Preliminary Course Work Preparation

Depending upon your interests and choice of AOE, you should have completed the majority of certain entrance requirements before enrolling in the program. You may complete preliminary requirements at UC Davis, but if possible complete them before matriculating so that you can concentrate on your graduate studies. Any outstanding course entrance requirements are identified during the initial application review, and verified at admission. You will be expected to complete entrance deficiencies at the earliest possible time. All preparatory science courses must be designed for science majors.

A list of preliminary courses follow; courses listed are UC Davis equivalents. Please note that the course designations listed below correspond to UC Davis courses. Short descriptions are printed in the General Catalog, which is available from the UCD Bookstore at (530) 752-6846 or: http://bookstore.ucdavis.edu

  • Introductory Biology: 2 courses from the following options: Biological Science 1A, B, C Principles of Biology, Botany, Zoology or Biological Sciences
  • Introduction to Chemistry: 2 courses: General Chemistry 2A,B*
  • Physical Science: a choice of - 2 courses in Physics, Physics 1A,B Principles of Physics; or one upper division course in a physical science. Approved courses include: Atmospheric Science 110; Environmental Science and Policy 110 (last term will be winer 2010); Hydrology 124, 141; Soil Science 100, 107, 208 or 209. Upper division course substitutions for physics must have introductory physics as a pre-requisite.
  • Calculus: Mathematics 16A Short Calculus or Mathematics 21A Calculus
  • Statistics: Statistics 13 Elementary Statistics or Statistics 102 Introduction to Probability Modeling and Statistical Inference
  • Introduction to Ecology: ESP 100 General Ecology or EVE 101 Introduction to Ecology. It's very important that this requirement is satisfied prior to entrance in the program, it is required for Ecology 200 A,B courses, normally taken in the first year. Although ESP 100 or EVE 101 may be taken concurrently with Ecology 200A, students without a prior grounding in ecological concepts may be at a disadvantage.

*Note: Students that choose either the Environmental Policy and Human Ecology Area of Emphasis are only required to complete one course in Introductory Chemistry. In addition, they may substitute one course in social science such as micro- or macro-economics for one chemistry or physics requirement.