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Environmental Biology

Turn your passion for wildlife, aquatic ecosystems, and conservation into a career. Every student gains hands-on internship/research experience with agencies, labs, and conservation organizations and graduates with career-ready with real-world skills.

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Environmental Biology

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Degree Level
Bachelor of Science
Delivery
In Person
Time to Degree
8 Semesters
Credit Hours
120 Total, 83 in Major
Careers
Scientists, Managers, Naturalists
Environmental Biology students at EIU

Why Study Environmental Biology at EIU?

  • Join one of seven student-run clubs, from medicine to sustainable energy
  • Learn from research-active faculty in small classes, not 200-student lecture halls
  • Prepare for Wildlife Society or American Fisheries Society certification
  • Work with a dedicated advisor to plan your path to a career, graduate school or a professional health program
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"I originally chose to attend Eastern Illinois University to pursue a general education. I quickly fell in love with the geography department, and specifically the weather portion. I started taking classes and decided to change my major to environmental/physical geography. I love the outdoors and everything that comes with geography. I heavily enjoyed doing weather research, as well as daily observations."
Samantha Huckstep
environmental/physical geography | Class of 2025

Hands-On Experience

  • Build professional credentials through Wildlife Society or American Fisheries Society pathways
  • Conduct research alongside faculty and present at regional or national conferences
  • Connect with peers through student-run clubs
  • Gain hands-on internship and research experience with agencies, labs and conservation organizations
Explore Courses
Hands-On Experience, Environmental Biology students at EIU

What You'll Learn

The Environmental Biology option in the B.S. in Biology turns a passion for wildlife, aquatic ecosystems and conservation into a career. It is a fit if you love being outdoors, enjoy fieldwork and science and want to protect natural resources.

Program 4-Year Sequence
View in Catalog
$73,010
Median Salary for These CareersMedian salaryThe median is the middle value: half of the people counted earn more and half earn less. It is an estimate for a typical graduate, not a promise of what you will earn. Pay varies by employer, location, experience and the specific job.

Career OutcomesCareer outcomesThese are example careers that graduates of this program often pursue, taken from the U.S. Department of Labor's O*NET occupation list. They are examples, not job guarantees, and many graduates work in other fields.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor

  • Conservation Scientists
  • Range Managers
  • Park Naturalists
  • Foresters
  • Forest & Conservation Technicians
  • Forestry & Conservation Science…
  • Zoologists & Wildlife Biologists
  • Bioinformatics Scientists
  • Molecular & Cellular Biologists

Career Insights

Job Outlook Average Outlook Average OutlookO*NET doesn't currently flag any of the careers linked to this program as Bright Outlook. That doesn't mean jobs aren't out there. It just means these careers aren't expected to grow quickly, don't have 75,000 or more projected openings, and aren't new and emerging.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor Grow Rapidly
Preparation Needed Considerable (4/5)Job Zone 4: Considerable preparationMost of these careers require a four-year bachelor's degree. They also tend to build on several years of work-related experience or training.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor
Personality Fit InvestigativeInvestigative interest typeYou like digging into how things work. This type of work involves researching and analyzing natural phenomena, living things, health problems or human behavior.Source: O*NET OnLine, U.S. Department of Labor

Connect With Us

Elliott Zieman
Chair and Associate Professor
eazieman@eiu.edu
2070 Life Science
217-581-1976
Elliott Zieman Message Elliott

Message Elliott

or email eazieman@eiu.edu directly
Eden Effert-Fanta
Associate Professor and Co-Director Center for Fisheries & Aquatic Sciences
eleffert@eiu.edu
1044 Life Sciences
Eden Effert-Fanta Message Eden

Message Eden

or email eleffert@eiu.edu directly
Billy Panther
Head of Panther Pride
Old Main
217-581-2223
Billy the Panther Message Billy

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or email billy@eiu.edu directly

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