The Program in Maritime Studies, established in 1981, has a distinguished international reputation for teaching and research. The program integrates hands-on experience with interdisciplinary studies in history , anthropology , geography , geology and related marine sciences. Faculty and students have pursued many premier projects around the world, including investigations of the USS Monitor , CSS Alabama , USS Tecumseh , USS Arizona , Maple Leaf , the site believed to be the Queen Anne's Revenge , sixteenth-century sites in Bermuda and Florida, and the Yorktown Shipwreck Archaeological Project. The MA in Maritime Studies is a 36-semester hour degree program in the Department of History.
Students generally finish their degree requirements in two years.
First year students take many of their required courses and are advised on the selection of a thesis topic. For those interested, a field school in nautical archaeology is held the following summer. Beginning the second year, many students continue their applied training, participating in field projects during the fall semester. The remainder of the year is devoted to class work and the thesis. A Maritime Studies track is now offered through the new Coastal Resources Management Ph.D. program .