Working toward more sustainable marine resources
Marine Affairs is an interdisciplinary field that studies the relationships between humans and the marine environment with the goal of achieving sustainability of marine resources, as well as social and environmental justice.
Marine Affairs professionals work to develop better policies and management strategies to address the many complex issues related to human uses of the world’s coasts and oceans. Examples of some of the major issues we are currently facing include natural resource decline, pollution, climate change, impacts of coastal development, among others.
When you pursue a career in Marine Affairs, you will play an integral role in finding better ways to educate and inform the public about these issues and potential solutions.
A field with unlimited possibilities
With a B.A. in Marine Affairs you will gain the scientific knowledge and specific technical skills necessary to work in this very exciting and important area.
You'll be prepared to pursue a career with a variety of entities, including government agencies that oversee the management of marine resources (e.g. NOAA and EPA or state and local agencies), as well as non-governmental organizations (NGOs) interested in creating solutions for the sustainable use of the marine and coastal resources and educating the public about these issues.
You'll also have opportunities with international organizations dedicated to preserving the environment or academic institutions, where you can teach and do research to inform better policies.
In addition, students who major in Marine Affairs go on to pursue advanced degrees in areas such as:
- Marine affairs, environmental policy and management, natural resource conservation
- Law – particularly environmental law and ocean law – and marine environmental advocacy and lobbying
- Science education and communication
Since Marine Affairs is an interdisciplinary field, the possibilities truly are vast and limitless
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Required Courses
Tier I:
- CC 3.1: MATH 1115 - Pre-Calculus
- CC 4.1: CHEM 1115 and CHEM 1117 - General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab
- CC 7.1: PHIL 2222 - Ethics
Tier II:
- CC 4.2: MARN 2200 - Oceanography with Lab
- CC 5.2: ECON 3370 - Environmental and Natural Resource Economics
- CC 5.2: ENVS 4540 - Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
- CC 5.2: MARA 3204 - Global Change
Major Courses
- BIOL 2254 - Biology II: Organisms and Evolution
- BIOL 2256 - Lab BIOL 2254
- CHEM 1115 - General Chemistry I
- CHEM 1117 - Lab CHEM 1115
- ECON 3370 - Environmental and Natural Resources Economics
- ENVS 1101 - Introduction to Environmental Science
- ENVS 1102 - Lab ENVS 1101
- ENVS 4540 - Introduction to Geographical Information Systems
- LSTD 4405 - Environmental Law
- MARA 1101 - Introduction to Marine Affairs
- MARA 1102 - Applications of Marine Affairs
- MARA 1103 - Field Practices in Marine Affairs
- MARA 2202 - Marine Environments, Society, and Sustainability
- MARA 2223 - Marine Biology with Laboratory
- MARA 2225 - Laboratory-MARA 2223
- MARA 3204 - Global Change
- MARA 3330 - Coastal Resources and Management
- MARA 4500 - Research Method in Marine Affairs
- MARA 4501 - Marine Affairs Senior Thesis I
- MARA 4502 - Marine Affairs Senior Thesis II
- MARN 1101 - Introduction to Marine Biology
- MARN 2200 - Oceanography with Laboratory
- MARN 3320 - Marine Pollution
- MATH 1115 - Pre-Calculus (or higher)
- PSYC 3301 - Statistics for Behavioral Sciences
- Plus three of the following restricted electives:
- BIOL 3320 - Ecology with Laboratory
- ENVS 4541 - GIS Techniques and Applications I
- HIST 3310 - Environmental History
- MARN 3331 - Marine Conservation and Restoration
- MARA 3332 - Marine Fisheries Policy
- MARA 3333 - Human Ecology of Coastal Systems
- MARA 3334 - Marine Environmental Education
- MARA 4490 - Special Topics
- MARA 4599 - Independent Study
- MARN 4440 - Aquaculture I
- MARN 4444 - Aquaculture II
Plus the following:
- three free electives
- all courses required for completion of a minor (15-18 credits), which must be chosen from the following list:
- Biology
- Business Management
- Communication
- Criminal Justice
- Economics
- English
- Environmental Science
- General Psychology
- Global Studies
- History
- International Business
- Legal Studies
- Marine Biology (note: students who minor in Marine Biology may not use MARN 3331, MARN 4440, or MARN 4444 as restricted electives in the Marine Affairs major)
- Mathematics
- Philosophy
- Photography
- Political Science
- Professional and Technical Writing
- Race and Ethnic Studies
- Sociology
- Sustainability
