The Master of Marine Resources Management (MMR) in Marine Resources Management (MARM) program offers both professional (non-thesis) and research (thesis) tracks. Courses focused on quantitative and research methods, geographic information systems (GIS), environmental and natural resource policy, and management and planning constitute the core of the program. All MMR students also have the ability to earn a GIS certificate through elective coursework.

The MMR-MARM Program is designed for both continuing students and professionals who have a desire to engage in the management of coastal and ocean resources as part of their career goals. Our graduates are employed by private sector employers in the areas of oil and natural gas, environmental consulting companies, ports, and the tourism industry; federal and state government sectors including the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, the Environmental Protection Agency, the Texas General Land Office, and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality; and academic and non-governmental organizations.

Program Requirements

• Student's Advisory Committee
• Degree Plan
• Credit Requirements
• Transfer of Credit
• Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses
• Thesis Option (Research Track)
  • Thesis Proposal
  • Final Examination/Thesis Defense
• Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track)

Student’s Advisory Committee

Upon receiving admission to graduate studies and enrolling for coursework, the student will consult with the head of his or her major or administrative department (or intercollegiate faculty, if applicable) concerning appointment of the chair of his or her advisory committee. The student’s advisory committee for the master’s degree will consist of no fewer than three members of the graduate faculty, representative of the student’s fields of study and research. The chair or the co-chair of the advisory committee must be from the student’s major department (or intercollegiate faculty, if applicable), and at least one or more of the members must have an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department. The outside member for students in an interdisciplinary program must have an appointment to a department different from the chair of the student’s committee.

The chair, in consultation with the student, will select the remainder of the advisory committee. The student will interview each prospective committee member to determine whether he or she is willing to serve. Only graduate faculty members located on Texas A&M University campuses may serve as chair of a student’s advisory committee. Other graduate faculty members located off campus may serve as a member or co-chair (but not chair) with a member as the chair. The chair of the committee, who usually has immediate supervision of the student’s research and thesis, has the responsibility for calling required meetings of the committee and for calling meetings at any other time considered desirable.

If the chair of a student’s advisory committee voluntarily leaves the University and the student is near completion of the degree and wants the chair to continue to serve in this role, the student is responsible for securing a current member of the University Graduate Faculty, from the student’s academic program and located near the Texas A&M University campus site, to serve as the co-chair of the committee. The Department Head may request in writing to the Associate Provost and Dean of the Graduate and Professional School that a faculty member who is on an approved leave of absence or has voluntarily separated from the university, be allowed to continue to serve in the role of chair of a student’s advisory committee without a co-chair for one year. The students should be near completion of the degree. Extensions beyond the one year period can be granted with additional approval of the Dean.

If the chair of the student’s advisory committee is unavailable for an extended time in any academic period during which the student is involved in activities relating to an internship, thesis or professional paper, and is registered for courses such as 684, 691, 692 or 693, the student may request, in writing, that the department head appoint an alternate advisory committee chair during the interim period.

The duties of the committee include responsibility for the proposed degree plan, the research proposal, the thesis and the final examination. In addition, the committee as a group and as individual members are responsible for advising the student on academic matters, and, in the case of academic deficiency, initiating recommendations to the Graduate and Professional School.

The committee members’ approval on the degree plan indicate their willingness to accept the responsibility for guiding and directing the entire academic program of the student and for initiating all academic actions concerning the student. Although individual committee members may be replaced by petition for valid reasons, a committee cannot resign en masse.

Degree Plan

The student’s advisory committee, in consultation with the student, will develop the proposed degree plan. The degree plan must be completed and filed with the Graduate and Professional School prior to the deadline imposed by the student’s college, if applicable, and no later than 90 days prior to the date of the final oral examination or thesis defense.

A student should submit the degree plan using the online Document Processing Submission System.

A student submitting a proposed degree plan for a MARM degree should designate on the official degree plan the appropriate program option.

Additional coursework may be added to the approved degree plan by petition if it is deemed necessary by the advisory committee to correct deficiencies in the student’s academic preparation. No changes can be made to the degree plan once the student’s Request for Final Examination or Request for Final Examination Exemption is approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

Credit Requirement

• A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved courses and research is required for the Thesis Option (Research Track) MARM students. A minimum of 36 semester credit hours of approved coursework is required for the Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) MARM students.

  The 36-hour Thesis Option (Research Track) curriculum is structured with 22 hours of the required courses and 14 hours of optional elective courses. Students should consult with the Graduate Advisor or their advisory committee concerning required and elective coursework. Additional flexibility to replace required courses targeted to their area of research is available to Thesis Option (Research Track) students upon recommendation and approval by their advisory committees and the department.

  The 36-hour Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) curriculum is structured with 24 hours of required courses and 12 hours of optional elective courses. Students should consult with the Graduate Advisor or their advisory committee concerning required and elective coursework. Additional flexibility to replace required courses with courses targeted to their area of research is available to Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) students upon recommendation and approval by their committee and the department.

  Transfer of Credit

• A student who has earned 12 hours of graduate credit in residence at Texas A&M University may be authorized to transfer courses in excess of the limits prescribed below upon the advice of the advisory committee and with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School. Courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater may be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution. Otherwise, the limitations stated in the following section apply. Coursework in which no formal grades are given or in which grades other than letter grades (A or B) are earned (for example, CR, P, S, U, H, etc.) is not acceptable for transfer credit. Courses appearing on the degree plan with grades of D, F or U may not be absolved by transfer work. Grades for courses completed at other institutions are not included in computing the GPA.

  Credit for thesis research or the equivalent is not transferable. Credit for coursework submitted for transfer from any college or university must be shown in semester credit hours or equated to semester credit hours. An official transcript from the university at which the transfer coursework was taken must be sent directly to the Office of Admissions.

  Courses used toward a degree at another institution may not be applied for graduate credit. If the course to be transferred was taken prior to the conferral of a degree at the transfer institution, a letter from the Registrar at that institution stating that the course was not applied for credit toward the degree must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School.

Limitations on the Use of Transfer, Extension and Certain Other Courses

Some departments may have more restrictive requirements for transfer work. If otherwise acceptable, certain courses may be used toward meeting credit-hour requirements for the master’s degree under the following limitations.

1. The maximum number of credit hours which may be considered for transfer credit is the greater of 12 hours or one-third (1/3) of the total hours of a degree plan. The following restrictions apply:
   • Graduate and/or upper-level undergraduate courses taken in residence at an accredited U.S. institution, or approved international institution with a final grade of B or greater will be considered for transfer credit if, at the time the courses were completed, the student was in degree-seeking status at Texas A&M University, or the student was in degree-seeking status at the institution at which the courses were taken; and if the courses would be accepted for credit toward a similar degree for a student in degree-seeking status at the host institution.
   • Courses previously used for another degree are not acceptable for degree plan credit.
2. The maximum number of credit hours taken in post-baccalaureate non-degree (G6) classification at Texas A&M University which may be considered for application to the degree plan is 12.
3. A zero credit 684 or 685 course is only allowed for non-thesis option master's students. A zero credit 681 course can be used for either thesis or non-thesis option master’s students. Other courses, including 691 (Research) hours, are not eligible for zero credit.
4. Not more than 12 hours may be used in any combination of the following categories:
   • Not more than 12 hours in 691 (Research) may be used - Thesis Option (Research Track) only. Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) students are not allowed to enroll in 691 (Research).
   • No credit hours of 684 (Professional Internship) or 693 (Professional Studies) may be used - Thesis Option (Research Track) only. Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) students are allowed to take no more than 4 hours of 684 (Professional Internship) and not more than 3 hours of 693 (Professional Studies).
   • Not more than 8 hours of 685 (Directed Studies) may be used - Thesis Option (Research Track) only. Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) students are allowed to take no more than 9 hours of 685 (Directed Studies).
   • Not more than 3 hours of 690 (Theory of Research) may be used.
   • Not more than 3 hours of 695 (Frontiers in Research) may be used.
5. A maximum of 2 hours of 681 (Seminar).
6. A maximum of 9 hours of advanced undergraduate courses (300- or 400-level).
7. For graduate courses of three weeks’ duration or less, taken at other institutions, up to 1 hour of credit may be obtained for each five-day week of coursework. Each week of coursework must include at least 15 contact hours.
8. Continuing education courses may not be used for graduate credit.
9. Extension courses are not acceptable for credit.
10. For non-distance degree programs, no more than 50 percent of the non-research coursework required for the program may be completed through distance education courses.
11. To receive a graduate degree from Texas A&M University, students must earn one-third or more of the credits through the institution’s own direct instruction. This limitation also applies to joint degree programs. 

Exceptions will be permitted only in unusual cases and when petitioned by the student’s advisory committee and approved by the Graduate and Professional School.

• Thesis Option (Research Track) 

  An acceptable thesis is required for the Master of Science degree for a student who selects the thesis option program. The finished work must reflect a comprehensive understanding of the pertinent literature and express in clear English, the problem(s) for study, the method, significance and results of the student’s original research. Thesis formatting must be acceptable to the Graduate and Professional School as outlined in the Guidelines for Theses, Dissertations, and Records of Study.

  After successful defense (or exemption) and approval by the student’s advisory committee and the head of the student’s major department (or chair of intercollegiate faculty, if appropriate), the student must submit the thesis in electronic format as a single PDF file to https://etd.tamu.edu/. Additionally, a thesis approval form with original signatures must be received by the Graduate and Professional School through the Academic Requirements Completion System (ARCS). Both the PDF file and the completed approval form must be received by the deadline.

  Deadline dates for submitting the thesis are announced each semester or summer term in the “Graduate and Professional School Calendar” (see Time Limit statement). These dates also can be accessed via the Graduate and Professional School website.

  Each student who submits a manuscript for review is assessed a one-time thesis/dissertation processing fee through Student Business Services for the thesis/dissertation services provided. After commencement, theses and dissertations are digitally stored and made available through the Texas A&M Libraries.

  A thesis that is deemed unacceptable by the Graduate and Professional School because of excessive corrections will be returned to the student’s department head (or chair of the intercollegiate faculty, if applicable). The manuscript must be resubmitted as a new document, and the entire review process must begin again. All original submittal deadlines must be met during the resubmittal process to graduate.

  Thesis Proposal

  For the Thesis Option (Research Track) MARM degree, the student must prepare a thesis proposal for approval by the advisory committee and the head of the major department or chair of the interdisciplinary faculty, if applicable. This proposal must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School at least 20 working days prior to the submission of the request for the final examination.

  Compliance issues must be addressed if a graduate student is performing research involving human subjects, animals, infectious biohazards and recombinant DNA. A student involved in these types of research should check with the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety at (979) 458-1467 to address questions about all research compliance responsibilities. Additional information can also be obtained on the Office of Research Compliance and Biosafety website.

  Final Examination/Thesis Defense

  A student must pass a final examination by dates announced each semester or summer term in the Graduate and Professional School Calendar.  To be eligible to take the final examination, a student’s GPA must be at least 3.000 for courses on the degree plan and for all courses completed at Texas A&M which are eligible to be applied to a graduate degree, and there must be no unabsolved grades of D, F or U for any course listed on the degree plan. To absolve a deficient grade, the student must repeat the course at Texas A&M University and achieve a grade of C or better. All coursework on the degree plan must have been completed with the exception of those hours for which the student is registered. For thesis-option students, an approved thesis proposal must be on file in the Graduate and Professional School according to published deadlines prior to the final examination or submission of the request for exemption from the final examination.

  A request to schedule the final examination must be submitted to the Graduate and Professional School via ARCS a minimum of 10 working days in advance of the scheduled date for the examination. The Graduate and Professional School must be notified in writing of any cancellations. A student may be given only one opportunity to repeat the final examination for the master’s degree and that must be within a time period that does not extend beyond the end of the next regular semester (Summer terms are excluded).

  For thesis option students (Research Track), the final examination covers the thesis and all work taken on the degree plan and at the option of the committee may be written or oral or both. The final examination may not be administered before the thesis is available to all members of the student’s advisory committee in substantially final form, and all members have had adequate time to review the document. The examination is conducted by the student’s advisory committee as finally constituted. A thesis option student must be registered at the University in the semester or summer term in which the final examination is taken. Persons other than members of the graduate faculty may, with mutual consent of the candidate and the major professor, attend final examinations for advanced degrees. Upon completion of the questioning of the candidate, all visitors must excuse themselves from the proceedings. A positive vote by all members of the graduate committee with at most one dissension is required to pass a student on his or her exam. A department, or interdisciplinary degree program, may have a stricter requirement provided there is consistency within all degree programs within a department or interdisciplinary degree program.

  The Report of the Final Examination Form must be submitted with original signatures of only the committee members approved by the Graduate and Professional School. Only one committee member substitution is allowed with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School. If the program requires the advisory committee to include at least one external member – with an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department – and the substitution is for the sole external member of the advisory committee, then the substitute must also be external to the student’s major department. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

  A thesis option (Research Track) candidate may petition to be exempt from his/her final examination provided his/her degree plan GPA is 3.500 or greater and he/she has the approval of the advisory committee, the head of the student’s major department, or intercollegiate chair, if appropriate, and the Graduate and Professional School. It is required that the petition for exemption be submitted the same semester the student intends to submit the thesis.

  Non-thesis Option (Professional Track) 

• For the Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) student, a thesis is not required. A final comprehensive examination is required. Exemptions from final examinations are not allowed. Additionally, a technical paper prepared on a topic relevant to Marine Resources Management is required for Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) students to complete the MARM degree. The technical paper will be developed under the guidance of the student’s advisory committee.

  The final examination cannot be held prior to the mid point of the final semester if questions on the examination are based on courses in which the student is currently enrolled. If a student has completed all required degree plan coursework, the student is not required to be registered for classes in the semester the final examination is administered (unless he/she holds an assistantship).

  The Report of the Final Examination Form must be submitted with original signatures of only the committee members approved by the Graduate and Professional School. Only one committee member substitution is allowed with the approval of the Graduate and Professional School. If the program requires the advisory committee to include at least one external member – with an appointment to a department other than the student’s major department – and the substitution is for the sole external member of the advisory committee, then the substitute must also be external to the student’s major department. In extenuating circumstances, with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, an exception to this requirement may be granted.

  A student pursuing the Non-Thesis Option (Professional Track) is not allowed to enroll in 691 (research) for any reason and 691 may not be used for credit toward a professional track MARM degree. A maximum of 4 credit hours of 684 (Professional Internship), 8 credit hours of 685 (Directed Studies), and up to 3 credit hours of 690 (Theory of Research) or 695 (Frontiers in Research) may be used toward the professional track MARM degree. In addition, any combination of 684, 685, 690 and 695 may not exceed 25 percent of the total credit hour requirement shown on the individual degree plan. All requirements for the professional track MARM degree other than those specified above are the same as for the research track degree.

Additional Requirements

• Residence
• Continuous Registration
• Time Limit
• Foreign Languages
• Application for Degree
• Licensing Program Requirements

Residence

In partial fulfillment of the residence requirement for the degree of Master of Marine Resources Management, the student must complete 9 resident credit hours during one regular semester or one 10-week summer semester in resident study at Texas A&M University. Upon recommendation of the student’s advisory committee, department head and with approval of the Graduate and Professional School, a student may be granted exemption from this requirement. Such a petition, however, must be approved prior to the student’s registration for the final 9 credit hours of required coursework.

Students who are employed full-time while completing their degree may fulfill total residence requirements by completion of less-than-full time course loads each semester. In order to be considered for this, the student is required to submit a Petition for Waivers and Exceptions along with verification of his/her employment to the Graduate and Professional School.

See Residence Requirements.

Continuous Registration

A student in the thesis option of the Master of Marine Resources Management program who has completed all coursework on his/her degree plan other than 691 (research) is required to be in continuous registration until all requirements for the degree have been completed.

See Continuous Registration Requirements.

Time Limit

All degree requirements must be completed within a period of seven consecutive years for the degree to be granted. A course will be considered valid until seven years after the end of the semester in which it is taken. Graduate credit for coursework which is more than seven calendar years old at the time of the final examination (oral or written) may not be used to satisfy degree requirements.

A student who has chosen the thesis option must have the final corrected version of the thesis cleared by the Graduate and Professional School no later than one year after the final examination, or approval of a petition for exemption from the final exam, or within the seven-year time limit, whichever occurs first. Failure to do so will result in the degree not being awarded.

Foreign Languages

No specific language requirement exists for the Master of Marine Resources Management degree.

Application for Degree

For information on applying for your degree, please visit the Graduation section.

Licensing Program Requirements

Course Requirements for all Texas A&M Maritime Academy Third Mate Licensing Programs

Through the Texas A&M Maritime Academy, TAMUG offers license training for Midshipmen leading to a Third Mates' License (Unlimited Tonnage, Unlimited Oceans). The curriculum for Marine Biology - LO, Marine Sciences - LO and Marine Transportation include this training. All graduate programs offered by TAMUG may include this license training as an option. Each degree candidate will be required to fulfill the existing university degree requirements plus all U.S. Coast Guard License Option additional requirements to complete STCW Training Record Book:

Course List

Code	Title	Semester Credit Hours
Shoreside Courses:
MART 103	Basic Safety and Lifeboatman Training	3
MART 115	Seamanship I	3
MART 201	Vessel Structure and Ship Knowledge	3
MART 202	Ship Stability and Trim	3
MART 204	Terrestrial Navigation	3
MART 208	Maritime Meteorology	3
MART 210	Integrated Navigation I: RADAR/ARPA/ECDIS	4
MART 212	Marine Dry Cargo Operations	3
MART 215	Seamanship II	3
MART 303	Celestial Navigation	3
MART 307	Global Maritime Distress Safety System	3
MART 310	Integrated Navigation II: Electronic Navigation	2
MART 313	Marine Liquid Cargo Operations	3
MART 321	Navigation Rules, International and Inland	2
MART 410	Integrated Navigation III: Bridge Watchstanding	2
MART 498	Maritime Medical Care	2
NVSC 200	Naval Science for the Merchant Marine Officer	3
Cruise Coursework:
MART 200	Deck Sea Training I: Basic Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4
MART 300	Deck Sea Training II: Intermediate Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4
or MART 350	or Deck Sea Training II – Commercial Internship
MART 400	Deck Sea Training III: Advanced Communications, Navigation and Seamanship	4

Courses complete a Training Record Book which includes USCG required Basic Safety Training, Ratings Performing a Navigational Watch, First Aid Provider, and Officer in Charge of a Navigational Watch. All STCW related courses must be completed with a C or better to meet license standards. Furthermore, the Midshipmen are required to complete mandatory sea service, participate in the USCG approved Corps of Midshipmen License Option Program, complete a degree, and pass license examination administered by the USCG. Candidates will also have to follow all regulations set forth in 46 CFR l 1.910 and 46 CFR 310, STCW as amended, and USCG Texas A&M Maritime Academy approved Standard Operating Procedure and any other regulations required by Texas A&M Maritime Academy License Option programs.

This degree requires full participation in the Texas A&M University Maritime Academy Corps of Cadets as a qualified License Option cadet. Refer to the University catalog section for the Texas A&M Maritime Academy for detailed requirements. In addition to the academic requirements outlined here, the cadet must also complete the following requirements to receive the degree:

• Successfully complete required sea service and minimum training cruise requirements.

• Pass a comprehensive professional examination (either the Third Mate Unlimited- Oceans or Third Assistant Engineering Unlimited) administered by the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG).

• Successfully complete all competencies required by the International Convention on Standards for Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW).

Note: STCW competency certifications expire 5 years after completion. If the cadet does not complete the degree within that time period, the cadet will be required to revalidate the expired competency prior to graduation.