Semester by the Sea: Marine Sciences

Visiting students APPLY NOW | Current SBU students contact Kurt Bretsch

Offered by the School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS), the Semester by the Sea is designed for undergraduate students to spend a fall semester immersed in marine studies while in residence at the Stony Brook Southampton campus.  The program uses an experiential learning approach, taking full advantage of the Southampton Marine Science Center, its research vessels, its waterfront marine lab facilities, and the unique campus location on the shores of Shinnecock Bay for direct access to estuaries, bays, and the Atlantic Ocean.

The program offers students intensive studies of the diverse marine habitats of eastern Long Island including bays, estuaries, salt marshes, rocky intertidal zones, dunes, beaches, tidal flats, and the open ocean, as well as of current environmental issues related to these ecosystems.  It also introduces students to the historic and contemporary maritime traditions of Southampton, Long Island, New York, and New England via both classes and focused field trips to sites that have shaped these traditions.   

The program consists of three required capstone courses:

1. Long Island Marine Habitats (MAR303, 4 credits):  A field course emphasizing the flora, fauna, and marine ecosystems of Eastern Long Island. 
2. Maritime Traditions of New England (MAR356, 3 credits): A DEC K humanities course emphasizing the evolution of maritime culture and traditions in New York and New England. 
3. Coastal Culture Experience (MAR355, 2 credits):  A course which complements the Maritime Traditions course by offering students extended trips across southern New York to locations which have shaped maritime culture in the region.

Students in the program can select two elective courses from the normal offerings at SBS:

• Marine Mammals (MAR370, 3 credits)
• Physical Oceanography(MAR352, 3 credits)
• Experimental Marine Biology (MAR305, 3 credits)
• Ichthyology (MAR380, 3 credits)
• Introduction to Ocean Chemistry (MAR351, 3 credits)

Any student may enroll, but the program is best suited for upper level science majors as several of the elective courses have prerequisites.  Non-marine science students can get a minor in marine science by enrolling in this program and taking MAR104 the following semester. Housing and food will be available on campus.  

For questions about program content, contact Kurt.Bretsch@stonybrook.edu

For an informational flyer about the program, click here. Feel free to distribute!

Application Instructions:

Visiting students download and submit the application form
Current SBU students contact Kurt Bretsch