BS Conservation Biology

Overview

In the Conservation Biology concentration, you will learn to analyze the social, economic, and biological challenges inherent in addressing biodiversity problems.

Hidden Gem: NEC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program

For more than a decade, NEC’s Summer Undergraduate Research Program (SURP) has been quietly helping students embark on their science and healthcare careers. Each summer, students do real research and present their work at the NH-INBRE Conference.

SURP is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), specifically the IDeA Network of Biological Research Excellence (INBRE) grant, which encourages students to pursue graduate programs in biomedical research. The program offers NEC’s students in Biology, Biology—Conservation Biology, Health Science, Kinesiology, Psychology, and Psychology—Human Services the opportunity to do paid research alongside NEC faculty members during the eight-week program.

“We have enough funding to pay approximately 12 students each year,” explains Dr. James Newcomb, Professor of Biology and Health Science and Co-Director of the Center for Undergraduate Science Research, “And every year, we have more applicants than we have spots available.”

Read the Full Story

Faculty

  • Eric Simon

    Professor, Biology and Health Science
    Office: Science Building 212-C, Henniker Campus
    Phone: 603.428.2271
    Email: esimon@nec.edu
    Professional website: ericjsimon.com

    Expertise
    Dr. Simon is the author of the introductory non-majors’ biology textbooks Biology: The Core, the lead author of Campbell Essential Biology and Campbell Essential Biology with Physiology, and a co-author of the introductory biology textbook Campbell Biology: Concepts and Connections, all published by Pearson Education.

    Educational Background
    PhD in Biochemistry, Harvard University
    MA in Biology, Wesleyan University
    BA in Biology and Computer Science, Wesleyan University

    Research Interests
    His research focuses on innovative ways to use technology to improve teaching and learning in the science classroom, particularly among non-science major students.

    Bio
    Dr. Simon teaches introductory biology to both science majors and non-science majors, as well as human biology, tropical marine biology, careers in science, and TA training. Dr. Simon also teaches a variety of international travel courses to destinations such as Belize, Patagonia, Galapagos, Tanzania, and Cuba.

  • James Newcomb

    Professor, Biology and Health Science and Co-Director of Center for Undergraduate Science Research
    Office: Science Building 116C, Henniker Campus
    Phone: 603.428.2374
    Email: jnewcomb@nec.edu
    Professional website: sites.google.com/view/newcomblab

    Awards and Recent Press
    Recent grants include a $160,000 grant from National Institutes of Health/INBRE to study specific cellular junctions in neurons, in both mammalian and invertebrate preparations.

    Recent publications include a paper in Integrative Organismal Biology, reporting on the distribution and roles of a peptide neurotransmitter in a sea slug (Watson et al, 2020).

    Educational Background
    PhD in Biology, Georgia State University
    MS in Zoology, University of New Hampshire
    BS in Zoology, University of New Hampshire
    BS in Chemistry and Physics, Keene State College

    Research Interests
    My lab investigates the physiological mechanisms underlying behavior. Our latest projects include studies on cellular junctions, circadian rhythms, extraocular photoreception, non-invasive neural stimulation, and regeneration.

    Bio
    James Newcomb has been a professor at NEC since 2006. In 2019, he also became co-director of NEC’s Center for Undergraduate Science Research. He has maintained an externally funded research lab since 2010, during which time (as of 2020), he had obtained over $800,000 in extramural grants. As of 2020, he had published a total of 19 peer-reviewed publications (cited over 800 times), including 13 NEC students as co-authors, and been a co-author on 130 presentations at research conferences. He has also coauthored chapters for two different books. He is an Associate Editor for the journal Integrative Organismal Biology and Chair of the Division for Neurobiology, Neuroethology, and Sensory Biology of the Society for Integrative and Comparative Biology. Beyond the confines of post-secondary academia, he is also an elected School Board member for John Stark Regional High School.

Degree Requirements

Biology, Conservation Biology, B.S.

Download Course Requirements

Biology Core

(42 Credits)

  • BI 1110 - General Biology I

  • BI 1120 - General Biology II

  • BI 3000 - Careers in Science

  • BI 4030 - Research Thesis

    (4 credits required, normally taken over 2 terms.)

  • CH 2110 - General Chemistry I

  • CH 2120 - General Chemistry II

  • MT 1600 - Algebra and Trigonometry

  • MT 2310 - Statistics

  • PH 2210 - General Physics I

Organismal-Level Elective

Take one of the following:

  • BI 2050 - Zoology

  • or
  • BI 4010 - Ecology

Micro-level Elective

Take one of the following:

  • BI 2110 - Introduction to Bioinformatics

  • or
  • BI 3030 - Genetics

  • or
  • BI 3210 - Microbiology

Conservation Biology Courses

Conservation Biology Courses

(20 Credits)

  • BI 2060 - Marine Biology

  • BI 3340 (ES 3340) - Conservation Biology

  • ES 3850 - Geographic Information Systems

Conservation Biology Electives

Choose two of the following courses:

  • BI 2070 (ES 2070) - New England Natural History

  • ES 3300 - Research Methods

  • ES 3640 - Wetlands

  • ES 3850 - Geographic Information Systems

Liberal Arts & Sciences Core Curriculum, Bachelor's Degree

  • LAS 1000 - Bridges to Learning

  • WR 1010 - Composition

    or approved LAS Writing Course.

  • MT 1100 - Quantitative Reasoning

    (MT courses numbered higher than 1100 are acceptable)

  • LAS 1 (LAS 1110) - The Natural Environment - Understanding Our Place in the Natural World

  • LAS 2 (LAS 1120) - The Civic Environment - Democratic Values

  • LAS 3 (LAS 2110) - Creative Arts

  • LAS 4 (LAS 2120) - Social Sciences

  • LAS 5 (LAS 2130) - Natural and Biological Sciences

  • LAS 6 (LAS 2140) - Humanities

  • LAS 7 (LAS 3110) - Global Perspectives

  • LAS Elective Credits: 4 (One additional course that meets any LAS requirement or combination of two 2-credit approved electives.)

Electives

Select additional electives to reach 120 credits for a Bachelor's degree.

Henniker Campus

98 Bridge Street
Henniker, NH 03242

Manchester Campus

148 Concord Street
Manchester, NH 03104

603.428.2000

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$40,178 Per Year

International student tuition fee

4 Years

Duration

Jan 2025

Start Month

Dec 2024

Application Deadline

Upcoming Intakes

  • January 2025
  • May 2025
  • January 2026
  • May 2026

Mode of Study

  • Full Time