Doctor of Philosophy in Marine and Coastal Management and Science

The Marine and Coastal Management and Science (MCMS) PhD program is an interdisciplinary program with an applied research focus.

The program emphasizes the study of problems (e.g., climate change, marine pollution, natural disasters)  in coastal and near-shore marine environments where natural, social, and built systems interact in complex ways. Students will analyze the scope and management of these problems by integrating physical and social science through rigorous academic inquiry. Courses offered through the program include:

  • Environmental policy and law
  • Marine resource economics
  • Environmental management
  • Natural hazard mitigation
  • Coastal hydrology
  • Coastal oceanography
  • Marine geology
  • Coastal ocean modeling
  • Quantitative methods
  • Research design and science communication

The MCMS PhD program requires 90 hours of coursework for students entering with a bachelor's degree and 60 hours for students entering with a master's degree. To tailor learning to diverse student interests, there are two pathways for completion of the program:

  1. the Physical Science Track and
  2. the Social Science Track.

Both tracks require students to complete a common set of 12 hours of graded core courses, including:

  • a physical or marine science class (3 credit hours),
  • a social science or policy class (3 hours),
  • a research design or science communication class (3 hours), and
  • a specialty research methods class (3 credit hours).

Physical Science Track students complete the remaining course credits with research hours. Social Science Track students complete an additional set of social, policy, and methods courses. Equipped with this robust interdisciplinary training, MCMS PhD graduates have many options for employment. Graduates are qualified for jobs in academic and research institutions, the public sector and government, natural resource and marine industries, environmental consulting groups, and non-governmental organizations focused on environmental and coastal issues.

Steps to Fulfill a Doctoral Program