Information and Policies
Introduction
The Ocean Sciences/Environmental Sciences contiguous five-year Bachelor's/Master's Plan I (thesis) pathway allows motivated students to complete a B.S. in environmental sciences or other STEM majors such as Earth science, marine biology, physics, chemistry, and applied mathematics, and then an M.S. in ocean sciences in five years with appropriate planning. The pathway is designed for students who have demonstrated aptitude for fundamental course work in the classroom, as well as the capacity, interest, and motivation to conduct independent research through collaborations with a faculty mentor. Ideally, this is demonstrated through work in an ocean sciences faculty research group as an undergraduate.
Eligibility Requirements
Students enrolled in the environmental sciences B.S. programs who will complete their undergraduate degree within normative time (four years for students who enter the B.S. program as frosh, three years for sophomore transfer students, or two years for junior transfer students) are eligible for the contiguous bachelor's/master's pathway.
Interested students from other majors may petition the department for admission to the pathway, provided that they have been participating in research with faculty in ocean sciences and have a coursework foundation that will enable success in the graduate curriculum. A GPA in the major of 3.0 or higher is required, as well as demonstrated research progress and a strong endorsement from a sponsoring faculty adviser. Students must complete their undergraduate degree requirements by the end of the summer quarter prior to enrolling in the M.S. program in the fall.
Application Process
Interested students should attend an information session during their junior year and complete an associated survey to declare their interest in the bachelor's/master's pathway. During the fall quarter of their senior year, students will formally apply to the master's program during the normal admissions cycle and through the standard graduate application process. All applications are screened by the Ocean Sciences Department Admissions Committee.
Successful applicants will be in contact with their potential advisors prior to application. The application deadline is typically in early December.
Course Requirements
Program Requirements
Matriculated students in the master's program must take a minimum of 35 credits total of graduate and upper-division undergraduate courses, of which no more than 15 credits may be upper-division undergraduate courses. Of the required graduate-level courses, a minimum of 20 credits must be courses other than supervised research (OCEA 297) except by special exception of the Graduate Council. Requirements for successful completion of the master's program can be found on the Ocean Science M.S. catalog page (see Plan I), and include the following course requirements:
Completion of OCEA 200, Physical Oceanography, and any two of the remaining three core courses (OCEA 280, Marine Geology; OCEA 220, Chemical Oceanography; OCEA 230, Biological Oceanography).
- A 5-credit graduate-level course in statistics/data analysis, such as OCEA 260 (Introductory Data Analysis in the Ocean and Earth Sciences) or OCEA 267 (Applied Environmental Time Series Analysis), chosen in consultation with the student’s adviser and the department’s graduate advising committee.
- A minimum of three courses in Independent Research (OCEA 297) under the direction of a sponsor.
- Attendance in seminar (OCEA 292, 0 credits) is required each quarter of enrollment.
- Class credits cannot be double counted in both B.S. and M.S. degrees, so matriculated students are still required to complete 35 credits during their M.S. career. In order to fulfill the requirements for the M.S. degree, students must also complete a publication-quality master's thesis (Plan I).
Students in the pathway are expected to complete the B.S. and M.S. in five years, by the end of summer quarter. If a student fails to complete all requirements, they are eligible for the M.S. II upon completion of all M.S. II coursework, or can switch to the standard M.S. I program with permission of the advising committee and thesis advisor.