Marine Science

Type of degree: B.S.

Brief overview of program: The University of Southern Mississippi's Department of Marine Science offers the only Bachelor of Science in Marine Science degree program in the state of Mississippi. This program will educate students in the multidisciplinary field of marine science and provide a basic understanding of the underlying principles and processes of the oceans. Initially, the program course work will focus on marine technology and ocean observing, which are broadly applicable across the various disciplines in the field of marine science. It is anticipated that the scope of the degree program will expand into other areas in the future. The educational objectives of a marine science curriculum are to provide students with both knowledge of fundamental and technical marine science concepts and with the problem-solving skills that need to be applied to this field. Even though this marine science degree program will prepare graduates who can readily enter into marine science graduate programs of study, it will primarily be aimed at preparing students for careers in private industry or government agencies after completion of their undergraduate studies. This program will produce graduates who will meet industry demands for individuals who understand the science behind marine science and the technologies that make this science possible. Admission standards for this undergraduate marine science program will be consistent with the university’s general undergraduate admission standards as outlined in the “Admission Procedures for Freshmen” section of the most recent Undergraduate Bulletin. Students entering this program should have a strong high school mathematics background. Transfer students will be admitted to this degree program. The admission standards for transfer students will be consistent with the university’s admission standards as outlined in the “Application Procedures for Transfer Students” section of the most recent Undergraduate Bulletin. The B.S. in marine science undergraduate courses are taught at USM's Gulf Coast Student Service Center in Gulfport, MS. Additional information can be found at www.usm.edu/gc. The Department of Marine Science (DMS) also offers graduate degrees in the fields of marine science and hydrographic science. The primary facilities of the DMS are located at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration's John C. Stennis Space Center (SSC), approximately 40 miles west of the Gulf Coast Student Service Center and 75 miles south of The University of Southern Mississippi (USM) main campus in Hattiesburg, MS. Students at DMS enjoy all the rights and privileges accorded to their counterparts on the main campus. This includes the use of libraries and computer centers, low-price admission to sporting and theater events, and other such common student services. The Department of Marine Science is part of USM's College of Science and Technology. The marine sciences are represented within the college by faculty and staff members from the Department of Marine Science; the Department of Coastal Sciences, located at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory in Ocean Springs; the Department of Biological Sciences in Hattiesburg; and the J.L. Scott Marine Education Center in Biloxi. DMS faculty also interact with other USM faculty in the College of Science and Technology on the main Hattiesburg campus.

Website: Click here for program website

Description of Facilities: The B.S. in marine science undergraduate courses are taught at USM's Gulf Coast Student Service Center in Gulfport, MS. Additional information can be found at www.usm.edu/gc/. All DMS graduate courses are taught at USM's Stennis Space Center facilities. Additional information can be found at www.usm.edu/marine.

Program Faculty: Dr. Vernon Asper (Geological oceanography; marine particle fluxes; marine technology) Dr. Charlotte Brunner (Geological oceanography; biostratigraphy; paleoceanography; taphonomy of foraminifers) Dr. Jerald Caruthers (Acoustical oceanography; acoustical scattering; ocean acoustic tomography) Dr. David Dodd (Coordinator of the Hydrographic Science Program; real-time kinematic global position systems; marine surveying and navigation) Dr. Laodong Guo (Marine chemistry; biogeochemical cycling of natural organic carbon and nutrients in aquatic systems; aquatic colloids/nanoparticles and their role in governing the fate/transport/bioavailability of chemical species; isotope geochemistry) Dr. Stephan D. Howden (Physical oceanography & hydrographic science; coastal circulation processes; remote sensing) Dr. Vladimir Kamenkovich (Physical oceanography; ocean circulation) Dr. Steven Lohrenz (Biological oceanography; marine bio-optics; remote sensing; carbon and nutrient cycling in marine ecosystems) Mr. Charles Meador (Hydrographic and nautical science; undergraduate education) Dr. Scott Milroy (Ecosystem modeling; dynamics of harmful algal blooms; undergraduate education) Dr. Dmitri Nechaev (Physical oceanography; data assimilation into numerical ocean models) Dr. Karen Orcutt (Biological Oceanography; phytoplankton molecular ecology, nanostructured probes, marine nitrogen fixation) Dr. Don Redalje (Biological oceanography; marine phytoplankton ecology; physiology; bio-optics; primary production; taxonomy) Dr. Alan Shiller (Aquatic biogeochemistry & chemical oceanography; trace elements in natural waters; marine and estuarine chemistry; geochemistry of rivers and weathering) Dr. David Wells (Hydrographic science; multibeam echo sounding; mapping and surveying, global positioning systems) Dr. Jerry Wiggert (Large scale ocean and ecosystem modeling; coupled physical-biological modeling; high performance computing) Dr. Kevin Yeager (Geological oceanography: sediment sourcing and transport dynamics in rivers, lakes, estuaries and the ocean; human impacts on surficial processes; fates and impacts of terrestrial and aquatic contaminants)

Student Support: Undergraduate full-time students pay a tuition of $2,297* per semester. Non-resident full-time students pay an additional out-of-state tuition fee of $3,014* per semester. Information about undergraduate financial aid can be found in the "Undergraduate Bulletin" (http://www.usm.edu/currentstudents/academics/bulletins.php). *The University reserves the right to increase or modify tuition charges without prior notice, but with approval of the Board of Trustees of State Institutions of Higher Learning.

Program Point of Contact: Dr. Steven Lohrenz

Email: Steven.Lohrenz@usm.edu