STEM-classified degree: graduates are eligible for 3 years of Optional Practical Training (OPT) in the USA. The MS program in applied biological sciences offers advanced instruction in the ecology and sustainable management of natural and urban ecosystems. Rigorous programs of study involving field and laboratory work are custom-designed to apply ecological or biological principles to problems in species or ecosystem conservation. All programs culminate with the completion of a research-based thesis or applied project.The program is supported by faculty members with backgrounds in:desert horticultureecological restorationenvironmental microbiologyenvironmental stress physiologyplant-fungal ecologyplant systematicsriparian and stream ecologywildlife biology