Coastal Environmental Science and Society - 5-Year Bachelor of Science and Master of Marine Resources Management

The Coastal Environmental Science and Society and MARM Program allows Coastal Environmental Science and Society majors to enter the graduate program for a Master of Marine Resources Management at the beginning of their senior year, enabling students to receive their Coastal Environmental Science and Society  undergraduate degree (BS) and a Master of Marine Resources Management (MARM) graduate degree in five years. The Coastal Environmental Science and Society majors who have at least a 3.25 GPA and have fulfilled all of their prerequisite course requirements and otherwise completed 101 or 102 hours by the fall of their fourth year are eligible to apply for the 5-year combined program during their junior year. Applicants to the 5-year combined program submit the same materials (including GRE scores) and are subject to the same admission process and criteria as other MARM program applicants. Those students whose credentials are judged to be competitive by the mid-January deadline will be admitted.

Admitted students enroll in Marine Resources Management graduate courses with an undergraduate classification (U4) during the fall of their fourth year. They are then be reclassified as degree-seeking master’s students (G7) upon completing 120 credit hours, which typically occurs at the beginning of the fall semester of the fifth year. Students are required to complete the same 2-year, 36-hour curriculum as other graduate students admitted to the MARM Professional Track (see MARM curriculum). Students who are interested in the MARM Research (Thesis) Track are afforded additional flexibility to replace required courses with up to nine hours of research courses (MARS 691) and electives chosen with the approval of their advisory committee. To comply with the course and work requirements of the Research Track, this program may extend beyond the 5-year window. For specific requirements to comply with the Research Track curriculum, students are asked to consult the MARM section of the catalog.

Students who choose not to finish the MARM degree after being admitted to the 5-year combined program may exit the program at any time. Completed MARM courses will be applied to their bachelor’s degree in Coastal Environmental Science and Society , as appropriate. Failure to complete the MARM program will in no way impede their ability to attain a bachelor’s degree in Coastal Environmental Science and Society when the requirements for that degree are completed. Those who pursue the 5-year combined program obtain both degrees upon the completion of the 5-year combined program, receiving both their Bachelor of Science and the MARM degrees at the end of year five. Advising for the 5-year combined program is coordinated by the MCES Department's undergraduate and graduate advisors and by the Office of Graduate Studies. Advising will help ensure that interested students have satisfied the prerequisite course requirements for the bachelor’s degree so that they may enter the 5-year combined program. Coastal Environmental Science and Society students should consult an undergraduate advisor and a graduate advisor for more information.

All electives must be chosen in consultation with, and approved by, the student's academic advisor. Unless courses are specifically listed, see University Core Curriculum at http://core.tamu.edu/ for a listing of course options for Communication; Mathematics; Life and Physical Sciences; Language, Philosophy and Culture; Creative Arts; American History; Government and Political Sciences; and Social and Behavioral Sciences. The 3-hour University Core Curriculum requirement for International and Cultural Diversity may be met with courses used to satisfy other degree requirements. The 3-hour University Core Curriculum requirement for Cultural Discourse may be met with courses used to satisfy other degree requirements.

Students in the 5-year program will take 12 fewer undergraduate credit hours than the other OCRE students. Graduate courses (6 hours) taken in the fourth and fifth year will be counted as credit towards the OCRE degree.

The total undergraduate credit hours prior to enrolling in graduate courses is 98 after the completion of the 3rd year. After the 3rd year, 10 additional undergraduate hours will be taken, 6 additional hours will be obtained by exam hours of two graduate courses, and 6 hours of MARM elective credits will be used for 6 hours of undergraduate elective credits for a total of 120 undergraduate transcript hours. The total graduate credit hours is 36. Substituting 6 hours of MARM electives for one free and one professional elective and applying 6 hours of credit by exam results in a total of 150 hours. The total hours may be increased if the student is required to take remedial math, remedial English, foreign language or International and Cultural Diversity courses.