Program Overview

Overview of the Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Program

The Ecology and Evolutionary Biology program at Princeton University is designed to lead to the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.). The program focuses on areas such as evolution and genomics, ecology and the environment, behavior and organismal biology, conservation biology, and infectious disease.

Program Details

Program Length and Application Deadline

• The program length is 5 years.
• The application deadline is December 1, 11:59 p.m. Eastern Standard Time, for enrollment beginning in fall 2026.
• The application fee is $75.
• The GRE General Test and Biology Subject Test are optional and not required.

Program Structure

• The program is designed to develop both the breadth and depth of understanding that will enable graduates to respond to future advances in the field.
• Students acquire detailed knowledge and techniques needed to become effective scientists.
• Each student is guided in developing a comprehensive but flexible course of preparation that meets their educational needs and goals.

Courses and Requirements

• New students work with a graduate committee to develop an individual course work and research program.
• All students must enroll in five departmental core courses in their first year.
• By the end of their second year, students must complete a total of eight core courses, including the field course on tropical ecology and the Responsible Conduct in Research (RCR) course.
• Students may take graduate or undergraduate courses in the department or relevant courses in any other department.
• Additional undergraduate courses may be recommended if a student shows an academic deficiency.

Seminars, Colloquia, and Integrated Research Seminars

• Students enjoy the benefits of an excellent series of seminars and colloquia throughout the year.
• These colloquia feature Princeton faculty, students, and outside speakers and are often given by eminent visiting scientists.
• Colloquia are intended to expand the student’s educational experience beyond the bounds of expertise found in the local Princeton community and keep the faculty and students abreast of the latest developments in their field.

Research and Thesis Adviser

• New students are encouraged to begin research projects as soon as possible.
• New students work with the Director of Graduate Studies (DGS) to identify a temporary research adviser and research project.
• Generally, by the end of the second semester, and certainly by the end of the first full year, each student must select a permanent dissertation adviser who will supervise work on the dissertation research.

General Exam

• The general examination is normally taken in the spring of the second year of study.
• The general examination consists of an oral examination, which typically lasts about three hours.
• The oral examination is conducted by the student’s dissertation committee, which is chosen in advance by the student and the adviser and is normally composed of four or five Princeton faculty members.

Qualifying for the M.A.

• The Master of Arts (M.A.) degree is normally an incidental degree on the way to full Ph.D. candidacy and is earned after a student successfully passes the general examination.
• It may also be awarded to students who, for various reasons, leave the Ph.D. program, provided that this requirement has been met.

Teaching

• All graduate students are required to teach at least two terms during the first four years of the program.
• Students who are not supported by an external fellowship must teach an additional two terms.

Post-Generals Requirements

• Yearly Committee Meetings: After the general examination, the dissertation committee continues to meet with the graduate student at least once a year to discuss the student's research.
• Students are expected to prepare a short written summary of their work before each of these meetings.

Dissertation and FPO

• In order to complete the Ph.D., a student consults with the committee members who evaluate the student's dissertation.
• Once the committee approves the dissertation, the candidate has two weeks to prepare and present to the department a defense of the work in the final public oral examination for the doctoral degree.

Faculty

• The faculty includes:
  • Chair: Jonathan M. Levine
  • Director of Graduate Studies: C. Jessica E. Metcalf
  • Director of Undergraduate Studies: Robert M. Pringle
  • Professors: Andy P. Dobson, Andrea L. Graham, Bryan T. Grenfell, Lars O. Hedin, Simon A. Levin, Jonathan M. Levine, C. Jessica E. Metcalf, Robert M. Pringle, Carla Staver, Mary C. Stoddard, Corina E. Tarnita, David S. Wilcove, Bridgett M. vonHoldt
  • Associate Professors: Shane C. Campbell-Staton, Gerald G. Carter, Sarah D. Kocher, Lindy McBride, Christina P. Riehl
  • Assistant Professors: Bernard Y. Kim, Andrew H. Moeller, Tiago Simões

Permanent Courses

• The following are graduate-level courses that have been approved by the program’s faculty as well as the Curriculum Subcommittee of the Faculty Committee on the Graduate School as permanent course offerings:
  • EEB 502 - Fundamental Concepts in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior I
  • EEB 504 - Fundamental Concepts in Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior II
  • EEB 506 - Responsible Conduct in Research (Half-Term)
  • EEB 507 - Recent Research in Population Biology
  • EEB 521 - Tropical Ecology
  • EEB 522 - Colloquium on the Biology of Populations
  • EEB 531 - Advanced Vertebrate Biology
  • EEB 533 - Topics in Ecology
  • QCB 515 - Method and Logic in Quantitative Biology (also CHM 517/EEB 517/MOL 515/PHY 570)
  • SPI 586B - Topics in STEP (also EEB 516)