The department offers a B.A. and a B.S. degree. The B.A. program is intended for students who are interested in ecology, evolution, and organismal diversity as part of a liberal education but do not intend to pursue graduate work in the discipline. The B.S. program is designed for students planning to attend medical or veterinary school or to pursue graduate study in ecology and evolutionary biology, other biological disciplines, or the environmental sciences. The two programs share the same prerequisites and core requirements but differ in their electives and senior requirements.

Students majoring in EEB select one of two tracks. The requirements for Track 1 emphasize courses appropriate for careers in ecology, evolutionary biology, and environmental science; Track 2 is most appropriate for premedical and preveterinary students because it allows them to use as electives many courses required by medical schools. The EEB major offers opportunities for independent research in both laboratory-based and field-based scientific investigations.