Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science

Coastal regions are home to over 130 million Americans, where coastal communities, landforms and ecosystems interact and sustain the Blue Economy. The Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science (MCES) is exploring how coastal systems fundamentally operate and respond to change, while developing future leaders and innovators with the skills to promote coastal resiliency, management, and resource sustainability. Different degrees achieve this goal by balancing courses in basic sciences (e.g., physical, chemical and geological sciences), technical skill development (e.g., geographical information systems, data science), and applied social sciences (e.g., environmental policy and management). Faculty expertise spans the continuum of physical and social sciences, and they conduct innovative research in coastal hazards, physical oceanography, marine chemistry, community resilience and sustainability, and marine economics. During academic development, students are transitioned from learning fundamental skills to increasing their reliance on problem solving and critical thinking through both high impact laboratory and “on the water” training opportunities. Our students are therefore actively recruited by federal and state agencies, private and public environmental or energy companies, and they often go on into graduate programs to increase their earning potential.

We offer undergraduate Bachelor of Science (BS) degrees, a Master of Marine Resources Management (MARM), and a PhD program in Marine and Coastal Management and Science (MCMS). The BS in Marine Sciences (MARS) has a curriculum more concentrated on the physical operational processes of coastal and marine environments. The License Option Program (MARS-LO) is also available to MARS majors to obtain a third mate’s license in the Merchant Marine upon graduation. The BS in Coastal Environmental Science and Society (CESS) includes greater emphasis on social science courses (e.g., economics, management and policy). The graduate program Master of Marine Resources Management (MARM) includes both a course-based professional track or a research, thesis-based option. Undergraduate CESS students may elect to complete the combination program, whereby students can attain a BS in CESS and the MARM graduate degree in 5 years. Students enrolled in the PhD program in Marine and Coastal Management and Science (MCMS) can choose either a Physical Science or Social Science Track, depending on student academic interest. Many MCES faculty participate and advise students in diverse MS and PhD graduate degrees on the Galveston campus, such as the graduate program in Marine Biology (MARB) and programs in conjunction with departments in College Station campus such as Oceanography (OCNG) and Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP). 

Adyasari, Dini, Assistant Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of Bremen, 2019

Amon, Rainer, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, The University of Texas at Austin, 1995

Bodson, Bruce R, Lecturer
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
JD, South Texas College of Law, 1993

Brody, Samuel D, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of North Carolina, 2002

Davlasheridze, Meri, Associate Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Pennsylvania State University, 2013

Dellapenna, Timothy M, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, The College of William & Mary, 1999

Du, Jiabi, Assistant Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, College of William and Mary, 2017

Jonkman, Sebastiaan, Research Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Delft University of Technology, 2007

Kaiser, Karl, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of South Carolina, 2009

Moser, Melanie J, Instructional Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of Houston, 1977

Park, Kyeong, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, College of William and Mary, 1993

Retchless, David P, Associate Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Pennsylvania State University, 2015

Ross, Ashley D, Associate Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2010

Smith, Christopher Wayne, Instructional Assistant Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of Georgia, 2019

Takir, Driss, Visiting Lecturer
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of Tennessese, 2013

Wang, Zhaojun, Assistant Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, University of Delaware, 2021

van Hengstum, Peter J, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Dalhousie University, Canada, 2011