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2025 Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in the Southeast Region

29 Colleges in the Southeast Region
1,589 Ecology Degrees Awarded
$43,540 Avg Early-Career Salary
A degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology is more popular than many other degrees. In fact, it ranks #103 out of 395 on popularity of all such degrees in the nation. So, you have a fair amount of options to choose from when looking for a school.

College Factual looked at 29 colleges and universities when compiling its 2025 Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in the Southeast Region ranking. When you put them all together, these colleges and universities awarded 1,589 degrees in ecology, evolution & systematics biology annually.

Jump to one of the following sections: * Degree-Level Rankings

Choosing a Great Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology School

Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in the Southeast Region Your choice of ecology, evolution & systematics biology school matters, so we have put together these rankings to help you make your decision. For our Best Overall Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology School rankings, we roll up the results of our degree-level rankings, weighted by the number of degrees awarded at that level.

You may want to choose one of the degree levels below to find the schools of most interest to you.

Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Rankings by Degree Level

Associate Degrees in Ecology
Bachelor's Degrees in Ecology
Master's Degrees in Ecology
Doctor's Degrees in Ecology

When choosing the right school for you, it's important to arm yourself with all the facts you can. To that end, we've created a number of major-specific rankings, including this Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Schools in the Southeast Region list to help you make the college decision. More interested in schools in a specific area of the country? Filter this list by region or state.

To further help you make the college decision, we've developed a unique tool called College Combat that allows you to compare schools based on the factors that matter the most to you. Go ahead and give it a try, or bookmark the link so you can check it out later.

Read more about College Factual's methodology.

Best Schools for Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology in the Southeast Region

Although we recommend filtering by degree level first, you can view the list below to see which schools give the educational experience for the ecology degree levels they offer.

10 Top Southeast Region Schools in Ecology

1
Duke crest
Duke University
Durham, NC
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
3rd Most Popular In NC

It is hard to beat Duke University if you wish to pursue a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology. Located in the large city of Durham, Duke is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #7 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Duke is a great university overall.

There were roughly 12 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at Duke in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Duke University

2
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
35 Ecology Degrees Awarded
$80,276 Median Starting Salary

It is difficult to beat University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill if you wish to pursue a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology. UNC Chapel Hill is a fairly large public university located in the city of Chapel Hill. A Best Colleges rank of #38 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UNC Chapel Hill is a great university overall.

There were about 35 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at UNC Chapel Hill in the most recent year we have data available. Degree recipients from the ecology, evolution & systematics biology major at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill earn $36,736 above the typical college grad with the same degree shortly after graduation.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

3
Emory crest
Emory University
Atlanta, GA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
174 Ecology Degrees Awarded
6.9% Growth in Graduates

Emory University is one of the best schools in the country for getting a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology. Located in the city of Atlanta, Emory is a private not-for-profit university with a fairly large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #31 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means Emory is a great university overall.

There were approximately 174 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at Emory in the most recent data year. Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology degree recipients from Emory University receive an earnings boost of approximately $22,488 over the typical earnings of ecology, evolution & systematics biology graduates.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Emory University

4
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
75 Ecology Degrees Awarded
8.0% Growth in Graduates

It's hard to beat University of Georgia if you wish to pursue a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology. Located in the midsize city of Athens, UGA is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #69 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UGA is a great university overall.

There were about 75 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at UGA in the most recent data year. Soon after graduating, ecology degree recipients generally make around $25,724 at the beginning of their careers.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Georgia

5
Vanderbilt crest
Vanderbilt University
Nashville, TN
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
4th Most Popular In TN

Vanderbilt is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large city of Nashville. A Best Colleges rank of #18 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means Vanderbilt is a great university overall.

There were approximately 7 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at Vanderbilt in the most recent data year.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from Vanderbilt University

6
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
74 Ecology Degrees Awarded
$25,881 Median Starting Salary

UofSC is a fairly large public university located in the city of Columbia. A Best Colleges rank of #99 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means UofSC is a great university overall.

There were approximately 74 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at UofSC in the most recent data year. After graduating, ecology degree recipients usually earn an average of $25,881 in the first five years of their career.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of South Carolina - Columbia

7
UF crest
University of Florida
Gainesville, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
5th Most Popular In FL

Located in the city of Gainesville, UF is a public university with a very large student population. A Best Colleges rank of #56 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means UF is a great university overall.

There were roughly 30 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at UF in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Florida

8
William & Mary crest
William & Mary
Williamsburg, VA
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
1st Most Popular In VA
20.0% Growth in Graduates

Located in the suburb of Williamsburg, William & Mary is a public school with a moderately-sized student population. A Best Colleges rank of #103 out of 2,152 colleges nationwide means William & Mary is a great school overall.

There were approximately 20 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at William & Mary in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from William & Mary

9
U Miami crest
University of Miami
Coral Gables, FL
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
172 Ecology Degrees Awarded
14.0% Growth in Graduates

U Miami is a fairly large private not-for-profit university located in the large suburb of Coral Gables. A Best Colleges rank of #175 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means U Miami is a great university overall.

There were about 172 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at U Miami in the most recent data year. Students who graduate with their degree from the ecology program state that they receive average early career wages of $37,956.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of Miami

10
Doctor's Degree Highest Degree Type
11th Most Popular In FL
37.5% Growth in Graduates

USF Tampa is a very large public university located in the city of Tampa. A Best Colleges rank of #198 out of 2,152 schools nationwide means USF Tampa is a great university overall.

There were about 16 ecology, evolution & systematics biology students who graduated with this degree at USF Tampa in the most recent year we have data available.

More information about a degree in ecology, evolution & systematics biology from University of South Florida - Main Campus

Best Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology Colleges by State

Explore the best ecology, evolution & systematics biology colleges for a specific state in the Southeast Region .

State Colleges Degrees Awarded
Georgia 287 272
Florida 282 511
North Carolina 279 175
Virginia 274 26
Tennessee 269 55
South Carolina 248 240
Kentucky 244 18
Louisiana 242 54
Mississippi 234 29
Arkansas 234 1
Alabama 233 58
West Virginia 207 9

View All Rankings >

One of 14 majors within the Biological & Biomedical Sciences area of study, Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology has other similar majors worth exploring.

Ecology Focus Areas

Major Annual Graduates
Marine Biology 884
Epidemiology 472
Ecology 114
Conservation Biology 44
Environmental Biology 31
Aquatic Biology/Limnology 13
Other Ecology, Evolution & Systematics Biology 13
Evolutionary Biology 9
Epidemiology and Biostatistics 7
Biological Systematics 2

View All Ecology Concentrations >

Related Major Annual Graduates
General Biology 27,563
Physiology & Pathology Sciences 2,621
Neurobiology & Neurosciences 2,194
Biochemistry, Biophysics & Molecular Biology 1,973
Biotechnology 1,515
Microbiological Sciences & Immunology 1,127
Biological & Biomedical Sciences (Other) 1,112
Biomathematics & Bioinformatics 581
Zoology 470
Cell Biology & Anatomical Sciences 415

View All Ecology Related Majors >

Notes and References

More about our data sources and methodologies.

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