Welcome
Now celebrating its 40th year, the UC Davis Graduate Group in Ecology (GGE) is the largest and most comprehensive ecology graduate training group of its kind. Offering unparalleled diversity and depth in course work and research opportunities, the group is recognized as a center for academic and training excellence. The group's diverse and dynamic collection of 200 students and 125 faculty come from 24 different departments/ units on campus.
Offering both Master's and Ph.D. degrees, the Graduate Group is organized into nine areas of emphasis that include both basic and applied ecology. The GGE defines ecology broadly to span scales from genes to landscapes and explicitly includes human ecology and policy.
GGE members become the professionals best trained to protect our natural resources. They strive to develop basic ecological theory as well as work with resource management agencies to help solve ecological problems.
Currently, US News and World Report ranks UC Davis in the top five graduate programs in the nation for ecology/evolutionary biology! Our program is tied for 3rd-4th with UC Berkeley. See the US News site for details. Phd.org ranks us as 2nd in the nation for ecology graduate programs based on a variety of criteria. Click here for details.
Boasting over 1200 alumni, GGE graduates are continuing this tradition of excellence in over 85 universities worldwide. These institutions include more than 20 community colleges, colleges and universities in California and nearly as many international universities. GGE graduates are found on the staffs of virtually every natural resource managing agency in the federal government (Fish and Wildlife, Forest Service, Geological Survey, NOAA Fisheries, National Parks, EPA, and others), the California state government (Fish and Game, Water Resources, Air Resources, Food and Agriculture, EPA, Energy Commission, etc), private conservation organizations (Nature Conservancy, etc.) and innumerable environmental consulting and biotech companies.
40th Anniversary Alumni Survey
We are making a special effort to reconnect with all of our alumni and would enjoy hearing from you! Please complete our alumni survey (pdf) and catch up on the latest alumni news. To see results of the survey so far, click here.
Research Questions
Research questions of interest to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service pertaining to endangered species within California. The list covers species and questions likely to appeal to graduate students looking for conservation research opportunities in California. Click here for more information.