A comprehensive study of the biota of the oceans, including biogeography and natural history of marine organisms. A study of aquatic plants and their role in the oceans and estuaries. The program consists of a classroom component emphasizing the theoretical foundations necessary for understanding oceanography. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, and field trips in areas of oceanography, nautical science, navigation, humanities and literature. The remaining portion of the course allows students to put their classroom knowledge to the test aboard an ocean sailing vessel.
Students serve as ship's crew and complete a research project while on the cruise.
Students participating in the program during the Fall or Spring semesters earn 17 hours of credit that fulfills three credit hours of cultural enrichment and nine credit hours of upper division MSC requirements. The remaining five credit hours will count as upper division credit toward graduation only. Due to the cooperative nature of this program, students will incur additional costs to be determined including, but not limited to, tuition differential and travel. A semester course offered on demand, covering predetermined special topics of student interest and of marine science significance. This course may be taken for credit more than once, but will count toward departmental degree requirements only once.