Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science

The Department of Marine and Coastal Environmental Science (MCES) educates undergraduate and graduate students to be future leaders in coastal and marine science as well as in management and policy decision-making for the utilization and preservation of marine resources. We recognize today’s professional careers demand strong interdisciplinary as well as interpersonal skills and have designed our educational programs to provide a core education in the physical, chemical and geological sciences and the necessary training for applying this knowledge to the maintenance and improvement of our marine resources. Our faculty conducts cutting-edge research in coastal marine geology, physical oceanography, marine geochemistry, and coastal resources management that emphasize and support our degrees and course curricula. Our strength is the diversity of our faculty who utilize their experience from private, governmental, and academic careers to create extraordinary learning opportunities for students through “hands on” and “on the water” field and laboratory research as well as internships that give our students a competitive advantage for employment after graduation.

We offer a variety of majors and minors in subjects centered on the coastal and marine environment. We offer a BS in Marine Sciences (MARS) and a BS in Coastal Environmental Science and Society (CESS). 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. We offer a minor in CESS. Graduate programs offer a Master of Marine Resources Management (MARM) and a PhD program in Marine and Coastal Management and Science (MCMS). We also offer a 3+2 program in which the student can attain a BS in CESS with a MARM degree in 5 years. Our faculty advise students in diverse MS and PhD graduate degrees on our campus such as the graduate program in Marine Biology (MARB) and programs in conjunction with departments in College Station such as Oceanography (OCNG) and Landscape Architecture and Urban Planning (LAUP). The departmental website (https://www.tamug.edu/mars/faculty/index.html) provides more information of our faculty’s fields of expertise and appointments with other departments and programs.

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, Regents 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

Evans, Michael, Lecturer
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
JD, University of Houston, 1999
PHD, Texas A&M Univerisity, 2017

Highfield, Wesley E, Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 2008

Hill, Andrew, Lecturer
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
MS, University of London, 1983

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

Merrell Jr, William J, Regents Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Texas A&M University, 1971

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

Santschi, Peter H, University Distinguished Professor and Regents Professor
Marine and Coastal Environmental Science
PHD, Universitat Bern, 1975

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

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