Department of Civil Service

Natural and Physical Sciences

Starting Salary

$46,529

Career Ladder Information

Biologists perform professional biological conservation work to protect, manage, and restore New York State's fish, wildlife, and marine species, and these species' habitats. Employees develop scientific expertise within the covered areas; apply general theories and principles of resource management to particular situations; evaluate ecological conditions and data; make recommendations; author various written products; interact with the public; perform administrative functions related to the area of purview; and may supervise subordinate staff. All positions exist within parenthetic titles that designate specialization in a certain area. Employees within the "Marine" parenthetic focus on marine fish or shellfish management and their habitat, and review and inspect projects (and reports related to projects); design and perform inspections and studies; propose or implement actions; respond to emergencies; and compile and analyze statistical data related to the areas of purview.

Trainees will receive a combination of structured training, on-the-job training, and/or practical job performance to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to function at the full performance level.

• Department of Environmental Conservation

A bachelor's or higher degree including or supplemented by 18 semester credit hours in algal ecology, apex predators, aquaculture mariculture, aquatic community ecology, biology of algae, biological oceanography, biology of commercially valuable seaweeds, biology of fishes, biology of marine plankton, biology of marine plankton ecology, biology of marine plankton physiology, biology of marine plankton taxonomy, biology and conservation of marine birds, biology and conservation of sea turtles, chemical oceanography, coastal botany, coastal ecology, coastal estuarine process, coastal oceanography, conservation and management of marine resources, conservation biology and marine biodiversity, crustacean biology and management, diseases of marine organisms, ecology of fishes, ecology, utilization and management of marine fishes, effects of powerplants, dredging, marine construction, pollutants, climate, etc., on marine biota and/or ecology, environmental microbiology, environmental toxicology and public health, estuarine processes, estuarine wetlands biology, estuarine wetlands ecology, estuarine wetlands management, experimental marine biology, field or lab method in: fisheries, marine science, marine biology, fish biology (marine), fish disease and disorders, fish physiology, fisheries economics, fisheries management, fisheries oceanography, fisheries population dynamics, fisheries science, fisheries sociology, fishery biology, fishery biology seminars, geological oceanography, ichthyology, internship in marine science, invertebrate marine zoology, laboratory method in: fisheries, marine science, marine biology, larval ecology (marine), living marine resources management seminars, long island marine habitats, long island sound science and use, management of marine fisheries, marine algal ecology, marine aquaculture mariculture, marine aquatic community ecology, marine benthos, marine biochemistry, marine geochemistry, marine biology, marine birds, marine chemistry, marine conservation, marine ecology, marine environmental toxicology, marine fish ecology, marine geology, marine invertebrates biology, marine invertebrates ecology, marine invertebrates taxonomy, marine mammals, marine microbial ecology, marine microbiology, marine operations and research, marine botany, marine phycology, marine phytoplankton ecology, marine phytoplankton biology, marine phytoplankton taxonomy, marine phytoplankton physiology, marine plankton ecology, marine plant ecology, marine wetland plant ecology, marine plan identification, marine pollution, marine productivity, marine resource management, marine science internship, marine wetlands biology, marine wetlands ecology, marine wetlands management, molluscan biology, molluscan immunology and pathology, ocean chemistry, oceanographic problem solving, physical chemical biology of marine organisms, physical oceanography, physiological ecology of marine algae, physiological ecology of marine organisms, plankton and productivity in oceans, plankton ecology, primary productivity in the sea, principals of fishery science, research/field studies in marine science, quantitative fisheries stock assessment, seagrass ecosystems, sea turtles, tidal wetlands biology, tidal wetlands ecology, tidal wetlands management, tropical marine ecology, utilization of marine fisheries, waves, tides, beaches, zooplankton biology (marine), zooplankton ecology (marine), zooplankton physiology (marine), zooplankton taxonomy (marine).

Examples of Non-Qualifying Courses: botany, freshwater aquatic biology, genetics, hydrology, limnology, microbiology, physiology, zoology.

Note: Internship Max of 4 credit hours.

If chosen, you may, at the agency's discretion, be appointed to a higher level. You must inform the agency of any additional qualifications at your interview.

The November 2022 PCO Examination is closed, applications are no longer being accepted