Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences
Marine Sciences is a highly interdisciplinary field requiring an understanding and application of basic science, including biology, physics, and chemistry. In particular, the Marine Sciences major provides students with a solid background in basic biology as well as in the physics and chemistry of the ocean. Upper-division electives permit each student to gain a deeper understanding of particular groups of organisms (microorganisms, algae, marine invertebrates, fish, and marine mammals) and of habitats (salt marshes, rocky intertidal, barrier islands, dunes, estuaries, and the open ocean).
Students are encouraged to participate in research and internships. Opportunities for experiential learning are available through field and laboratory courses taught at or near the Stony Brook campus and from a field station near the ocean in Southampton, New York.
Most students who wish to have a career in research related to the marine environment will need to plan for graduate study. Career possibilities include research, education, or employment in government agencies or non-profit organizations.
The Marine Sciences major is administered by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences, one of the leading oceanographic institutions in the nation. The School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) is the center for marine research, education, and public service in the marine and environmental sciences for the State University of New York system. In addition, the SoMAS is the University at Stony Brook’s center for research, education, and public service in the atmospheric sciences. The SoMAS is one of the nation’s leading coastal oceanographic and atmospheric institutions, and the expertise of the SoMAS faculty places them at the forefront of addressing and answering questions about regional environmental problems, as well as problems relating to the global ocean and atmosphere. The primary focus of the SoMAS faculty is on fundamental research designed to increase understanding of the processes that characterize the coastal ocean and the atmosphere. The SoMAS is also committed to applying the results of research to solve problems arising from society’s uses and misuses of the environment. The Center includes institutes in several major areas: the Institute for Terrestrial and Planetary Atmospheres, the Living Marine Resources Institute, the Long Island Groundwater Resource Institute, and the Waste Reduction and Management Institute. The institutes and many research projects add a wealth of varied resources to education and research at Stony Brook.
The SoMAS offers undergraduate majors in atmospheric and oceanic sciences, environmental studies, marine sciences, and marine vertebrate biology, and minors in environmental studies and marine sciences. See the separate entries for atmospheric and oceanic sciences (ATM), environmental studies (ENS), and marine vertebrate biology (MVB) in the alphabetical listings of Approved Majors, Minors, and Programs. The SoMAS also offers several cooperative programs in both marine and environmental sciences with departments in the College of Arts and Sciences (Chemistry, Geosciences) and the College of Engineering and Applied Sciences (Chemical and Molecular Engineering).
An Environmental Studies Living Learning Center is available, housed in Hendrix College, which is a part of the Science and Society College. The Living Learning Center offers special programs, such as a seminar series showcasing faculty research and selected courses in the major and minor.
Research opportunities in marine sciences, atmospheric sciences, and waste management are available to undergraduates. Information on research opportunities may be found by contacting faculty directly or on the SoMAS Web site at http://www.somas.stonybrook.edu.
All students should consult with the director of undergraduate studies to design and approve an acceptable course of study before declaring the major.
MAR
101-E Long Island Sound: Science and Use
MAR 104-E Oceanography
MAR 301 Environmental
Microbiology
MAR 302 Marine Microbiology
and Microbial Ecology
MAR 303 Long Island Marine
Habitats
MAR 304-E Waves, Tides,
and Beaches
MAR 305 Experimental
Marine Biology
MAR 308 Principles of
Instrumental Analysis
MAR 315-H Conservation
Biology and Marine Biodiversity
MAR 318 Engineering Geology
and Coastal Processes
MAR 320 Limnology
MAR 333-H Coastal Oceanography
MAR 334-E Remote Sensing
of the Environment
MAR 336 Marine Pollution
MAR 340-H Environmental
Problems and Solutions
MAR 346 Marine Sedimentology
MAR 349 Introduction to Biological Oceanography
MAR 350 Introduction
to Ocean Physics
MAR 351 Introduction
to Ocean Chemistry
MAR 352 Introduction
to Physical Oceanography
MAR 353 Physical
Oceanography Laboratory
MAR 366 Plankton Ecology
MAR 370 Marine Mammals
MAR 371 The Biology and Conservation
of Marine Birds and Sea Turtles
MAR 375 Marine Mammal and Sea Turtle
Rehabilitation
MAR 380 Ichthyology
MAR 385 Principles of Fishery Biology
and Management
MAR 388
Tropical Marine Ecology
MAR 392-H Waste Management Issues
MAR 394-H Environmental Toxicology
and Public Health
MAR 395 Topics in Marine Environmental
Sciences
MAR 475 Undergraduate Teaching
Practicum
MAR 487 Research in Marine Sciences
MAR 488 Internship
The major in Marine Sciences leads to a Bachelor of Sciences degree. Completion of the major requires between 69 and 72 credits. Of these, no more than one course (4 credits) with a grade lower than C can be credited to the major.
1. Foundation Courses (40-41 credits)
BIO
201 Organisms to Ecosystems
BIO
202 Molecular and Cellular Biology
BIO
203 Cellular and Organ Physiology
BIO 204 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in Bio Sciences – Lab I
BIO 205 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in Bio Sciences – Lab II
CHE
131/133 General Chemistry and Lab I (see Note 1)
CHE 132/134 General Chemistry and Lab II (see Note 1)
CHE
321 Organic Chemistry
MAT
125 Calculus (see Note 2)
MAT
126 Calculus (see Note 2)
ENS/PHY
119 Physics for Environmental Studies
or PHY 121/123 Physics for Life Sciences with lab (see Note 3)
AMS
102 Statistics or AMS 110 Statistics for Life Sciences
2. Oceanography Core (13 credits)
MAR
305 Experimental Marine Biology
MAR
349 Biological Oceanography
MAR
351 Introduction to Ocean Chemistry
MAR
352 Introduction to Physical Oceanography
MAR 353 Physical Oceanography Lab
3. Marine Biology (15-17 credits)
BIO 353 Marine Ecology
Four
marine biology electives from below:
BIO
343 Invertebrate Zoology
BIO
346 Aquatic Arthropods and Vertebrates
MAR
301 Environmental Microbiology
or MAR 302 Marine
Microbiology and Microbial Ecology
MAR
303 Long Island Marine Habitats
MAR
315 Conservation Biology
MAR
320 Limnology
MAR
366 Plankton Ecology
MAR
370 Marine Mammals
MAR
371 Marine Vertebrates
MAR
380 Ichthyology
MAR
385 Fisheries Biology
MAR 388 Tropical Marine Ecology
MAR
394 Environmental Toxicology and Public Health
MAR
487 Research
or MAR 488 Internship
(maximum of 3 credits can be used for required elective)
4. Upper-Division Writing Requirement
All students in the major must submit two papers from any upper division course in the major to the director of undergraduate programs for evaluation by the end of the junior year.
Notes:
- CHE 141/143, 142/144 Honors Chemistry and Lab may be substituted for CHE 131/133, 132/134
- MAT 131, 132 or MAT 141, 142 may be substituted for MAT 125, 126
- The first semester of any calculus-based Physics with lab can be substituted, such as PHY 125 or 131/133 or 141 or 142.
| Freshman Fall | Credits |
Spring | Credits |
|
| First Year Seminar 101 | 1 |
First Year Seminar 102 | 1 |
|
| D.E.C. A | 3 |
D.E.C. A | 3 |
|
| CHE 131 | 4 |
CHE 132 | 4 |
|
| CHE 133 | 1 |
CHE 134 | 1 |
|
| MAT 125 | 3 |
MAT 126 | 3 |
|
| D.E.C. | 3 |
|||
| Total | 15 |
Total | 12 |
| Sophomore Fall | Credits |
Spring | Credits |
|
| BIO 201 & BIO 204 | 5 |
BIO 202 & BIO 205 | 5 |
|
| AMS 110 | 3 |
MAR elective | 3 |
|
| CHE 321 | 4 |
D.E.C. | 3 |
|
| D.E.C. | 3 |
D.E.C. | 3 |
|
| D.E.C. | 3 |
D.E.C. | 3 |
|
| Total | 18 |
Total | 17 |
| Junior Fall | Credits |
Spring | Credits |
|
| BIO 202 | 3 |
BIO 353 | 3 |
|
| MAR 349 | 4 |
MAR 350 | 2 |
|
| ENS/PHY 119 | 4 |
MAR elective | 3 |
|
| Upper-Division D.E.C. | 3 |
Upper Division D.E.C. | 3 |
|
| Elective | 3 |
|||
| Total | 14 |
Total | 14 |
| Senior Fall | Credits |
Spring | Credits |
|
| MAR 305 | 3 |
MAR 351 | 3 |
|
| MAR Elective | 3 |
MAR elective | 3 |
|
| Elective | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
|
| Elective | 3 |
Elective | 3 |
|
| Upper Division D.E.C. | 3 |
Upper Division D.E.C. | 3 |
|
| Total | 15 |
Total | 15 |
Page last modified on Monday, October 1, 2007 by George E. Carroll