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Coastal & Marine Sciences Major Curriculum

The major curriculum is designed to provide students with an understanding of the processes and functions of coastal, estuarine, and marine environments. Core coursework educates students in the natural sciences subfields of geology, biology, chemistry, and physics as they relate to the interdisciplinary field of coastal and marine sciences. Students will also explore the effects of marine systems processes on human populations, economies, and societies, and learn how natural and anthropogenic factors shape coastal ecosystems.

Courses for the Coastal & Marine Sciences major are held in-person at the main W&M Williamsburg campus, with the exception of the required immersion semester experience,  completed the semester after a student is accepted to the major (typically fall of Junior year). All immersion semester courses will be taken in-person at the nearby W&M's Batten School & VIMS Gloucester Point campus. Opportunities to participate in elective field courses at the VIMS Eastern Shore Laboratory campus and on international study abroad programs are also available. 

The full Curriculum for the bachelor's degree program in Coastal & Marine Sciences is below.

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Major Proficiency Courses - 16-18 credit hours

Natural Sciences Courses

Natural Sciences (10 credits)

BIOL 204 + Lab (3 credits)
Introduction to Organisms, Ecology and Evolution
CHEM 103 or CHEM 205 (3 credits)
General Chemistry | Advanced General Chemistry 1

PHYS 101 / 101H or PHYS 107 (3 credits) 
General Physics | Honors Physics | Physics for the life Sciences

Students choose one Chemistry option and one Physics option.
Disciplinary Perspectives Courses

Disciplinary Perspectives (3-4 credits)

ANTH 315 – Environmental Archaeology (3 credits)
BIOL 203 + Lab – Molecules, Cells, Development (4 credits | COLL 200)
CHEM 206 – Organic Chemistry I (4 credits | Pre-req: CHEM 103 or 205)
CONS 201 – Integrative Conservation (3 credits | COLL 200)
CONS 210 – Conservation GIS (3 credits)
CONS 370 / SOCL 370 – Environmental Justice (3 credits | COLL 350)
ECON 101 – Microeconomics (3 credits)
ENSP 101 – Environment & Sustainability (3 credits | COLL 200)
GEOL 101 + 160 – Physical Geology + Lab (4 credits | COLL 200)
GEOL 110 + 160 – Physical Geography + Lab (4 credits | COLL 200)
GEOL 250 – Geologic Evolution of Virginia (4 credits)
GIS 201 – GIS & Spatial Analysis (3 credits)
PHYS 102 / 102H / 108 – Physics II options (3 credits; varies prereqs)
PUBP 201 – Public Policy (3 credits)
Quantitative Skills Courses

Quantitative Skills (3-4 credits)

BUAD 231 – Business Statistics (3 credits)
CSCI 141 + Lab – Programming (4 credits)
ECON 307 – Statistics (3 credits | Pre-req: ECON 101 & 102)
MATH 111 – Calculus I (4 credits)
MATH 131 – Calculus for Life Sciences (4 credits)

Major Curriculum- 36 credits

Major Common Core Courses

Major Common Core (25 credits)

MSCI 230 – Introduction to Marine Science (3 credits | COLL 200)
MSCI 250 – People, Society and the Coast (3 credits) (Pre-req: MSCI 230)
MSCI 305 – Coastal & Marine Geology (3 credits) (Pre-req: MSCI 230)
MSCI 310 – Motion of the Ocean (3 credits) (Pre-req: MSCI 230 + Physics)
MSCI 315 – Biological Oceanography (3 credits) (Pre-req: MSCI 230 + BIOL 204/L)
MSCI 320 – Coastal & Marine Chemistry (3 credits) (Pre-req: MSCI 230 + CHEM 103 or 205)
MSCI 360 – Field & Research Methods (4 credits) (Co-req: MSCI 365)
MSCI 365 – Quantitative Methods (3 credits) (Co-req: MSCI 360)
Major Elective Courses

Major Electives (8 credits)

Courses available through the Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences:

  • MSCI 201 – Marine Science Mash-up (1 credit)
  • MSCI 331 – Coastal Environments: Eastern Shore Lab (3 credits)
  • MSCI 332 – Coastal Environments: North Wales (3 credits) (COLL 300) 
  • MSCI 333 – Coastal Environments: Topics (variable locations) (3 credits) (COLL 300) 
  • MSCI 343/401F – Marine Fisheries Science (3 credits) 
  • MSCI 340 – Marine Biology (3 credits)
  • MSCI 390 – Research in Coastal & Marine Sciences (1–3 credits)
  • MSCI 392 – Internship (coming soon)
  • MSCI 398 – Marine Science Seminars (1 credit, repeatable)
  • MSCI 425 – Ethics in Marine Science (3 credits) (COLL 350)
  • MSCI 404 – Microbial Processes (2 credits)
  • MSCI 411 – Marine Pollution (3 credits)
  • MSCI 422 – Holocene Coastal Evolution (3 credits)
  • MSCI 425 – Ethics in Marine Science (3 credits) (COLL 350)
  • MSCI 429 – Fish Physiology (3 credits) 
  • MSCI 456 – Coastal GIS (3 credits)
  • MSCI 492 – Intro to Advanced Research (1 credit)

Courses available through other schools at William & Mary:

  • ANTH 350 – Special Topics in Anthropology: Voices in Conservation (3 credits)
  • BIOL 427 – Wetlands Ecosystems (3 credits) (Pre-req: BIOL 204)
  • BIOL 457 – Marine Invertebrate Biology (3 credits) (Pre-req: BIOL 302)
  • BIOL 460 – Advanced Seminar in Biology: Marine Ecology (3 credits) (COLL 400)
  • BIOL 461 – Marine Ecology and Conservation (3 credits) (COLL 400) (Pre-req: BIOL 204 & BIOL 302)
  • ECON 322 – Environmental and Natural Resource Economics (3 credits) (COLL 200) (Pre-req: ECON 101)
  • GEOL 310 – Regional Field Geology: Coastal Environment Bahamas (1–3 credits) (COLL 300) (Pre-req: GEOL 101 or 110 & GEOL 160)
  • GEOL 324 – Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography (3 credits) (Pre-req: GEOL 160 & GEOL 101 or 110 or 150)
  • GEOL 325 – Paleontology (3 credits) (Pre-req BIOL 204 or GEOL 160 or GEOL 250)
  • GIS 420 – Advanced GIS Analysis and Programming (3 credits) (Pre-req: GIS 201)
Major Capstone Courses

Major Capstone (3 credits)

MSCI 460 – Capstone Studies in Management & Policy (COLL 400)
MSCI 491 – Advanced Research (COLL 400)
MSCI 495 / 496 – Honors Research (COLL 400) (application required through Charles Center)

Coastal & Marine Sciences Curriculum Interactive Table

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