The department offers programs leading to the Master of Science and the Doctor of Philosophy degrees with a major in ecology and evolutionary biology. Instruction and research areas include animal behavior, community ecology, comparative genomics, evolutionary theory, functional morphology, molecular evolution, phylogenetic biology, physiological ecology, population genetics, population ecology, and systematics. Methods of research involve laboratory experiments, field observations and experiments, comparative biology, and computer and mathematical modeling. Organismal foci within the department involve the following groups: plants, vertebrates, arthropods and micro-organisms. Field work is facilitated by the following facilities: Coronado Ranch (in the Chiricahua Mountains), Desert Laboratory (on Tumamoc Hill, Tucson, Arizona), Marine Biology Station at Puerto Penasco (Sonora, Mexico), Research Ranch (Elgin, Arizona), Southwestern Research Station (Portal, Arizona), Santa Rita Experimental Station. The department maintains excellent collections of fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds, and mammals with strong representation in the fauna of the Southwest. An extensive herbarium is shared with the College of Agriculture. You must apply to both the department and the Graduate College. We encourage prospective students to contact individual faculty members directly. Applications should be submitted by December 8. Admission is normally approved only for students beginning their graduate studies with the fall semester. Applicants are encouraged to seek external financial support from institutions such as the National Science Foundation. The department will make every effort to offer financial aid in the form of teaching or research assistantships, traineeships, or fellowships. Course work, while necessary, is no substitute for scholarship. Accordingly, emphasis is placed on the student's ability to formulate and pursue original research problems. One course, Research in Ecology and Evolution (610a-610b), is required of all new graduate students. The remainder of the program is designed to meet the individual needs of each student. In addition to the courses listed below, the department offers courses in quantitative genetics, phylogenetic systematics, conservation biology, evolutionary morphology, plant physiological ecology, and animal sexual behavior.