Marine Resources Management

In 2002, the Master of Marine Resources Management (MMRM) degree became the first graduate level degree to be approved by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board to be offered at the Texas A&M University at Galveston campus. The Marine Resources Management program provides students with a broad understanding of coastal and ocean policy and management. This degree program views marine natural resources management and policy development from both an ecological and policy perspective. The degree may be viewed as comparable to an MBA as an alternative degree for people working in marine/ocean/coastal organizations. In addition, the degree program may address the needs of some public school science teachers seeking a degree outside the field of education.

 Who Should Apply?

This program is designed for both continuing students and professionals engaged in management of our ocean and coastal resources.  Both thesis and non-thesis options are available in this degree,  with courses in economics, policy, law and management well as physical, biological, and information science - all focused on our coasts and oceans. The demand for graduates in industry, government, academia and non-governmental organizations has never been stronger. Federal agencies employing graduates include the U.S. Coast Guard, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, and the Environmental Protection Agency. State agencies include the Texas General Land Office and the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality. Industries employing graduates include oil and natural gas, environmental consulting companies, ports, and tourism. These organizations have identified the need for a degree which focuses on national and international ocean resource law and policy; coastal zone management; physical and geochemical marine resources management strategies; and fisheries management.

 Program Details

The Marine Resources Management program is a 36 hour degree. Twenty-four hours of required courses constitute the core of the non-thesis program. Twelve additional hours are taken by students as electives according to their particular professional interests. Students who opt to write a thesis will fulfill the requirement by taking twenty-two hours of the core curriculum (MARS 680 is not used) and taking an additional 14 hours of electives of which six credits may be used toward original research for the thesis option degree. For more information, please consult the Texas A&M University at Galveston catalog at http://www.tamug.edu/catalog.

 Prerequisites

Students applying to the Marine Resources Management program should have a broad base science and economics background with course work in the following areas: biology, chemistry, physics, advanced mathematics, geology, oceanography, and economics.

 

Curricula

Core Courses (24 Hours)

Course 

Course Title

Credits

MARS 625

GIS Based Modeling for Coastal Resources

2

MARS 615

Physical and Geochemical Marine Resources

3

MARS 635

Environmental Impact Statements and NRDA

3

MARS 676

Environmental Policy

3

MARA 604

Marine Natural Resource Economics

3

MARB 620

Marine Biological Resources

3

MARS 675

Environmental Management Strategies for Scientists

2

MARS 680

Integrative Analysis in Marine Resources*

2

MARS 652

Sustainable Management of Coastal Margins

3

Electives (12 hours required)*

MARS 602

Environmental Economics and Oceanography

3

MARS 610

Environmental Law

3

MARS 620

International Environmental Business Transactions

3

MARS 638

Avian Diversity and Habitats as Coastal Resources

3

MARS 640

Environmental Administrative Law

3

MARS 645

Wildlife Law and Ethics

3

MARS 650

Geochemical Marine Resources Management

3

MARS 655

Wetlands Management

4

MARS 660

Environmental Alternative Dispute Resolution

3

MARS 670

Eco-Environmental Modeling

3

MARS 684

Internship in Marine Resources Management

1-9

MARS 685

Directed Studies

1-6

MARS 689

Special Topics in Marine Resources Management

1-3

GEOG 666

Coastal Geomorphology**

3

OCNG 620

Biological Oceanography**

3

OCNG 627

Ecology of the Continental Shelf**

3

OCNG 630

Geological Oceanography**

3

OCNG 647

Chemical Contamination of the Marine Environment**

3

WFSC 628

Wetlands Ecology**

3

WFSC 640

Human Dimensions of Wildlife and Fisheries Management**

3

Thesis Option *

MARS 691

Research in Marine Science

6

 

*The 36 hour thesis option is structured with 22 hours of required courses, MARS 680 is not taken. In addition, 14 hours of elective courses will be taken of which 6 hours may be research hours (691).

**Courses offered by Texas A&M University. Please refer to the respective academic department for complete course descriptions. In general, these courses are offered by distance education for students based in Galveston.

 

Additional Required Application Credentials:

  • Official GRE score; less than 5 years old
  • Three letters of recommendation, either academic or professional
  • Undergraduate GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Professional résumé

 

Department of Marine Sciences

P.O. Box 1675

Galveston, TX 77573

 

Contact gradstudies@tamug.edu for more information.

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