Courses offered in marine science are listed below. Additional background course work at the introductory level in biology, math, chemistry, and physics is required for marine science majors. See BA in Marine Science for details.
Introductory
CAS ES 144 Oceanography. Examines the physical, chemical, and biological processes by which the oceans serve as an agentto accelerate or moderate the pace of global change. Dynamic nature of the oceans on both a short- and a long-term scale is emphasized. Fulweiler. 4 credits, Fall.
Marine Biology
CAS BI 260 Marine Biology. Prereq: CAS BI 107 and CAS BI 108 or consent of instructor. Life in the marine environment: its ecology, evolution, and human impacts. Includes behavioral, physiological, structural, ecological, and evolutionary perspectives. Rotjan. 4 credits, Spring.
Marine Chemistry
CAS ES/BI 423 Marine Biogeochemistry. Prereq: CAS CH 101 and CAS CH 102, BUMP Semester or CAS ES 144, or consent of instructor. Oceanic nutrient and biogeochemical cycling in the context of the marine response to global change. Links between local and global scales are emphasized. Topics include oceanic productivity, iron limitation, and oceanic glacial-interglacial biogeochemistry. Fulweiler. 4 credits, Spring.
Physical Oceanography
CAS ES/GE 507 Dynamical Oceanography. Prereq: CAS MA 124 or MA 127, and CAS PY 211. Introduction to the physical ocean system. Physical properties of seawater; essential ocean dynamics; mixing and stirring in the ocean; simple waves; observed current systems and water masses; and couple atmosphere-ocean variability. Anderson. 4 credits, Spring.
Marine Geology
CAS ES 331 Sedimentology. Prereq: CAS ES 202 and ES 101 or 105, or consent of instructor. Properties and classification of clastic and carbonate sediments and sedimentary rock; processes that form, transport, and deposit sediments; environments of deposition; diagenesis; methods of analysis. Occasional field trips. FitzGerald. 4 credits, Spring.
CAS ES 440 Marine Geology. Prereq: CAS ES 302 and consent of instructor. Examines the evolution of ocean basins and marginal seas, changes in structure and composition of ocean basin throughout the last billion years and the contribution of oceanic geological processes to the chemistry and biochemistry of earth. Murray. 4 credits, Fall.
Marine Semester
CAS BI/GE 523 Marine Urban Ecology. Prereq: Admission to the Marine Semester. Marine Urban Ecology is an emerging, interdisciplinary field that aims to understand how human and ecological processes can coexist in human-dominated systems. This course will explore topics, ecosystems, and organisms associated with urbanization in the Greater Boston Area. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Rotjan. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS BI 531 Ichthyology: Behavior, Ecology, and Evolution of Fish. Prereq: CAS BI 260. A comprehensive introduction to fish biology and systematics. Emphasis on phylogenetic relationships, ecology, and behavior. Labs include morphological studies of specimens and behavioral studies of live fish. This course is a prerequiste for the field course, CAS BI 532. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Lobel. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS BI/ES 539 Coral Reef Dynamics. Prereq: admission to the Marine Semester. Tropical reefs- diverse, complex and ancient- exhibit lawful cycles of growth, degradation and regeneration. Explore these through observations on the Belize Barrier Reef, in fossil reef environments, and laboratory experiments. Apply insights to reef conservation. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Rotjan. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS ES 543 Estuaries and Nearshore Systems. Prereq: ES 331 or ES 440 or ES 541. Physical and and ecological processes interacting in estuarine and nearshore environments, including salt marshes, beaches, lagoons, deltas, and in wave- and tide-dominated regimes. Lectures complemented by extensive field work orientated toward individual and group research projects. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Fagherazzi. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS BI 546 Marine Megafaunal Ecology: Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary and Surrounding Waters. Prereq: BI 260 and MA 213. Marine macrofauna: whales, seals, seabirds, fishes, turtles, jellies and people in Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary. Evolution, food webs, and distributional ecology; physical and human influences on foraging and movement behavior. Student research builds ecosystem-based science for Sanctuary management. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Biedron. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS BI 550 Marine Genomics. Prereq: BI 208. Covers the evolution of genomes, the architecture of gene networks, and the connection between genotype and phenotype in marine organisms, as well as the technical development of modern genomics. Student research projects utilize modern genomics experimental approaches. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Finnerty. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS ES 557 Oceanography of Stellwagen Bank. Prereq: ES 144 or admission to Marine Semester. This course is for upper-level undergraduate and graduate students interested in oceanography, marine biogeochemistry, and the relationships between how physical variables such as bathymetry of the seafloor and the physics of seawater are related to biogeochemical parameters such as nutrient (C, N, P, Si) distributions. Offered every other year. Murray. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS BI 569 Tropical Marine Invertebrates. Explores the diversity of marine invertebrates, including body plans, feeding biology, reproductive strategies, and developmental programs. Field biodiversity and behavioral studies in shallow water tropical marine environments, especially seagrass beds and mangrove. Finnerty. 4 credits, Fall.
CAS GE/BI 578 Marine Geographic Information Science. Prereq: BI 260 and ES 144. MA 213 strongly recommended. Introduction to marine geographic information systems and spatial analysis for conservation management, and marine landscape ecology. Comparative examples from Gulf of Maine and the tropics. Solve problems in coastal zoning and marine park design, whale and coral reef conservation. Taught as part of the Marine Semester. Wikgren. 4 credits, Fall.
Undergraduate Research
CAS MR 291/292 Undergraduate Research in Marine Science. Prereq: sophomore standing. Research in marine science for students at the junior or senior level. Students design and implement a research project with a faculty member. Research topic must be defined at the time of registration. Course grade to be determined by performance and written report. Staff. 2 credits, either semester.
CAS MR 391/392 Undergraduate Research in Marine Science. Prereq: junior standing. Research in marine science for students at the junior or senior level. Students design and implement a research project with a faculty member. Research topic must be defined at the time of registration. Course grade to be determined by performance and written report. Staff. 2 or 4 credits, either semester.
CAS MR 491/492 Undergraduate Research in Marine Science. Prereq: senior standing. Research in marine science for students at the junior or senior level. Students design and implement a research project with a faculty member. Research topic must be defined at the time of registration. Course grade to be determined by performance and written report. Staff. 2 or 4 credits, either semester.
CAS MR 401/402 Honors in Marine Science. Prereq: senior standing and must meet GPA requirements. Both classes must be taken to receive honors in the major. Contact the Program Manager for more information at bump@bu.edu.
Note: Research for credit may be taken for credit toward the major once per Marine Semester. All research for credit may otherwise be taken for elective credit only. Students are limited to receiving up to 12 credits for research.