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 MASC 401 | Oceanography | |
| One course emphasizing the coastal ocean | 3 | |
| Estuarine and Coastal Marine Science | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Change in the Coastal Ocean | ||
| First-Year Seminar: Connections to the Sea: The Challenges Faced by Using and Living near Coastal In | ||
| North Carolina Estuaries: Environmental Processes and Problems | ||
| Geology of Beaches and Coasts | ||
| Oceanic Processes in Environmental Systems | ||
| Major World Rivers and Global Change: From Mountains to the Sea | ||
| Wetland Hydrology | ||
| Marine Ecology | ||
| Marine Biology | ||
| Coastal and Estuarine Ecology | ||
| Human Impacts on Estuarine Ecosystems | ||
| Barrier Island Ecology and Geology | ||
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 | ||
| Geology of Beaches and Coasts | ||
| 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 | ||
| Modeling of Marine and Earth Systems | ||
| 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 | ||
| Marine Invertebrate Biology | ||
or an equivalent laboratory course approved by the director of undergraduate studies | ||
Group 4: | ||
| Undergraduate Research in Marine Sciences | ||
or MASC 396 | Independent Study in Marine Sciences | |
| A marine sciences course of the student’s choosing | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 12 | |
Marine sciences (MASC) 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:
- MASC 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.
- MASC 395 can be taken with the permission of a faculty advisor.
- MASC 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
- Geological Sciences Major, B.A.–Earth Science
- Geological Sciences Major, B.S.–Earth Science
- Geological Sciences Major, B.S.–Environmental Geoscience
Minors
Graduate Programs
Department of Earth, Marine, and Environmental Sciences
Murray and Mitchell Halls
