Academics

The Department of Entomology offers many courses and seminars dealing with a broad range of entomological topics. Furthermore, the interdisciplinary nature of faculty interests creates a diverse set of research topics, ranging from neuroethology to biological control and everything in between. If it has something to do with an insect, chances are someone at the University of Illinois is studying it! Below you will find information on the courses offered at the University of Illinois Department of Entomology. For a more complete list of classes offered in the School of Integrative Biology see this page.

The over 30 faculty and affiliates in the department offer a very broad range of topics for study. Emeritus faculty continue to be an integral part of the intellectual atmosphere of the department, and our association with the Illinois Natural History Survey makes our department one of the most challenging and diverse in the country.

Courses Currently Offered by Department of Entomology Faculty

  • IB 109: Insects and People - This courses teaches the fundamentals of insect biology as reflected in human culture; insect physiology, ecology, and behavior are discussed in the context of art, literature, movies, medicine, sports, law, and history. An optional two-hour laboratory for 1 hour additional credit. This course is worth 3 or 4 hours.

  • IB 220: Introduction to Applied Entomology - Lectures, laboratory, and field trips cover the biology of insects and the recognition and management of insect pests of agricultural, forest, and urban ecosystems. This course covers insect structure and physiology, classification, life histories, behavior, and pest management. It is worth 3 credit hours.

  • IB 280: The Insects of Forest and Landscape Trees, Shrubs, and Flowers - This course features the basic ecology and life histories of insects and mites of trees, shrubs, and flowers presented in lectures, accompanied by slide and video presentations, a multimedia computer program, and specimen examinations in the laboratory sessions. Cultural, biological, and chemical control strategies also are presented, and local campus field collecting trips taken.

  • IB 401: Introduction to Entomology - This course is made up of lectures and labs featuring integrated studies of the principal morphological, physiological, ecological and behavioral relationships among insects. This is a course for biology majors and related fields, and includes techniques of insect collection and taxonomy as well as laboratory studies of all aspects of insect lives.

  • IB 427: Insect Physiology - Study of the principal physiological and biochemical functions of insects. Lecture and laboratory. This course is one of the five core courses in the entomology graduate program.

  • IB 444: Insect Ecology - Discussion of the practical and theoretical aspects of ecology in relation to insects as individuals, populations, and communities; emphasis on the role of insects in the environment. This course is one of the five core courses in the entomology graduate program.

  • IB 466: Invertebrate Zoology - Covers the evolution and classification of invertebrates.

  • IB 468: Classification and Evolutionary History of Insects - Analytical survey of the classification and evolution of the orders and principal families of insects, with practical experience in the identification of insects at these taxonomic levels; field trips required. Lecture and laboratory. This course is one of the five core courses in the entomology graduate program.

  • IB 481: Biology of Disease Vectors - Examines the major groups of arthropods and associated pathogens that affect the health and well-being of humans and other animals. Training will include identification, classification, methods of injury, habits, vector competence, and control of insects, ticks and mites that are predators, parasites, or vectors of disease. The course will examine and use both classical and molecular technologies to address epidemiological, ecological, and diagnostic factors associated with arthropod-borne diseases.

  • IB 482: Fundamentals of Insect Pest Management - Study of the principles underlying the control of important insect pests of agriculture and of human and animal health; emphasis on integrated pest management involving a systems approach which combines biological, cultural, and chemical suppressive factors into ecologically sound and socially and economically acceptable technology. Lecture and laboratory. This course is one of the five core courses in the entomology graduate program.

  • IB 483: Insect Pathology - Examines the general principles of pathology as they apply to insects; includes non-infectious and infectious diseases caused by viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa, and nematodes. Studies the epizootiology of naturally occurring insect disease and the use of insect pathogens as microbial control agents. Lecture and laboratory.

  • IB 484: Biological Control of Insect Pests - Examines the use of biological methods for the control of insect pests; emphasizes the use of natural enemies in control programs; and discusses life history characteristics of parasitoids and predators, ecological principles of population regulation, techniques and protocols in implementation of control programs and related topics.

  • IB 504: Genomic Analysis of Insects - Comprehensive and integrated presentation of insect genomic analysis from the molecular level to that of the population; concepts are applied to certain aspects of insect population regulation. This course is one of the five core courses in the entomology graduate program.

  • IB 526: Seminar in Entomology - Each semester a different faculty member chairs a small group of students that discuss, review, and critique papers in a specific field of entomology. Previous topics have included "Caste Determintation in Social Insects," "Steroid receptors and Insect Metamorphosis," and "Insect Toxicology." Each graduate student must complete three different semesters of these small group discussions.