Marine Sciences Minor
The minor in marine sciences is designed to allow students access to departmental courses, facilities, and advisors in order to develop marine specializations related to their majors and to prepare for postgraduate study in marine sciences or a related field.
Requirements
In addition to the program requirements listed below, students must:
- take at least nine hours of their minor "core" requirements at UNC–Chapel Hill
- earn a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.000 in the minor core requirements. Some programs may require higher standards for minor or specific courses.
For more information, please consult the degree requirements section of the catalog.
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Requirements | ||
| One course emphasizing global oceanic processes: | 3 | |
 The Marine Environment 1 | ||
or EMES 401 | Oceanography | |
| One course emphasizing the coastal ocean | 3 | |
| Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Change in the Coastal Ocean | ||
| North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems | ||
| Oceanic Processes in Environmental Systems | ||
| Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea | ||
| Wetland Hydrology | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Coastal and Estuarine Ecology | ||
| Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems | ||
| Barrier Island Ecology and Geology | ||
| Marine Ecology | ||
or an equivalent course with a focus on the coastal ocean and approved by the director of undergraduate studies | ||
| One course featuring practical experience in marine sciences. Choose one from the following four groups: | 3 | |
Group 1: | ||
| Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Living with Our Oceans and Atmosphere | ||
| North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems | ||
| Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea | ||
| Coastal and Estuarine Ecology | ||
| Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems | ||
| Barrier Island Ecology and Geology | ||
| Marine Geology | ||
| Biological Oceanography | ||
or an equivalent field course approved by the director of undergraduate studies | ||
Group 2: | ||
| Environmental Systems Modeling | ||
| Geologic and Oceanographic Applications of Geographical Information Systems | ||
| Time Series and Spatial Data Analysis | ||
or an equivalent mathematical modeling or data analysis course approved by the director of undergraduate studies | ||
Group 3: | ||
| Marine Phytoplankton | ||
or an equivalent laboratory course approved by the director of undergraduate studies | ||
Group 4: | ||
| Undergraduate Research in Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences | ||
| A marine sciences course of the student’s choosing | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences (EMES) course descriptions.
Special Opportunities in Marine Sciences
Undergraduate Research
The department offers opportunities to undergraduates to conduct directed research in our laboratories. Students work directly with faculty members and may enroll for credit as part of an honors or research project. The liaison for undergraduate research provides information about research opportunities in marine sciences, and assists undergraduates in finding a faculty advisor/research group that matches their interests.
Experiential Education
There are three opportunities for experiential education in Marine Sciences:
- EMES 220 is taught during Maymester at the main campus with one week at the UNC–Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC.
- EMES 395 can be taken with the permission of a faculty advisor.
- EMES 472 is taught at the UNC–Chapel Hill Institute of Marine Sciences in Morehead City, NC, during the summer session and provides an experience in the field.
Department Programs
Majors
Minors
Graduate Programs
Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences
Murray and Mitchell Halls
