Marine Affairs, B.A.
Contact
Bryan Franks, Ph.D.
Director, School of Marine and Environmental Programs
bfranks1@une.edu
Mission
The mission of the School of Marine and Environmental Programs at the University of New England is to help our students gain an understanding of the natural world, develop critical thinking skills, and become scientifically literate. Together, we lay a foundation for lifelong learning and meaningful contributions to society and offer a baccalaureate education to students interested in all facets of the marine environment.
Our programs encompass a wide variety of disciplines that seek to understand the way the ocean functions, how it is related to earth systems science, and how humans interact with the environment. Students will learn theoretical underpinnings and applications of disciplines from biology to chemistry, geology, and physics. These disciplines are critical to life as we know it on the planet. Students will be able to apply these disciplines to solving real problems encountered in coastal and marine ecosystems and by the human communities that depend on them.
Major Description
The Marine Affairs major is aimed at providing future student leaders a solid grounding in the vital fields of coastal and marine science, as well as resource use, marine governance systems, management, policy, ecosystems ecology, conservation, and sustainable development. This major is suitable for students who are concerned about the marine environment, and are interested in careers in the ecosystem and human health interactions, ocean management, political decision making, and marine sustainability science and policies. The program focuses on hands-on activities, internships, and research experiences in addition to classroom work.
The Marine Living Learning Community (MLC)
All entering first-year Marine Science, Marine Affairs, and Marine Entrepreneurship majors are invited to participate in a year-long living learning community focused on developing the skills needed to be a successful student, discovery of their majors and associated learning opportunities, and building relationships with peers, faculty, and professional staff.
The MLC integrates classroom learning, student success programming, experiential opportunities, as well as team-building and leadership development programs designed to assist Marine majors in their transitions from High School to College to Career.
Learning Community courses and events allows students an opportunity to expand their interests and grow personally, as well as professionally. A dedicated team comprised of faculty, professional staff, and peer leaders supports the MLC. This community of learning enriches classroom content and allows an opportunity to apply learning in context.
Students who participate in the MLC are expected to:
- Live together in a Residence Hall Community designed by the Office of Housing and Resident/Commuter Life.
- Take two or more designated courses in common over the course of their first year.
- Participate in required experiential learning opportunities and community programs.
For more information, the application, important deadlines, and orientation dates, please visit the Division of Student Affairs webpage.
Transfer Credit
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Admissions
See Undergraduate Admissions for more information.
Financial Information
Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more tuition and fee information, please consult this catalog’s Financial Information section.
Curricular Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | ||
| Nor'easter Core Requirements | 40 | |
| Program Required Courses | ||
| BUEC 390 | Environmental Economics | 3 |
| or BUEC 395 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| General Chemistry I and General Chemistry I Lab | ||
| Chemistry of Nature and Chemistry of Nature Lab | ||
| Principles of Chemistry and Principles of Chemistry Lab | ||
| GIS 161 | GIS I: Fundamentals of Geospatial Science and Technology | 3 |
| MAF 200 | Intro to Marine Pollution | 3 |
| MAF 210 | Intro to US Ocean Governance | 3 |
| MAF 310 | US Ocean & Coastal Law | 3 |
| MAF 320 | Marine Affairs Internship | 3-12 |
| MAF 400 | Marine Affairs Capstone | 3 |
| MAR 105 & 105L | Ecology and Evolution of Marine Organisms and Eco/Evo of Mar Organisms Lab | 4 |
| MAR 106 & 106L | Cellular and Molecular Biology of Marine Organisms and Cell/Molec Bio/Marine Orgs Lab | 4 |
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Discovering the Ocean Environment and Discovering the Ocean Environment Lab | ||
| Oceanography and Oceanography Lab | ||
| Select one of the following: | 4 | |
| Marine Biology and Marine Biology Lab | ||
| Marine Ecology and Marine Ecology Lab | ||
| MAR 316 | Science in Society | 3 |
| MAT 150 | Statistics for Life Sciences | 3 |
| or MAT 170 | ||
| PSC 125 | Understanding Law:An Introd | 3 |
| or PSC 210 | Constitutional Law | |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Understanding Mass Media | ||
CMM 240 | (Social Media: Theory and Practice) | |
| Public Relations in the Digital Age Public Relations in the Digital Age | ||
| Curriculum, Instruction, and Assessment | ||
| Environmental Communication: Expert Practices for Ecosystem Management | ||
| Effective Public Speaking | ||
| Professional and Technical Communication | ||
| Proposal and Grant Writing | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Organizational Behavior | ||
| Management of Nonprofit Organizations | ||
| Business and Society Relations | ||
| Marketing | ||
| Advertising | ||
| US Aquaculture Policy and Management | ||
| Outdoor Rec Planning/Policy | ||
SOC 226 | (Environmental Sociology) | |
| Open Elective Courses (Students complete open elective credits as necessary to meet the University’s 120-credit minimum for graduation. The total number of elective credits required will depend on the student’s completed program, core, and other degree requirements.) | 24 | |
| Total Hours | 120-129 | |
Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.
Graduation Requirements
A minimum grade of C- must be achieved in all science, mathematics, and Marine Affairs courses used toward graduation in any of the programs in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs. A 2.00 cumulative average in sciences is a requirement for graduation in any of the programs in the School of Marine and Environmental Programs.
Program Completion Timeline
Students have a maximum of seven years to complete the graduation requirements.
Students in this major can participate in the pre-health graduate school preparation tracks.
Learning Outcomes
- Students will demonstrate a strong content-knowledge foundation in their specific field of study (Marine Biology, Oceanography, Marine Entrepreneurship, or Marine Affairs).
- Students will communicate effectively in both oral and written format to convey their scientific knowledge, interdisciplinary training, and findings to peers, professional audiences, decision-makers, and/or the public.
- Students will demonstrate critical thinking and problem-solving skills in their specific field of study by designing, carrying out, and interpreting the results of their experiments, by evaluating the literature published by professionals, by making recommendations to policy makers and/or by creating and innovating in their field.