1. Carolina Core (34-46 hours)

Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Written — CMW (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher​

• any CC-CMW courses

Analytical Reasoning and Problem Solving — ARP (8 hours) 

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

• MATH 141 - Calculus I  
• MATH 142 - Calculus II  

Scientific Literacy — SCI (8 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

• MSCI 101 - The Ocean Environment  
• MSCI 102 - The Living Ocean  

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Foreign Language — GFL (0-6 hours)

Demonstration of proficiency in one foreign language equivalent to the minimal passing grade on the exit examination in the 122 course is required. Students can demonstrate this proficiency by successfully completing Phase II of the Proficiency Test or by successfully completing the 122 course, including the exit exam administered as part of that course.

• CC-GFL courses

​It is strongly recommended that students continuing the study of a foreign language begin college-level study of that language in their first semester and continue in that language until their particular foreign language requirement is completed.

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Historical Thinking — GHS (3 hours) 

• any CC-GHS course

Global Citizenship and Multicultural Understanding: Social Sciences — GSS (3 hours) 

• any CC-GSS course

Aesthetic and Interpretive Understanding —  AIU (3 hours)

• any CC-AIU course

Effective, Engaged, and Persuasive Communication: Spoken Component* — CMS (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-CMS course

Information Literacy* —  INF (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-INF course

Values, Ethics, and Social Responsibility* — VSR (0-3 hours)

• any overlay or stand-alone CC-VSR course

*Carolina Core Stand Alone or Overlay Eligible Requirements — Overlay-approved courses offer students the option of meeting two Carolina Core components in a single course. A maximum of two overlays is allowed. The total Carolina Core credit hours must add up to a minimum of 31 hours. Some programs may have a higher number of minimum Carolina Core hours due to specified requirements.

2. College Requirements (15-18 hours)

Foreign Language (0-3 hours) 

• only if needed to meet 122-level proficiency

Analytical Reasoning (6 hours)

must be passed with a grade of C or higher

• STAT 515 - Statistical Methods I  
• CSCE 102 - General Applications Programming  or a higher level CSCE course

History (3 hours) 

The College of Arts and Sciences requires one U.S. History and one non-U.S. History course. Whichever is not fulfilled through the Carolina Core GHS requirement must be fulfilled through this college requirement. Accordingly, please select one of the following:

• One Carolina Core GHS-approved course primarily focused on U.S. History: HIST 111 , 112 , 214 , or another GHS-approved course determined by the College of Arts and Science to fit this geographic category.

OR

• One Carolina Core GHS-approved course primarily focused on non-U.S. History: HIST 101 , 102 , 104 , 105 , 106 , 108 , 109 , GERM 280 , FAMS 300 , or another GHS-approved course determined by the College of Arts and Sciences to fit this geographic category.

Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities (6 hours)

Courses Acceptable for Social Science and Fine Arts or Humanities Credit in Degree Programs in the College of Arts and Sciences  

• Three hours of Social Science
• Three hours of Fine Arts or Humanities

3. Program Requirements (28-43 hours)

Supporting Courses (16 hours)

must be passed with a C or higher

• PHYS 201 - General Physics I  & 201L  OR PHYS 211 - Essentials of Physics I  & 211L  (Students in the Physical Oceanography concentration must take PHYS 211 & 211L)
• PHYS 202 - General Physics II  & 202L  OR PHYS 212 - Essentials of Physics II  & 212L  (Students in the Physical Oceanography concentration must take PHYS 212 & 212L)
• CHEM 111 - General Chemistry I  & 111L  
• CHEM 112 - General Chemistry II  & 112L   

Minor (18 hours) optional

A student in the Marine Science major may choose a minor consisting of at least 18 credit hours of prescribed courses. (Some minors in the sciences require a minimum of16 hours.) The subject area of the minor may be related to the major. Students pursuing interdisciplinary minors who wish to use courses in their major department for minor credit must petition the College Committee on Scholastic Standards and Petitions for permission to do so.

The minor is intended to develop a coherent basic preparation in a second area of study. Interdisciplinary minors can be designed with the approval of the assistant dean for academic affairs and advising.

Courses applied toward general education requirements cannot be counted toward the minor. No course may satisfy both major and minor requirements. All minor courses must be passed with a grade of C or higher. At least half of the courses in the minor must be completed in residence at the University

A list of minor programs of study can be found at Programs A-Z .

Electives (12-27 hours)

No courses of a remedial, developmental, skill-acquiring, or vocational nature may apply as credit toward degrees in the College of Arts and Sciences. The College of Arts and Sciences allows the use of the Pass-Fail option on elective courses. Further clarification on inapplicable courses can be obtained from the College of Arts and Sciences.

4. Major Requirements (36 hours)

a minimum grade of C is required in all major courses

Major Courses (13 hours)

• MSCI 311 - Biology of Marine Organisms  
• MSCI 313 - The Chemistry of the Sea  
• MSCI 314 - Physical Oceanography  
• MSCI 505 - Senior Seminar  
• Required Field Experience: All MSCI majors are required to undertake a minimum of three weeks of marine science field effort.  Possibilities include MSCI 460, semester or summer internship, REU, semester at sea, or faculty-sponsored field research or cruise.  Students who do not select MSCI 460 , must submit a petition for an alternative field experience to the Undergraduate Director.  If the alternative is approved, the student must submit a short (2-3 page minimum) report at the completion of the experience to the Undergraduate Director for approval.  Upon approval, the Undergraduate Director will notify the Dean’s office of the substitution.  Students will not normally receive course credit hours for their alternative field experience, but may combine this requirement with independent study credit as appropriate.  If no course credit hours are associated with the field experience, the student will be required to take an additional Marine Science elective (300-level and above).  Some students may complete MSCI 460 in the summer following senior year & graduate in August.

Major Electives (23 hours)

Students, in consultation with a faculty advisor, must select 23 hours of major electives. Preferred courses available for major credit are listed below; however, any course which is eligible for cognate credit in the College of Arts and Sciences can potentially be a major course with consent of faculty advisor.  Hours used to fulfill an optional concentration count toward the fulfillment of the 23 hours of major electives, e.g., students selecting Biological Oceanography would fulfill 13 hours of the 23 hours of required major electives. 

A maximum of 10 hours of independent study, seminar, and undergraduate research courses may count in the 23 hours of major electives required for the Marine Science major. These courses are indicated with an asterisk below.

Courses Acceptable for Major Credit

• MSCI courses numbered 300 and above
  • MSCI 399 - Independent Study *
  • MSCI 495 - Internship in Marine Science *
  • MSCI 496 - Undergraduate Research *
  • MSCI 497 - Undergraduate Research *
  • MSCI 498 - Undergraduate Research *
  • MSCI 499 - Undergraduate Research *
  • MSCI 505 - Senior Seminar *
• BIOL 301 - Ecology and Evolution  & 301L  
• BIOL 302 - Cell and Molecular Biology  & 302L  
• BIOL 303 - Fundamental Genetics  
• BIOL 450 - Principles of Biological Oceanography  
• BIOL 460 - General Physiology  & 460L  
• BIOL 505 - Developmental Biology  & 505L  
• BIOL 534 - Animal Behavior  & 534L  
• BIOL 541 - Biochemistry  & 541L  
• BIOL 543 - Comparative Physiology  & 543L  
• BIOL 549 - Plant Physiology  
• BIOL 550 - Bacteriology  & 550L  
• BIOL 570 - Principles of Ecology  & 570L  
• BIOL 599 - Topics in Biology * 
• BIOL 640 - Microbial Ecology  
• BIOL 643 - Advanced Microbiology  
• BIOL 645 - Senior Seminar *
• BIOL 652 - Evolutionary Biology  
• BIOL 654 - Speciation  
• BIOL 670 - Plant Ecology  
• BIOL 690 - Electron Microscopy  
• CHEM 321 - Quantitative Analysis  & 321L  
• CHEM 331L - Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory I  
• CHEM 332L - Essentials of Organic Chemistry Laboratory II  
• CHEM 333 - Organic Chemistry I  & 333L  
• CHEM 334 - Organic Chemistry II  & 334L  
• CHEM 511 - Inorganic Chemistry  
• CHEM 541 - Physical Chemistry  & 541L *
• CHEM 542 - Physical Chemistry  & 542L  
• CHEM 621 - Instrumental Analysis  
• CSCE 561 - Numerical Analysis  
• ECON 548 - Environmental Economics  
• ENVR 548 - Environmental Economics  
• ENVR 571 - Conservation Biology  
• ENVR 572 - Freshwater Ecology  
• ENVR 590 - Environmental Issues Seminar * 
• GEOG 341 - Cartography  
• GEOG 345 - Interpretation of Aerial Photographs  
• GEOG 363 - Geographic Information Systems  
• GEOG 365 - Hurricanes and Tropical Climatology  
• GEOG 510 - Special Topics in Geographic Research  
• GEOG 516 - Coastal Zone Management  
• GEOG 541 - Advanced Cartography  
• GEOG 545 - Synoptic Meteorology  
• GEOG 546 - Applied Climatology  
• GEOG 551 - Principles of Remote Sensing  
• GEOG 554 - Spatial Programming  
• GEOG 563 - Advanced Geographic Information Systems  
• GEOG 564 - GIS-Based Modeling  
• GEOG 575 - Digital Techniques and Applications in Remote Sensing  
• GEOL 305 - Earth Systems through Time  
• GEOL 315 - Surface and Near Surface Processes  
• GEOL 325 - Stratigraphy and Sedimentary Basins  
• GEOL 335 - Processes of Global Environmental Change  
• GEOL 345 - Igneous and Metamorphic Processes  
• GEOL 371 - A View of the River  
• GEOL 500 - Field Geology  
• GEOL 503 - Regional Stratigraphy and Biostratigraphy of North America  
• GEOL 508 - Palynology  
• GEOL 516 - Sedimentology  
• GEOL 541 - Earth Science for Teachers II  
• GEOL 545 - Geological Oceanography  
• GEOL 546 - Marine Geophysics  
• GEOL 555 - Elementary Seismology  
• GEOL 570 - Environmental Hydrogeology  
• JOUR 562 - Communicating Science, Health and the Environment   
• MATH 241 - Vector Calculus  
• MATH 242 - Elementary Differential Equations  
• MATH 344 - Applied Linear Algebra  
• MATH 344L - Applied Linear Algebra Lab  
• MATH 521 - Boundary Value Problems and Partial Differential Equations  
• MATH 526 - Numerical Linear Algebra  
• MATH 527 - Numerical Analysis  
• MATH 544 - Linear Algebra  
• NAVY 301 - Navigation/Naval Operations I  & 301L  
• NAVY 302 - Navigation/Naval Operations II  & 302L  
• POLI 370 - Introduction to Public Administration  
• POLI 399A - Independent Study in Political Science  
• POLI 399B - Independent Study in International Studies  
• POLI 420 - International Law  
• POLI 431 - Science, Technology, and Public Policy  
• POLI 477 - Green Politics  
• SCHC 390-398*
• SCHC 499 - Senior Thesis/Project *
• SOCY 310 - Social Demography  
• SOCY 315 - Global Population Issues  
• STAT 506 - Introduction to Experimental Design  
• STAT 511 - Probability  
• STAT 512 - Mathematical Statistics  
• STAT 513 - Theory of Statistical Inference  
• STAT 516 - Statistical Methods II  
• STAT 518 - Nonparametric Statistical Methods  

Note: Credit for a degree will not be given for both CHEM 340 and CHEM 541.

Concentrations (12-15 hours)

Students may elect to have a Concentration specified directly on their academic transcript upon graduation from the Marine Science Program. In order to earn a Concentration certification, students must take the following courses, with an additional course(s) to be decided upon by the student and his or her Faculty Advisor. These courses may also be included in the 36 major credit hours required for graduation.

Biological Oceanography (13 hours minimum)

• BIOL 301 - Ecology and Evolution  & 301L  
• BIOL 302 - Cell and Molecular Biology  OR BIOL 303 - Fundamental Genetics  

*Note: CHEM 333  is a prerequisite for BIOL 302 and is recommended for those intending to complete postgraduate work in this area of emphasis.

• Select 2 additional courses (6 hours minimum) from the following list of marine biology, ecology, biology courses or similar courses as approved by advisor:
  • MSCI/BIOL 450 - Principles of Biological Oceanography   
  • MSCI 503/BIOL 502 - Environmental Microbiology   
  • MSCI/BIOL 510 - Invertebrate Zoology   
  • MSCI/BIOL 525 - Marine Plants   
  • MSCI/BIOL 535 - Fishery Management   
  • MSCI/BIOL 536 - Ichthyology   
  • MSCI/BIOL 537 - Aquaculture   
  • MSCI/BIOL 538 - Behavior of Marine Organisms   
  • MSCI/BIOL 552 - Population Genetics   
  • MSCI/BIOL 574 - Marine Conservation Biology  
  • MSCI/BIOL 575 - Marine Ecology   
  • MSCI/BIOL 576 - Marine Fisheries Ecology  
  • MSCI/BIOL 577 - Ecology of Coral Reefs   
  • MSCI/BIOL 627 - Marine Phytoplankton   
  • MSCI 496 , 497 , 498 , MSCI 499 - Undergraduate Research  (if biology oriented)
  • MSCI 599 - Topics in Marine Science  (if biology oriented)
  • MSCI 566 - Ecosystem Analysis   
  • MSCI 578 - Physiological and Pollution Ecology of Marine Organisms   
  • BIOL 302 - Cell and Molecular Biology  (and 302L  is optional) OR BIOL 303 - Fundamental Genetics   
  • BIOL 460 - General Physiology   
  • BIOL 505 - Developmental Biology   
  • BIOL 534 - Animal Behavior   
  • BIOL 541 - Biochemistry   
  • BIOL 543 - Comparative Physiology   
  • BIOL 550 - Bacteriology   
  • BIOL 570 - Principles of Ecology   
  • BIOL 640 - Microbial Ecology   
  • BIOL 643 - Advanced Microbiology   
  • BIOL 652 - Evolutionary Biology   
  • BIOL 670 - Plant Ecology   
  • BIOL 690 - Electron Microscopy   

Chemical Oceanography (13 hours)

• CHEM 321 - Quantitative Analysis  
• CHEM 321L - Quantitative Analysis Laboratory  
• CHEM 333 - Organic Chemistry I  
• CHEM 334 - Organic Chemistry II  
• 1 more Chemical Oceanography course at the 400-level or above

Coastal Resource Management & Marine Policy (12 hours)

• MSCI 390 - Policy and Marine Science  
• GEOG 516 - Coastal Zone Management  
• ENVR 548 - Environmental Economics *
• 1 more Coastal Resource Management & Marine Policy course at the 400-level or above

*ENVR 548 requires a prerequisite of ECON 221  and ECON 222  or ECON 224 .

Geological Oceanography (15 hours)

• GEOL 302 - Rocks and Minerals  
• GEOL 305 - Earth Systems through Time  OR GEOL 335 - Processes of Global Environmental Change  
• GEOL 315 - Surface and Near Surface Processes  OR GEOL 325 - Stratigraphy and Sedimentary Basins  
• 1 more Geological Oceanography course at the 300-level or above

Physical Oceanography (12 hours)

• MATH 241 - Vector Calculus  
• MATH 242 - Elementary Differential Equations  
• Any two of the following courses (Courses are taught alternate years. Please check teaching schedule.):
  • MSCI 557 - Coastal Processes  
  • MSCI 579 - Air-Sea Interaction  
  • MSCI 581 - Estuarine Oceanography  
  • MSCI 582 - Marine Hydrodynamics  
  • MSCI 590 - Beach-Dune Interactions