Biodiversity & Conservation Biology

Welcome to BCB at Cedar Crest College!

At Cedar Crest College, students get a strong background in ecology and conservation biology through coursework, fieldwork and research done in collaboration with one of the Biodiversity & Conservation Biology faculty. Students will also participate in field studies to places such as the Amazon rainforest and the coral reefs of the Caribbean. We are also affiliated with the School for Field Studies, where students can spend a semester or a month studying and conducting real research on environmental and conservation-related issues. Field sites include Turks & Caicos Islands (Caribbean), Baja (Mexico), Kenya, Australia, and Costa Rica. And through our collaboration with Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, students will be able to take classes, conduct independent research and do internships at a world-class and internationally known sanctuary.

Conservation biology is not only fieldwork. Students will also learn valuable (and marketable) lab-based skills, such as Geographical Information Systems (GIS) and computer modeling, using our state-of-the-art computational biology lab. Students can also apply molecular genetics tools to research questions in conservation biology and biodiversity.

Conservation biologists are also concerned with public policy. Science must be integrated into policy so that conservation plans can be put into practice and it is necessary to understand the cultural context to implement conservation management strategies. Towards this end, students get a strong grounding in public policy analysis, in the examination of contemporary political perspectives and cultures, through coursework, internships and service learning.

A B.S. in Biodiversity & Conservation Biology from Cedar Crest College will prepare students for graduate study in conservation biology and environmental policy or rewarding careers in conservation and environmental governmental and non-governmental agencies and organizations, policy and advocacy jobs, environmental consulting firms, law and publishing firms, education, and zoos and aquariums.