Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences

• Overview
• Courses
• Requirements
• Sample Course Sequence

* For most up to date and official degree description see the undergraduate bulletin.

Overview

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.

Courses

• 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

Requirements

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)
   1. BIO 201 Organisms to Ecosystems
   2. BIO 202 Molecular and Cellular Biology
   3. BIO 203 Cellular and Organ Physiology
   4. BIO 204 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in Bio Sciences – Lab I
   5. BIO 205 Fundamentals of Scientific Inquiry in Bio Sciences – Lab II
   6. CHE 131/133 General Chemistry and Lab I¹
   7. CHE 132/134 General Chemistry and Lab II¹
   8. CHE 321 Organic Chemistry
   9. MAT 125 Calculus²
   10. MAT 126 Calculus²
   11. ENS/PHY 119 Physics for Environmental Studies
       or PHY 121/123 Physics for Life Sciences with lab³
   12. AMS 102 Statistics or AMS 110 Statistics for Life Sciences
2. Oceanography Core (13 credits)
   1. MAR 305 Experimental Marine Biology
   2. MAR 349 Biological Oceanography
   3. MAR 351 Introduction to Ocean Chemistry
   4. MAR 352 Introduction to Physical Oceanography
   5. MAR 353 Physical Oceanography Lab
3. Marine Biology (15-17 credits)
   1. BIO 353 Marine Ecology
   2. 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:

1. CHE 141/143, 142/144 Honors Chemistry and Lab may be substituted for CHE 131/133, 132/134
2. MAT 131, 132 or MAT 141, 142 may be substituted for MAT 125, 126
3. The first semester of any calculus-based Physics with lab can be substituted, such as PHY 125 or 131/133 or 141 or 142.

Sample Course Sequence