the Governing Board and in other leadership positions. Our faculty are also among the most published in the field of ecology, ranking in the top five in research productivity among the top 100 federally funded U.S. Universities in Ecology and Environment 1998-2002 by the Institute for Scientific Information (ISI; report available online at http://in-cites.com/research/2003/may_5_2003-2.html).
Our outstanding graduate student scientists are also consistently recognized for their scholarship and academic achievement. Many of our students have received National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowships, Environmental Protection Agency Science to Achieve Results Fellowships, National Aeronautics and Space Administration Fellowships, World Wildlife Fund Fellowships, and Doctoral Dissertation Improvement Grants to name a few.
Where our graduates go...
Our graduates are located all over the world in fields such as academia, non-governmental organizations, government agencies, consulting, industry, and education. In recent years our graduates have gone on to postdoctoral appointments in such prestigious institutions as Duke, Dartmouth,the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis and many others. Several of our graduates are tenure track faculty at institutions that include University of Virginia, Pennsylvania State University, Washington State University, Virginia Polytechnic University, University of Richmond, Oregon State University, University of Arizona, University of Richmond, University of Washington, University College of Dubliin, University of Buenos Aires and many others. Many other graduates of GDPE have gone on to work in land management and environmental government agencies, including the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and Agricultural Research Service, as well as non-governmental agencies such as the Smithsonian and The Nature Conservancy.