Program Overview

Marine Science, MS

The Master of Science (MS) in Marine Science is a research-intensive degree designed to prepare students for careers in marine science or further training in preparation for pursuing a PhD in the biological or marine sciences. Students are required to conduct their own independent research while participating in either the Plan I (with thesis) or Plan II (without thesis) degree tracks leading to the MS in Marine Science.

Admissions

See the Admission Criteria section of this catalog for more information.

Curricular Requirements

Each candidate will be guided by an Advisory Committee consisting of at least three members, at least one of whom is a qualified member of the Biological Sciences faculty resident on the UA Tuscaloosa campus. All members of a Plan I M.S. Advisory Committee must be members of the Graduate Faculty and exactly one member must be from outside the student's major department and may be from another institution. For Plan II M.S. degree-seeking students, all Advisory Committee members may be Graduate Faculty in the Department of Biological Sciences or no more than one Advisory Committee member can be from outside of the department and University.

Thesis - Plan I

• Code and Title | Hours
  • Required Courses|
    • BSC 505| Intro to Grad Studies| 2
    • BSC 601| Biological Sciences Seminar| 1
    • or DISL Marine Science Seminar|
  • Thesis Courses|
    • BSC 599| Thesis Research| 6
  • Marine Science Electives Courses 1| 21
  • Elective Options include UA and Dauphin Island Sea Lab Courses|
  • Total Hours| 30
• Additional Requirements:
  • 24 credit hours other than BSC 599 Thesis Research, including:
    • At least 19 credit hours with a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail)
    • A maximum of 6 credit hours with a letter grade may be taken from BSC 507 Research Tech In By and/or BSC 607 Adv Research Tech In By combined
    • Up to 5 hours of Pass/Fall credit can be applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements. Pass/Fail hours can include up to a total of 4 credit hours of BSC 601 Biological Sciences Seminar or the Marine Science seminar series held at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
    • Of the 30 required credit hours, 18 must carry the BSC or MS designation.

Non-Thesis - Plan II

• Code and Title | Hours
  • Required Courses|
    • BSC 505| Intro to Grad Studies| 2
    • BSC 601| Biological Sciences Seminar| 1
  • Marine Science Elective Courses 1| 27
  • Total Hours| 30
• Additional Requirements:
  • At least 25 credit hours with a letter grade (i.e., not Pass/Fail)
  • A maximum of 6 credit hours with a letter grade may be taken from BSC 507 Research Tech In By and/or BSC 607 Adv Research Tech In By combined
  • Up to 5 hours of Pass/Fall credit can be applied toward fulfillment of degree requirements. Pass/Fail hours can include up to a total of 4 credit hours of BSC 601 Biological Sciences Seminar or the Marine Science seminar series held at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab.
  • Of the 30 required credit hours, 18 must carry the BSC or MS designation.
  • BSC 599 Thesis Research may not apply toward this degree

Marine Science Electives

• Marine Science Electives | Hours
  • BSC 507| Research Tech In By|
  • BSC 511| Phage Discovery Laboratory|
  • BSC 512| Limnology|
  • BSC 516| Disease Ecology|
  • BSC 517| Environmental Modeling|
  • BSC 519| Evolutionary Genomics|
  • BSC 520| Principles Of Systematics|
  • BSC 521| Pers Gen Med|
  • BSC 526| Computational Biology Lab|
  • BSC 528| Biology Of Fishes|
  • BSC 530| Introduction to Pharmacology|
  • BSC 534| Plant Systematics|
  • BSC 535| Immunology|
  • BSC 539| Bch/Molecular Biology Lab|
  • BSC 541| Developmental Biology|
  • BSC 542| Integrated Genomics|
  • BSC 544| General Virology|
  • BSC 548| Animal Behavior|
  • BSC 549| Endocrinology|
  • BSC 550| Fundamentals of Biochemistry|
  • BSC 551| Bch/Molecular Biology II|
  • BSC 553| Biochemistry Lab|
  • BSC 555| Chemical Ecology|
  • BSC 556| Microbial Ecology|
  • BSC 558| Drug Discovery Laboratory|
  • BSC 564| Biology Of Algae|
  • BSC 565| Principles Of Toxicology|
  • BSC 570| Prin Pop Genetics|
  • BSC 571| Plant Physiology|
  • BSC 573| Bioinformatics|
  • BSC 581| Adv Biostatistics with R|
  • BSC 582| Conservation Biology|
  • BSC 583| Evolution|
  • BSC 585| Found Forest Res and Conserv|
  • BSC 598| Non-Thesis Research|
  • BSC 607| Adv Research Tech In By|
  • BSC 656| Microscopical Techniques|
  • BSC 675| Global Change Biology|
  • BSC 695| Spec Topics Biolog Sci|
• Dauphin Island Sea Lab Electives|
  • Advanced Analysis for Ecological Sciences|
  • Advanced Marine Ecology|
  • Anthropogenic Impacts on Coast|
  • Biological Oceanography|
  • Chemical Oceanography|
  • Coastal Fisheries Ecology|
  • Coastal Processes|
  • Environmental Toxicology|
  • Field Marine Science|
  • Geological Oceanography|
  • Marine Conservation Biology|
  • Marine Ecosystem Modeling|
  • Marine Resources Management|
  • Marine Sediment Ecology|
  • Marine Trophic Processes|
  • Ocean Variability and Global Change|
  • Oceanographic Experiences|
  • Physical Oceanography |
  • Physiology and Ecology of Marine Microalgae|
  • Quantitative Methods in Fisheries & Ecology |
  • Scientific Communication |
  • Sediment Biogeochemistry|
  • Stable Isotope Ecology|
  • Marine Science Seminar|

Transfer Credit

See information on transfer credit.

Accelerated Master's Program

See information on the Accelerated Master's Program.

Comprehensive Exams

• Plan I:All students must pass a final oral examination (defense) related to their thesis. Final oral examination questions may also include other subjects beyond the student's research that the M.S. Advisory Committee or other faculty consider relevant. Final oral examinations for the M.S. Plan I must be taken not less than six weeks priorto the proposed graduation date (Note: This deadline does not include time required for revision of the thesis after the defense). The outside member of the student’s committee must attend and participate in the final defense; this may be a virtual presence if the member can see and hear the presentation and actively participate in questioning of the candidate. All students are required to notify the departmental office of their final oral examination 14 days prior to the exam and provide a copy of their thesis for public display.
• Plan II: All M.S. Plan II students must pass a final oral examination related to their research or literature survey topic. Final oral examination questions may also include other subjects beyond the student's research that the M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee or other faculty members consider to be relevant. Final oral examinations must be taken not less than two weeks prior to the proposed graduation date. All committee members must attend and participate in the oral examination, either in- person or virtually as long as the committee member can see and hear the presentation and actively participate in questioning of the candidate. All students are required to notify the departmental office of their final oral examination 14 days prior to the exam and provide a copy of their research report or literature survey for public display.

Plan I- Thesis Process Requirements

• M.S. Plan I Advisory Committee:A student must form a M.S. Advisory Committee prior to their first annual review meeting. The first committee meeting is to be held after completion of the first semester of studies (by January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June 30th for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate progress toward a degree. In subsequent years of study, the committee will meet prior to December 15th to review progress during the previous academic year. It will also meet as needed to administer the final presentation, and to examine and approve the thesis.
• M.S. Research Proposal:A formal research proposal is required and should be completed by the end of the student’s second semester in the program. This proposal should include:
  1. A full but concise statement of the specific goals of the research.
  2. A review of the relevant literature to place the proposed work in a solid theoretical context.
  3. A discussion of the significance of the proposed research and how it addresses a novel question.
  4. A description of the experimental design, including experimental methods, procedures, and methods used in analysis and interpretation of results.
  5. Literature citations.
• ResearchExpectations: **A formal thesis, prepared in accordance with university regulations, is required. The thesis shall be based upon research approved by the student's M.S. Advisory Committee and conducted under the supervision of the major professor.
• Formal Departmental Seminar and Final Oral Defense:In addition to participation in the departmental research symposiums, a publicly announced final formal departmental seminar concerning the student's research is required. The seminar is scheduled immediately preceding the final oral examination. All students are required to notify departmental office personnel of the date, time and room location of their formal seminar a minimum of 14 days prior to the seminar. A title and an abstract must be submitted to the departmental office at the time of seminar notification so that a public announcement can be made. In addition, a copy of the final draft of your thesis must be made available in the departmental office for those wishing to review it.

Plan II- Non-Thesis Process Requirements

• M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee:A student must form a M.S. Advisory Committee prior to their first annual review meeting. The first committee meeting is to be held after completion of the first semester of studies (by January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June 30th for students entering in the spring semester) to evaluate progress toward a degree. In subsequent years of study, the committee will meet prior to December 15th to review progress during the previous academic year. It will also meet as needed to administer the final presentation, and to examine and approve the culminating Capstone Experience.
• Culminating “Capstone” Experience: In addition to earning a minimum of 30 semester hours of credit, candidates for the M.S. Plan ll degree are required to complete one or more of the following:
  • A. Non-thesis research project.This requirement is met by completing a research project under the supervision and to the satisfaction of the student's M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee. The M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee determines the nature and extent of the research project. The student must prepare a report, present a public seminar, and pass an oral examination on this research. The oral exam will take place immediately following the public seminar. The research report must be submitted to the M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee for review at least 14 days prior to the public seminar and oral exam. In addition, a copy of the research report must be submitted to the department office and the public defense announced at least 14 days prior to the seminar and exam date. Students selecting this option may apply up to 6 hours of BSC 507/607 and up to 5 hours of BSC 598 toward fulfillment of requirements for the degree.
  • B. Research practicum.This requirement is met by earning 6 credit hours of BSC 507 (Research Techniques in Biology) under the supervision and to the satisfaction of the student's M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee. The M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee determines the nature and extent of the BSC 507 research project. Examples of research practicum experiences include, but are not limited to, conducting research in the M.S. Plan II Advisor’s laboratory, at a regional research center (e.g., HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Joseph W. Jones Ecological Research Center), or at a national lab (e.g., National Institutes of Health). The student must prepare a report, present a formal public seminar, and pass an oral exam on the research experience. The oral exam will take place immediately following the public seminar. The research report must be submitted to the M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee for review at least 14 days prior to the oral exam. In addition, a copy of the research report must be submitted to the Department office and the public seminar and exam announced at least 14 days prior to the date. Students selecting this option may apply up to 6 hours of BSC 507/607 toward fulfillment of requirements for the M.S. Plan II degree. BSC 598 may not be applied toward fulfillment of requirements for the degree under this option.
  • C. In-depth topical literature survey.Students selecting this option must prepare a formal paper and pass an oral exam on a research topic approved by the M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee. Students selecting this option may not apply BSC 507, BSC 598, BSC 607, or BSC 698 toward fulfillment of requirements for the degree.
• Culminating “Capstone” Experience Proposal:A formal Capstone Experience proposal is required and should be completed by the end of the student’s second semester in the program. This proposal should include a full but concise statement of the specific goals of the Capstone Experience. M.S. Plan II option A candidates must also include in their proposals the following:
  1. A full but concise statement of the specific goals of the research.
  2. A review of the relevant literature to place the proposed work in a solid theoretical context.
  3. A discussion of the significance of the proposed research and how it addresses a novel question.
  4. A description of the experimental design, including experimental methods, procedures, and methods used in analysis and interpretation of results.
  5. Literature citations.
• Formal Departmental Seminar (M.S. Plan II Options A and B only):In addition to participation in the departmental research symposiums, a publicly announced final formal departmental seminar of the student's research is required for students selecting M.S. Plan II Options A and B. The seminar is scheduled immediately preceding the final oral examination. All students are required to notify departmental office personnel of the date, time and room location of their formal seminar and exam a minimum of 14 days prior to the date. A title and an abstract must be submitted to the departmental office at the time of defense notification so that a public announcement can be made. In addition, a copy of the final draft of your written report must be made available in the departmental office for those wishing to review it. The report copy will be kept at the front desk during the 2-week period. When you deliver your draft to the office, you will be required to enter it into a logbook that will be kept in the office. Failure to meet any of these requirements will result in a delay of the Plan II M.S. defense.
• Final Oral Examination:All M.S. Plan II students must pass a final oral examination related to their research or literature survey topic. Final oral examination questions may also include other subjects beyond the student's research that the M.S. Plan II Advisory Committee or other faculty members consider to be relevant. Final oral examinations must be taken not less than two weeks prior to the proposed graduation date. All committee members must attend and participate in the oral examination, either in- person or by electronic means (e.g., Skype). All students are required to notify the departmental office of their final oral examination 14 days prior to the exam.

Time Limits for Degree Completion Requirements

See information on time limits for degree completion.

Student Progress Requirement

• Annual Progress Review:First year students must meet with their committee after completing the first semester of studies (by January 31st for students entering in the fall semester and by June 30th for students entering in the spring semester) Subsequently, each graduate student will meet annually prior to December 15th with her/his M.S. Advisory Committee for the purpose of reviewing the student's progress toward a degree during the previous academic year. The student is expected to make a formal presentation to the Advisory Committee during the annual meeting that includes a description of progress made with respect to research and completion of other degree requirements.
• This evaluation will result in a “Pass”, “Probationary pass”, or “Fail”. Guidelines for these rankings are given below:
  • Pass:The graduate student is making satisfactory research progress commensurate with their time in the program, has maintained at least a 3.0 cumulative GPA, and has met other requirements of the program (e.g., formed a committee, presented a research proposal, etc.) in a timely manner.
  • Probationary Pass: The graduate student has fallen behind schedule with respect to such requirements as formation of a committee, literature search and submission of a research proposal, scheduling and taking required examinations (for PhD students only), writing of the thesis or dissertation etc. (see degree timeline), or little or no research progress has been made since the last annual review. It may apply to a student receiving a grade lower than a B in a course during the previous year even though the (overall cumulative) GPA is 3.0 or higher. Committees awarding a Probationary Pass for students who have fallen behind schedule must provide a written rationale to the Graduate Committee and the Department Chair in the annual committee report, including clearly defined milestones or benchmarks the student must reach in order to bring their performance up to standard. The student must submit a remediation plan to their committee members addressing the concerns of the committee, including procedures for how milestones and benchmarks will be met, as well as a timeline, within two weeks of notification of their Probationary Pass. This plan must be signed by the major advisor and two other members of the student’s advisory committee, and presented for approval to the Graduate Program Director. Once approved, the remediation plan document will be placed in the student’s file, and a copy given to the student. Furthermore, the graduate student must have a follow-up committee meeting within six months of the annual review to evaluate their progress on the remediation plan. At the conclusion of the six-month follow-up meeting, the student will be awarded either a Pass or a Fail.
  • Fail: The graduate student’s progress is unacceptable for reasons such as a cumulative GPA of less than 3.0 in all (both graduate and undergraduate) courses attempted, insufficient research progress, or not completing the degree within time limits without an acceptable/approved reason.
• Graduate students receiving a ranking of Fail for any annual review, or two rankings of Conditional Pass for any two annual reviews, will be dismissed from the Biological Sciences Graduate Program.

Additional Academic Requirements

All graduate students are required to register for and attend the weekly departmental seminar, enrolling in BSC 601 Biological Sciences Seminar or the Marine Science seminar series held at the Dauphin Island Sea Lab each semester.

Acquisition of Financial Support

• All students in good standing in the Biology MS program are normally supported by a graduate research assistantship (GRA) funded through their advisor, a graduate teaching assistantship (GTA) funded by the Department, or a fellowship. Both types of assistantships provide an equivalent stipend and benefits along with paid tuition and fees. Financial support is guaranteed through the first five years in the program for all PhD students who meet performance expectations and who do not meet any Conditions for Termination of Financial Support (see below). Students will be informed of impending financial support termination at least one semester prior to the support termination date except in the special cases noted under Conditions for Termination of Financial Support. Students in good standing may petition the Graduate Program Director for continuing GTA support beyond the third year on a semesterly basis. Petitions for continuing support must be submitted to the Graduate Program Director at least three months prior to the start of the final semester of guaranteed support
• Fellowship Nominations:
  Eligible students who excel in the program may be nominated by the Department for UA fellowships. Nominees are selected by Graduate Committee vote based upon prospective nominee research productivity, academic performance, and contributions to the Department. Fellowship recipients are guaranteed paid tuition and fees, a stipend, and benefits at least commensurate with those provided through GRA or GTA support.
• Performance Expectations for Continuing Financial Support:
  • The student must be in good academic standing in the Biology MS program.
  • The student must remain clear of all infractions outlined under Conditions for Termination of Financial Support
  • The student must complete all mandatory annual training and abide by all rules and policies held by The University of Alabama, The UA College of Arts and Sciences, UA Environmental Health and Safety, and the Department of Biological Sciences.
  • Graduate teaching assistants must adequately perform all duties assigned to them in a timely manner as defined by the instructor of record or their designee for all courses to which the student is assigned teaching, grading, and/or laboratory preparative responsibilities.
• Conditions for Termination of Financial Support: Students who meet one or more of the following criteria will be subject to termination of financial support pending Department of Biological Sciences administrative review. Depending upon the severity of the infraction or the extent of non-compliance, the Department Chair and Graduate Program Director—with input from the Graduate Committee—will recommend immediate termination of financial support, termination of financial support at the end of the current semester, or termination of financial support (partial or full) at the end of the following semester.
  • Dereliction of duty. Dereliction of duty includes but is not limited to: failure to comply with all UA safety and interpersonal conduct policies; absence from scheduled obligations without prior notification to the instructor of record or designee (for teaching assistants) or the research advisor (for research assistants); or failure to satisfactorily complete all activities associated with the funded position as defined by the instructor of record or designee (for teaching assistants) or by the research advisor (for research assistants) and the student’s departmental memorandum of appointment.
  • Resolved finding of Academic Misconduct. Penalties, including potential loss of financial support, will be determined with guidance from the UA Graduate School and/or the UA College of Arts and Sciences.
  • Failure to have a department-approved research advisor for more than one semester. Students without an advisor will be subject to the Graduate School's "No Clear Path" policy.
  • Loss of good academic standing. Students not in good academic standing have one probationary academic semester after notification of their change in academic status to return to good academic standing. Financial support will be terminated if good academic standing is not restored by the end of the probationary academic semester. Each graduate student must maintain a minimum grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 to remain in good academic standing. All graduate students must maintain a minimum of 6 credit hours during fall and spring semesters to maintain full time status - excluding credit hours awarded for service as a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). Students may register for a maximum of 15 semester hours, inclusive of credit hours awarded for service as a GTA. Graduate Students must be full time students to receive GTAs and Graduate Research Assistantships (GRAs).