<p>I'm attending UC Davis and am really interested in the Evolution, Ecology, & Biodiversity program, but I am really hesitant to go for a degree in it with all the negative talk about getting a degree in biology, so is it as bleak for ecology majors? I am most interested in research by the way but would also love to work for some kind of nonprofit.</p>
<p>Research in such a field is almost completely restricted to PhDs. I’ve never heard of an ecology major. Is it similar to an Enviro Sci major or is it related to biological science departments?</p>
<p>The degree is called Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity and yeah, it’s in the college of biosci</p>
<p>There are definitely limited options with a bachelor’s degree in ecology. Your main options, I think, would be going to graduate school, becoming a teacher, or working for some sort of state/federal agency (like, for example, the Department of Natural Resources).
Teaching is a different type of challenge in its own right. (That’s what my dad ended up doing after getting his degree in botany from UC Davis - high school science.) I don’t know if that’s the type of thing you’d be looking for. And job prospects are tough for teachers right now, with constant budget cuts.
Working for the government is also… Well, just look at the fact that we don’t have a government right now. It’s extremely difficult to get a position. A cousin of mine and his wife both have degrees in a similar field and have now spent almost 2 years since graduation working seasonal positions all over the country to try to get their foot in the door, but there’s never enough funding.</p>
<p>Basically, the funding climate isn’t great for either biology or ecology. God, this is depressing. OK, I’m going to go mope in a corner now about my own career prospects.</p>
<p>Biology itself is such an inapplicable major, further dividing it into something like Evolution, Ecology, and Biodiversity would yield abysmal job prospects with a bachelor’s degree.</p>
<p>The only place I could see working with an ecology degree and governmental agencies like the Parks service, Department of natural resources, or similar various state/local agencies. You are pretty limited to government or academia and there aren’t many jobs to go arround.</p>