Information for Faculty

Professor Julia Klein sampling a warming chamber at her Tibetan field site as part of the International Tundra Experiment

The Graduate Degree Program in Ecology (GDPE) is CSU's first and largest interdisciplinary graduate degree program. Its 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. The Graduate Degree Program in Ecology has over 100 faculty from 6 colleges, 17 departments, and 9 government agencies, and has graduated over 200 students.

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.

The GDPE Community

Students and faculty in GDPE are located across the CSU campus, both physically and departmentally, making GDPE sponsored activities an important opportunity to get to know students and other faculty within the program. We expect our faculty to help maintain and enhance the quality of the GDPE community by attending GDPE seminars and social events, participating in the Front Range Student Ecology Symposium (e.g., serving as a judge, attending talks, posters, panel discussions, and the awards banquet), and occasionally teaching courses (e.g., participation in ECOL courses and seminars, and departmental courses with substantial ecological content).

Curriculum Overview

The GDPE curriculum consists of 6-7 credits of required courses (PhD students are required to take one more credit than MS students) and three distribution lists from which students must select courses. The distribution lists contain suggestions for appropriate courses, but are not complete lists. Other courses that fit within these categories may be taken to satisfy the credit requirement. This approach ensures that all students have a fundamental background in ecology while also permitting them to tailor a program to their interests. No specific distribution of ecology courses beyond the required courses is expected by GDPE; the appropriate course work is determined by the student, advisor, and committee. All students should take ECOL 505, Foundations of Ecology (taught each fall) and ECOL 693, Research Seminar (taught each spring) during their first year in the program.

GDPE Organizational Structure

The program is led by the Director, with the Senior Ecologist providing vision and leadership and teaching in the core curriculum. An Executive Committee guides the program direction; this committee comprises representatives from each of the Colleges, as well as 2 At-Large Members. The Director reports to the Deans of the College of Natural Sciences and the Warner College of Natural Resources. The Program Coordinator works with current and prospective faculty and students in the daily operations of the program.