Animal Behavior Minor
Contact
Zach Olson, Ph.D.
Assistant Academic Director, School of Psychology and Brain Sciences
zolson@une.edu
Mission
The Animal Behavior program prepares students to be critical, flexible thinkers who evaluate and integrate information, and who use the scientific method to better understand proximate and ultimate drivers of behavior, to improve the lives of animals and human-animal interactions, and to conserve the species.
The Animal Behavior program realizes its mission through a rigorous interdisciplinary curriculum, a focus on career readiness and internship experiences, and by challenging students with opportunities for undergraduate research both in and out of the classroom. Specifically, the interdisciplinary curriculum is designed to build concept and skill mastery in the discipline of animal behavior and includes coursework in the fields of psychology (the student of behavior and mental processes) and biology (the study of the living world; including marine and environmental sciences), among other disciplines.
By the time students graduate, they will know how to think like scientists and be able to effectively articulate focal animal behavior concepts in writing and in speech. Our students will also practice ethical and socially responsible professionalism that will see them through unpredictable career paths. Importantly, the Animal Behavior program will push students intellectually by providing opportunities for research in the classroom as well as outside of the classroom setting, and in doing so will create graduates who are career-ready but also professionally flexible; able to enter the workforce and pursue graduate education.
Program Description
A student with GPA of at least 2.25 and a major at UNE may minor in Animal Behavior with the approval of the Assistant Academic Director in the School of Psychology and Brain Sciences. Declarations must occur prior to the completion of the first semester of the junior year. Completing a major and a minor within the School is possible with careful planning and close consultation with the Assistant Academic Director and/or Academic Advisor. To ensure that each credential represents a substantive and independent program of study, overlap between majors and minors, including core requirements, should be kept to a minimum. A minimum of 18 hours of approved course credit with a minimum grade of C- in each course is required for the minor in Animal Behavior.
Transfer Credit
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANB 335 | Comparative Animal Behavior | 3 |
| ANB 384 & 384L | Animal Learning and Behavior and Animal Learning and Behav Lab | 4 |
| PSY 105 | Introduction to Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 365 | Biological Bases of Behavior | 3 |
| One Organismal Topic Course | 3-4 | |
| Animal Behavior Elective(s) | 3-4 | |
| Total Hours | 19-21 | |
Program-Specific Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANB 278 | Captive Animal Management | 3 |
| ANB 371 | Conservation Behavior | 3 |
| ANB 372 | Foraging Behavior | 3 |
| BIO 232 | Microbiology | 4 |
| BIO 235 | Winter Natural History | 4 |
| BIO 333 | Evolution | 3 |
| BIO 345 | Gen Prin Anat/Phys/PathophysII | 5 |
| BIO 350 | Ecology | 4 |
| BIO 422 & 422L | Coral Biology and Coral Biology Lab | 4 |
| BIO 459 & 459L | Conserv and Ecol Caribbean Isl and Conserv and Ecol of Caribbean | 4 |
| ENV 208 | Climate Change: Causes, Consequences, and Solutions | 3 |
| ENV 250 | Envir Policy Compar Perspect | 3 |
| ENV 318 | Advanced Field Methods in Avian Ecology & Conservation | 4 |
| ENV 319 | Practicum in Field Ecology | 1 |
| ENV 356 | Terrestrial Wildlife Eco/Cons | 4 |
| MAR 250 | Marine Biology | 4 |
| MAR 252 | Natural History of Marine Mammals | 3 |
| MAR 376 | Bio of Sharks, Skates, Rays | 3 |
| MAR 428 | Marine Conservation | 3 |
| MAR 436 & 436L | Natural History of Iceland and Natural History of Iceland | 4 |
| PHY 110 & PHY 110L | General Physics I w/Lab and | 4 |
| PHY 111 & PHY 111L | General Physics II w/Lab and | 4 |
| PSY 205 | Abnormal Psychology | 3 |
| PSY 226 | Motivation & Emotion | 3 |
| PSY 245 | (Evolutionary Psychology) | 3 |
| PSY 305 | Special Topics Seminar (with program approval) | 3 |
| PSY 316 | (Psychology of Consciousness) | 3 |
| PSY 325 | Psychology of Aging | 3 |
| PSY 364 | Soc & Emotion Dev in Childhood | 3 |
| PSY 370 | Drugs, Society, and Behavior | 3 |
| PSY 383 | Memory & Cognition | 3 |
| PSY 406 | (Special Topics in Animal Behavior) | 3 |
Organismal Topic Options
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ANB 372 | Foraging Behavior | 3 |
| BIO 222 | Finfish/Shellfish Culture Tech | 4 |
| BIO 223 | Hlth, Nutr, Feed Cultured Org | 4 |
| BIO 235 | Winter Natural History | 4 |
| BIO 257 & 257L | Costa Rica: Tropical Forests and Costa Rica: Tropic Forests Lab | 4 |
| BIO 305 & 305L | Mammalogy and Mammalogy Lab | 4 |
| BIO 319 | Ornithology | 4 |
| BIO 330 | (Comp Vert Anatomy) | 4 |
| ENV 318 | Advanced Field Methods in Avian Ecology & Conservation | 4 |
| ENV 356 | Terrestrial Wildlife Eco/Cons | 4 |
| MAR 436 & 436L | Natural History of Iceland and Natural History of Iceland | 4 |
| PSY 406 | (Special Topics in Animal Behavior) | 3 |
Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.