Minor in Marine Science

Through the minor in Marine Science, students acquire theoretical and practical expertise in all areas of marine science, including biological, chemical, geological, and physical. The minor is particularly useful for students pursuing professions where scientific expertise in marine systems is advantageous, such as marine research or education, environmental analysis, international relations, coastal development, aquaculture, or tourism.

Requirements

• Five 4-unit courses are required for a minor in Marine Science.

The grades in each of these courses must be C or higher to receive units toward the minor. All Marine Science minor students develop their programs in consultation with a Boston University Marine Program advisor.

The five courses can be any of the Marine Science major courses offered by the departments of Biology and Earth & Environment, including Introductory Marine Science courses, Marine Breadth courses, and those taught as part of the Marine Semester. Directed study or undergraduate research courses are not eligible.

Most Marine Science minors satisfy the course requirements by taking either CAS EE 144 Intro to Oceanography or CAS BI 260 Marine Biology, followed by the Marine Semester—an intellectually and physically challenging sequence of four month-long, research-based courses. During the Marine Semester, students conduct research in a variety of New England locations as well as the Belizean Barrier Reef, working with BU faculty and scientists from NOAA and the University of Belize.

Other classes accepted for the Marine Science minor are:

• CAS AR 518 Zooarchaeology
• CAS BI 303 Evolutionary Ecology
• CAS BI 410 Developmental Biology
• CAS BI 413 Microbial Ecology
• CAS BI 500 Biology of Sharks
• CAS BI 509 Metapopulation Ecology
• CAS BI 519 Theoretical Evolution Ecology
• CAS BI 550 Marine Genomics
• CAS BI 586 Ecological and Evolutionary Genomics
• CAS EE 142 Beaches and Nearshore Systems
• CAS EE 310 Climate and the Environment
• CAS EE 351 Paleoclimatology and Paleoceanography
• CAS EE 360 Introduction to Physical Oceanography
• CAS EE 371 Introduction to Geochemistry
• CAS EE 422 Aquatic Optics and Remote Sensing
• CAS EE 423 Marine Biogeochemistry
• CAS EE 505 Geographic Information Systems
• CAS EE 507 Dynamical Oceanography
• CAS EE 533 Quantitative Geomorphology