Program Overview

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University of Florida Marine Sciences Program

The University of Florida offers a comprehensive Marine Sciences program, administered jointly by the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences and the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences. This program provides an integrative understanding of the basic concepts, theories, and observational findings related to marine materials and processes, geologic time, the diversity of marine life, the structure and function of marine organisms and ecosystems, and marine resource management.

About the Program

• College: Liberal Arts and Sciences
• Degree: Bachelor of Science
• Credits for Degree: 120
• To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college, and major requirements.

Related Programs

• Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences Minor

Requirements for the Major

The major requires 63-67 credits of coursework completed with minimum grades of C. At least 30 credits of coursework in the major must be completed at UF.

Required Coursework

The required coursework includes:

• Integrated Principles of Biology 1 and 2
• General Chemistry 1 and 2
• Analytic Geometry and Calculus 1 and 2
• Introduction to Oceanography
• Fundamentals of Marine Sciences
• Chemical Oceanography
• Biodiversity and Ecology Field Immersion or Marine Ecological Processes
• Marine Biology

Critical Tracking

Critical Tracking records each student’s progress in courses that are required for entry to each major. The critical-tracking requirements are as follows:

• Semester 1: Complete OCE 1001 and 1 critical-tracking course from BSC 2010/BSC 2010L, BSC 2011/BSC 2011L, CHM 2045/CHM 2045L, CHM 2046/CHM 2046L, MAC 2311, PHY 2053/PHY 2053L (or PHY 2048/PHY 2048L), PHY 2054/PHY 2054L (or PHY 2049/PHY 2049L)
• Semester 2: Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses
• Semester 3: Complete 1 additional critical-tracking course
• Semester 4: Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses
• Semester 5: Complete all 8 critical-tracking courses
• Semester 6: Complete FAS 4270 or PCB 4460
• Semester 7: Complete General Education course
• Semester 8: Complete all remaining General Education requirements

Marine Sciences Core Elective

Students must select one course from the following:

• Physical Geology
• Historical Geology
• Oceans and Global Climate Change
• Evolution of Earth and Life
• Earth Materials
• Special Topics (Physical Oceanography)

Approved Marine Sciences Electives

Students must select 12 credits (minimum) from the following:

• Special Topics (Physical Oceanography)
• Deltas and Humans
• Biology of Fishes
• Introduction to Freshwater Fishery Science
• Aquariums, Water and Aquaculture
• Topics in Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences (Marine Adaptations)
• Oceans and Global Climate Change
• Evolution of Earth and Life
• Earth Materials
• Paleontology
• Geophysics
• Sedimentary Geology
• Coastal Morphology and Processes
• Special Topics in Geology (Estuarine Systems)
• Introduction to Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering
• Invertebrate Biodiversity

Additional Electives

With instructor permission, students may select from the following:

• Littoral Processes
• Advanced Topics in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering
• Field Ecology of Aquatic Organisms
• Applied Phycology
• Organic Geochemistry and Geobiology
• Sedimentology
• Marine Geology
• Topics in Field Geology (Bahamas)
• Global Climate Change: Past, Present, and Future
• Tectonics
• Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems
• Special Topics in Geology (Chemical Biomarkers in Aquatic Ecosystems)
• Physical Oceanography
• Data Analysis Techniques for Coastal and Ocean Engineers
• Estuarine and Shelf Hydrodynamics I
• Biodiversity and Ecology Field Immersion
• Special Topics in Zoology (Biology of Sea Turtles)
• Ichthyology

Student Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of the program, students will be able to:

1. Demonstrate competence in the basic terminology, concepts, methodologies, and theories used within the marine sciences.
2. Analyze information in the marine sciences and develop reasoned solutions to problems using the processes and applications of scientific inquiry.
3. Discriminate ethical behavior from unethical behavior in scientific research.
4. Communicate knowledge, ideas, and reasoning clearly, effectively, and objectively in written or oral forms appropriate to the marine sciences.

Assessment Types

• Marine sciences subject and analytical skills tests
• Bioethics quiz
• Scientific paper

Before Graduating

Students must:

• Achieve a passing score on the subject test
• Achieve a passing score on the analytical skills test
• Achieve a passing score on the bioethics quiz
• Achieve a passing score on the scientific literacy paper
• Complete requirements for the baccalaureate degree, as determined by faculty.