<p>I'm not sure where to post this so I thought I would start here. I'm looking for smaller schools that would have a dept or a concentration in evolutionary biology. All the schools I have found so far are large publics or Ivy's. I'm a B student with good test scores that would prefer a smaller school or a liberal arts school.</p>
<p>On the College Board website, two that came up were Bennington College (VT) and Hampshire College (MA). But you will have to check both out yourself & see. These are both kind of alternative-do-it-yourself schools. You would have to be self-motivated to attend one of these schools-they aren’t for everybody!</p>
<p>Wofford has a strong Biology department, though I am not sure it has exactly what you are looking for.</p>
<p>thats a pretty specialized major.
Liberal arts colleges tend to be small. My daughters college- where biology is one of the largest depts- is only about 1200 students or so.
For many students- the whole reason to attend a lib arts college is to get a broader education- they will specialize in a field of biology in grad school.
D’s interest was evobio ( and astrobio) but she had a straight bio degree.</p>
<p>Evolutionary bio is usually (and wisely) within the developmental biology realm. SOme undergrad schools offer evo-devo majors, others keep it in the devo-molecular-realm.</p>
<p>I think evolutionary biology is ‘usually in the realm’ of population genetics.</p>
<p>I also think there is no need to seek a major in evolutionary biology at undergraduate level. Try to take as much genetics as possible and develop your mathematical skills.</p>
<p>Vassar has an Environmental Studies program. Catalog says its a multidisciplinary program involving natural and social sciences, arts and humanities.</p>
<p>I am currently in the field of ( restoration ecology/environment)
This is a * huge* area and overlaps engineering/business/civil/urban/rural/international/medical et.all… concerns & interests</p>
<p>A undergrad degree that gives you strong support in chemistry, biology as well as studies in social sciences as well, as Vassars degree does, will be a good base for this growing field.</p>
<p>check out Lehigh(brand new state of art bio building will be ready for class of 2014) and F&M – amazing labs</p>
<p>places NOT to look:</p>
<p>BJU
Liberty</p>
<p>I studied evolutionary biology, but it was in the context of a zoology concentration. Took a wonderful anatomy course that approached all the structures from an evolutionary development point of view. (Gill slits=>==>==>ears. I don’t remember what came before gill slits 
) Anyway, I took all the normal courses required for the degree, took some behavioral evolution courses as electives, genetics (required), and basically slanted the courses in my major in the direction that interested me.</p>
<p>But–this was in the context of a large U. Even at this well-known U, there was no concentration in evolutionary biology. You need the more general foundation to pursue the more focused studies of a post graduate program.</p>
<p>Rice University. </p>
<p>[Ecology</a> and Evolutionary Biology at Rice University Home](<a href=“Department of BioSciences | Wiess School of Natural Sciences | Rice University”>http://eeb.rice.edu/)</p>
<p>Thanks for all the great advice. I did a google search and found info about Rice. The problem is that although I have good test scores, I have around a 3.2 GPA so I don’t think I can get into Rice.</p>
<p>emeraldkity4 - what does your job involve?</p>
<p>biokid
My H went to a tiny school in VT called Marlboro, did his plan of concentration and ultimately ended up at Yale in the PhD program and got his doctorate in evolutionary biology/population ecology.</p>
<p>I spent lots of time at that school, it was (and still is) a wonderful place. Check out Marlboro. It is very self directed and they have fabulous faculty and visiting faculty and outside plan advisors from Harvard and Yale, among others.</p>
<p>agree with the advice - take genetics and math for evo-bio (or population ecology)</p>
<p>There are several highly regarded specialists teaching evolutionary biology at UCLA, including John Novembre and Stephen Hubbell.</p>
<p>Never mind, I see now that the OP is looking for a smaller school. However, anyone open to a large school should check out UCLA.</p>
<p>OP, try a summer program at Stone Lab! They let h.s. kids take college classes there. Part of Ohio State’s Ecology Evolutionary Biology program. On an island no less.
<a href=“http://stonelab.osu.edu/_media/stonelab/reference/sl-overview.pdf[/url]”>http://stonelab.osu.edu/_media/stonelab/reference/sl-overview.pdf</a></p>
<p>You are unlikely to find a Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at a smaller school or LAC. Instead, a smaller school or LAC will have a Department of Biology or Biological Sciences.</p>
<p>The reason you will find such a department at many larger schools is that knowledge in biological sciences has grown so much in recent years and become so specialized that many larger schools split their departments of biology into two separate departments: Ecology & Evolutionary Biology and Molecular Biology, to use some of the more common names. The size of a department is also a factor in determining whether such a split occurred at a particular school. In general, courses at the suborganism level became the course offerings in the molecular biology department and those at the organismic and population level became the course offerings in the ecology & evolution dept. Some larger schools (e.g., Stanford) continue to have a unified department of biology. Other larger schools have a more traditional split into a department of botany and a department of zoology. You can study those topics in either one, depending on whether you are interested in plants or animals.</p>
<p>You can study ecology and evolution in almost any department of biology at a smaller school. A particular department may not have the numbers of courses in those areas that a larger school will have, but you can certainly study these topics. Some schools that have just a department of biology, also have a subconcentration in ecology & evolution. </p>
<p>Ecology & Evolution departments cover a broad range of topics. You didn’t indicate which aspects interest you. However, you will find courses in genetics, ecology, evolution, comparative anatomy, comparative embryology, animal behavior, animal physiology, etc. in most general departments of biology at smaller schools and LACs. Such courses are relevant for a specialization in ecology & evolution. If ecology is your main interest, you will usually find relevant cognate courses on environmental topics in many departments. If evolution is your main interest, you will find relevant cognate courses in anthropology and geology. Whether you attend a small school with a general department of biology or a large school which splits its departments into molecular biology and ecology & evolution, usually you will be required to take some coursework in the major levels of biological organization from the subcellular/cellular to organismic to population levels.</p>
<p>Some LACs supplement their course offerings in these areas by offering summer field courses, some of which are overseas (e.g., tropical biology). Sometimes, these courses are offered by a consortium of several similar LACs, e.g., Great Lakes College Association or Associated Colleges of the Midwest. Other summer programs are offered by marine labs and open to qualified students from any college.</p>
<p>So, the answer to your question is that you should be able to find more than enough relevant courses in a department of biology at any good LAC.</p>
<p>The Evergreen State College is a unique college that has programs in evolution and ecology. It is a very challenging school that accepts 3.2 GPA students. Students take comprehensive cross disciplinary courses of study rather than individual courses.
[Evolutionary</a> Ecology at Evergreen](<a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2008-09/programs/evolutionaryecology]Evolutionary”>http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2008-09/programs/evolutionaryecology)
<a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2009-10/programs/sexandevolution[/url]”>http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2009-10/programs/sexandevolution</a>
<a href=“http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2009-10/programs/individualstudyornithologyzoologyecologyevolution[/url]”>http://www.evergreen.edu/catalog/2009-10/programs/individualstudyornithologyzoologyecologyevolution</a></p>