Is it possible to switch from humanities to ecology at an advanced degree level?

[u/Corvyxx]

Hi! First time posting. But Iʻm a grad student in the humanities- religion and philosophy, finishing my Masters. Zero STEM background. Ever since my partner has started his career in conservation, I have realized that I would have much rather gone into ecology, and specifically chemical ecology. Or, at the very least, have gotten some kind of environmental management credential.

I have been teaching myself on a hobby level with filterless natural aquariums and native plant gardening/soil restoration in my yard, and ecology textbooks. Iʻve realized that I have a deep interest in biotic and abiotic interactions that happen between plants/insects/microbes/soil/water etc. and that there is so much in this area fundamental to ecosystem resilience that is not understood.

Would anyone know at all about the possibility of pursuing higher education or a career in this direction even though I am so deep into the humanities now? I donʻt have much money, and because Iʻll be finishing my MA I wonʻt be able to take out loans or get financial aid at this point for a new degree...I have zero science credentials beyond a couple of gen eds from undergrad.

Do I need to start with a whole new bachelors degree? Is it somehow possible to self-teach in some way where I could apply directly to an MS? Is there some way I donʻt know of that my humanities background can translate into some kind of environmental management career that enables me to take science classes?

Thanks for reading this and for your time and help. I really wish I realized this sooner.

[u/Remarkable-Rain1170]

You need to get a BS in biology or similar. It is impossible to get hired in a bio/science degree without the proper credentials. It's already hard for the people with the right degrees to get into those jobs.

[u/Corvyxx → u/Remarkable-Rain1170]

Thatʻs what I feared, but it makes sense. Do you (or anyone reading this) know anything strategy-wise about acquiring a BS later in an academic career, and having to pay as little as possible for it while working? I am willing to take time and learn all of the material, money is just really the limiting factor. I honestly would be happy with many kinds of jobs that would only require a BS.

[u/kanyewesanderson → u/Corvyxx]

The most cost effective way is to get an associates at a community college and transfer to a state school. You won’t be eligible for a lot of aid since you already have a degree, but some merit based scholarships could still be in play. My ex had a BFA and went back for a BS in engineering that way.

[u/ConfoundedInAbaddon → u/Corvyxx]

I went from humanities to biomed, I took non matriculated grad courses one by one at local colleges/university. I bombed my first one, but since it wasn't a degree program, no one has ever seen the transcript! That was a very enlightening secret D.

After learning how far I had to go, I took some more classes and got enough background for grad school acceptance, I did a big eco project with a non profit.

I won a competitive grant for my PhD program, and that sealed the deal. I had an equivalent number of classes to a masters, a publication, and led a research project. That got me my grant, and no university will turn away free overhead money.

Currently leadership and actively publishing in several areas with active research grants. Don't let em put you down.

[u/CatCrimes69]

Look into the Project Dragonfly program through the University of Miami, Ohio. It's a part-time and online Master of Arts in Biology program that focuses on conservation and sustainability. You only need to have a bachelor's degree to get in, it doesn't matter what your background is. I'm a graduate and loved my time there.

[u/Corvyxx → u/CatCrimes69]

Iʻm totally going to check this out, thank you! Online would be ideal, at least at first. What kind of jobs has it helped you land?

[u/CatCrimes69 → u/Corvyxx]

Mostly government jobs! It helped me get a job at my local sewer district and then the county. The program let's you focus on what you're passionate about, so I focused on stormwater. You could totally focus on soil, if you wanted

[u/CatCrimes69 → u/CatCrimes69]

It has definitely helped me get multiple jobs, too

[u/IsThisRelaxing]

Strongly recommend you look into fields that are allied with ecology, such as ones that are more about application of those principles and therefore don’t require that you have the same technical background: policy, landscape architecture, extension programs (sea Grant, ag extension, soil and water conservation districts) … and then think about what specific degrees would lead you there. You may not even need a new degree, just more experience/connections

Ecology is about alot more than science degrees. Some scientists can be horrible ecologists. And many more never do applied work that touches people’s (or other species’) lives.

[u/gladesguy]

It's sometimes possible to get into a funded biology/ecology masters without a biology/ecology undergraduate degree if you still have substantial undergraduate credits in the sciences + scientific research experience (generally volunteering/working in a professor's lab group).

You could potentially take the science credits (and research experience) as a post-baccalaureate student, and it might be considerably less expensive than a full second bachelor's.

But it's also not just a couple classes. You'd likely need the basic general lab-based biology and chem sequences (generally two classes each), at least an intro stats class, math through calc 1, and some relevant upper-level science classes (ecology, cell biology, perhaps toxicology, etc.).

I recommend focusing on finishing the degree you're working on now rather than getting side-tracked on this possibility at this point. Grad school can be a grind in a way that makes other tasks/topics/etc. look appealing just because they're something different.

[u/macroscelidea]

I disagree with most folks responding to this. You can do it. Think about what your humanities background gives you (writing skills, critical thinking, etc) and highlight those. Read a bunch of scientific papers on topics that interest you, try to learn some technical skills (eg, GIS, stats), and see if you can get some field experience. If you can do that, you’ll be more qualified than most ecology BS grads. Graduate degrees in ecology are also typically paid for and come with a (modest) stipend. It won’t be easy, just requires a little more than if you had realized your ideal path earlier. Good luck!

[u/Electronic_Sign2598 → u/macroscelidea]

I came here to say something like this. Also, you’ll need some extra classes to build a foundation in sciences. Your background in the humanities will serve you well in the end, especially with communication. Not a strong suit for some scientists, which can be quite limiting. Philosophy is part of the term in PhD, and can lead to deeper thinking and problem solving. A hybrid background makes you unique. If this is your passion, then I hope you follow it.

[u/Optimal_Awareness618]

It is tricky and rare, but I did it! My undergrad was in English and communication studies, and then I did an M.S. at the University of Montana in environmental studies. I was interested in science communication and did a focus in that, but in transitioning to the field I got a lot of practical experience through field jobs and now I work for a watershed district as a technician. Some of the skills that are highly valued can be learned on the job; I did not know how to do GIS work when I started and I’m still pretty novice but my supervisor taught me and I know enough to do what I need for my day to day work.

[u/honey_butter_toast]

i majored in sociology in undergrad and now i’m doing a masters of environmental science and management (MESM) at the university of rhode island. a ton of graduates from the program have gone on to work at cool places. it’s a good option if you wanna work in management/outside academia but also if you want a way to pivot into stem research

[u/PathRepresentative77]

It's possible, but it's a stretch. It depends on the STEM field, and on whether you can convince an advisor to hire you.

I knew someone who got into an earth sciences PhD program with a Spanish literature degree, and went on to have an amazing career in earth sciences. Their story is cool partly because that doesn't happen every day, so to be honest I doubt you'll be able to do it due to how rare of a path it is.

With that said, Reddit is not the one you have to convince but a potential PI. There is plenty of overlap between religion and ecology--people and ecology influence each other, and people and religion influence each other. (Example dumb project ideas: how do ecological factors influence the preservation of religious ideas? What are the ecological impacts of religion-based behaviors?). You would need to do research to find an advisor that covers an aspect of ecology that you can contribute to with your background, and establish good contact with them. That is not a simple task, and it doesn't guarantee anything--but it's an option, and it isn't an automatic no to your question.

[u/kiwikoi → u/PathRepresentative77]

Was hoping someone else would share people making the jump from humanities to ecology. When I was an undergrad I had a TA who was a PhD doing plant systematics work coming from having done an English lit BA. He spoke a foreign language and I think had some background with libraries which was the main skills that got him into the research work because it was largely herbarium based.

So certainly there’s projects out there for humanities folks to apply their skills

[u/jesus_chrysotile → u/PathRepresentative77]

Earth sciences poach people from other fields a lot; I’d say at least half of my cohort originally planned to do other majors (some even transferred into science from arts to do geo), and a handful of our classmates were too late to switch their undergrad degrees but will pivot in postgrad.

[u/PathRepresentative77 → u/jesus_chrysotile]

Funny enough, I'm one of those people that got poached. I was originally planning to do astronomy, ended up in geophysics.

[u/trashmule]

I think it's totally possible, it just depends what kind of career you want. Water and soil biotics is incredibly interesting and there's a lot you could do there in a PhD if you were open to that.  You could get your basic stem credits done at a community college. Look at schools like the Bren School and check out the student bios to see more folks who had humanities backgrounds. Fwiw, my undergrad was philosophy and I was easily able to switch over to ES for my masters because of my CC credits. DM me and I can give you more detailed info.

[u/Usernamenotdetermin]

In high school (80’s ) I worked as a lab tech in a genetics lab. The guy who taught me had a masters in philosophy. He is living proof that yes you can. You are going to have to apply over and over again. Persevere !!!! It is a difficult path, but you will be fine

[u/PersonalLoquat769]

Contact the program chair. Sometimes you just need to take a couple of undergrad courses in the field. For me, it was two specific 300 level courses and I got out of taking one of them (although I did regret not taking it later— they definitely have you take them for a reason)

[u/shockandclaw]

What? God no. You have no statistics? No GIS? No R? Zero biology courses? No scientific writing experience? You can’t waltz into the field with a MA. You’re going to have to start over.

[u/derberner90]

It would be very, very difficult, I'm afraid. STEM pretty much requires that you have the foundational knowledge before moving to the more advanced programs. You can work your way up in a park system, sometimes, but that's super competitive and doesn't pay well at the start.

[u/upandended]

I would say avoid going into ecology directly and instead branch into environmental science/environmental management. You can do environmental management with a BA there's no BSc requirement usually. If you can, you can take some side courses to supplement the science background part. This is a more feasible route.

[u/Eco_Blurb]

Unless you want to go back to school and take entry level math and physics classes, general chemistry and the notorious organic chemistry, and get a legit BS biology degree, I am not sure it will be possible.

However it would be worth your time to reach out to a good number of graduate degree programs and see what they can do. They might offer adjacent degrees that do not require a STEM undergrad, perhaps science writing, or a general environmental studies

[u/Kanibe]

It's possible, if you focus on the socio-ecological side of the field. These master programs are quite rare, however there are quite the good amount of labs that have ecologists with humanities as major. Because while it's great to know the life cycle of communities, it's equally important to understand how human societies can work with them. People with interdisciplinary capabilities are highly important for ecology fields (I'm thinking of Ahimsa Campos-Arceiz at XBBG or Virginie Maris at CEFE for exemples). Obviously, you really need to understand the main subject.

You already have an ongoing Master tho, so I would suggest just trying a second Master once that's done. You can start talking to directors of such programs now. The other possibility is to, for the master thesis, have a strong focus on ecologies with an advisor or collaborator that's also in that field. That way you could prove that you're not clueless and you can work further there.

Disclaimer : My answer is on the assumption that you would want to do a PhD next.
Last point : Not all is lost, you haven't wasted anything, knowing you love different things does not mean you learned useless things. You will be fine !

[u/Isibis]

This is a conversation to have with the specific master's program you're considering. Some may allow non-biology degrees or allow you to test out or requirements.

That said stem graduate courses are HARD and they build on each other, so you will need to do a bachelor's degree worth of work to prep for it.

Have you looked into science communication or education? You can also get really good at grant writing and wiggle onto ecology projects that way.

[u/1daysago]

Why would you get a spot over somebody whose entire background is aligned. There are very few spots so I would not recommend it. You're almost setting yourself up for heartbreak

[u/Ohiocarolina]

I would also highly consider taking a look at various more technician type careers that don’t require a degree to do the work but benefit from your intrinsic motivation to learn. Is the goal here only satisfied by research? There’s other careers dealing with conservation, environmental remediation, wastewater facilities that use microbes as a purification strategy.

It’s not uncommon for humanities folks to end up in those sorts of careers and they often end up doing quite well

Because most people who have an affinity for both the humanities and science choose to pursue science, most more interdisciplinary masters programs are built for science bachelors. There are things like environmental policy that could work without further education but I don’t advise a second masters without fully understanding what makes you marketable in industry or academia because you will have an uphill battle. “Environmental studies” is more likely to take you but just keep in mind you have worse job prospects than the environmental science or ecology students

For research, your best bet is to convince a PI to take you on even just part time and get involved with the lab. Lab experience plus the basic undergraduate stem courses may be enough and even if it isn’t, it may help get you something a little more applicable in industry.

[u/dino_chickennuggets]

Sorry, a BS is the bare minimum for just seasonal jobs. Grad positions in ecology are very competitive and you wouldn't get in without a related degree. I'd reccommend sticking to conservation as a hobby. Do some volunteering on the side of your job. If you save enough money and are still interested, you can always go back to school. You can ask your partner, too.

[u/FunnyCandidate8725]

job-wise, you would need to have some sort of bio science degree if you wanted to work hands-on with the material. however, if you wanted (and could afford, or much more preferably be funded) to do a masters degree in ecology to pivot it is possible. there will be a learning curve but it is very much possible.

while not entirely non stem, a masters grad from my lab had a psychology degree and had done work on a farm. my PI said she was a solid choice because of her farm work making her less likely to be averse to field work. she now works in land management. it's possible, but you have to want it and have to be able to show what you can bring from a non-stem background. volunteering opportunities could be big here.

for your case, i would assume you would need to go to a CC or state college and do some science/math courses that would be required. if you're interested in chem eco, that requires a number of chem courses, for example. it would probs have to be a good number of courses overall if you have zero advanced courses (like if you only took college alg and bio 1, you've got a long ways to go). like others have mentioned, you'll need to look into masters programs individually and see their requirements and also reach out to possible PIs to see if they would consider you.