Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science

Division of Mathematical,
Life, and Physical Sciences
Life Sciences and Technology Building Room 3310;
Telephone: (805) 893-8162

E-mail: marinegp-gradasst@lifesci.ucsb.edu
Website: marinegp.ucsb.edu (will open in a new browser window)

Program Chair: Mark Brzezinski

Contents:

Faculty
Overview
Graduate Program
- Master of Science-Marine Science
- Doctor of Philosophy-Marine Science
Marine Science Courses
- Graduate Courses

Faculty

Department of Anthropology

Shankar Aswani, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Associate Professor (fisheries/maritime anthropology and marine resource management, sea-tenure regimes, foraging strategies of traditional fisherman, Insular Pacific [Soloman Islands, Tonga, Hawaii])

Susan C. Stonich, Ph.D., University of Kentucky, Professor (human dimensions of global environmental change, coastal zone development, especially aquaculture and tourism, Latin America and Asia)

Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry

Alison Butler, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Professor (bio-inorganic chemistry of the marine environment, biological role of vanadium, acquisition of transition metal ions by marine microorganisms)

Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology

Alice L. Alldredge, Ph.D., UC Davis, Professor (biological oceanography, zooplankton ecology, carbon cycling)

Mark A. Brzezinski, Ph.D., Oregon State University, Professor (biological oceanography, elemental cycling, phytoplankton ecology)

Craig A. Carlson, Ph.D., University of Maryland, Associate Professor (marine microbial ecology, bacterioplankton, dissolved organic carbon, marine biogeochemistry)

David J. Chapman, Ph.D., Stanford University, Professor (phycology, biochemical evolution)

James J. Childress, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Professor (ecological physiology of invertebrates and fishes, biological oceanography, physiology of deep-sea animals)

Peter M. Collins, Ph.D., University of London, Professor (endocrinology, hormonal regulation in vertebrates)

Steven D. Gaines, Ph.D., Oregon State University, Professor (marine community ecology, dispersal, biogeography, biostatistics)

Gretchen E. Hofmann, Ph.D., University of Colorado, Associate Professor (marine animal physiological ecology)

Sally J. Holbrook, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (population ecology, marine vertebrate predation and competition)

Robert S. Jacobs, Ph.D., Loyola University, Professor (pharmacology, cellular and molecular mechanism of action of marine natural products and toxins)

Armand M. Kuris, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (parasitology, marine ecology, crustacean biology)

Sally MacIntyre, Ph.D., Duke University, Professor (physical and biological oceanography and limnology, bio-physical coupling, mixing, water column microstructure)

John M. Melack, Ph.D., Duke University, Professor (limnology, biogeochemistry, wetland ecology)

Roger Nisbet, Ph.D., University of St. Andrews, Scotland, Professor (theoretical population ecology, marine toxicology)

Barbara B. Prezelin, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Professor (phytoplankton physiology and productivity, regulation of marine photosynthesis, bio-optical modeling)

Russell J. Schmitt, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Professor (marine community ecology and population biology, consumer-resource interactions; marine invertebrates and reef fishes)

Robert R. Warner, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Professor (evolutionary ecology and population biology; ecology and behavior of coral reef fishes)

Department of Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology

Kathleen Foltz, Ph.D., Purdue University, Associate Professor (cellular and molecular biology, marine invertebrate development)

Daniel Morse, Ph.D., Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Professor (molecular genetics, biochemistry, marine biology, developmental biology)

William C. Smith, Ph.D., UC Santa Cruz, Professor (chordate embryogenesis and morphogenesis, developmental genetics of marine urochordates)

J. Herbert Waite, Ph.D., Duke University, Professor (protein chemistry, biomolecular materials in marine invertebrates, adhesive proteins)

Department of Geography

Tommy Dickey, Ph.D., Princeton University, Professor (atmosphere-ocean interactions & upper ocean mixing; turbulence & internal waves)

Catherine Gautier, Ph.D., University of Paris, Professor (earth radiation budget and cloud processes, radiative transfer and remote sensing, global climate processes and earth system science)

Joel Michaelsen, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Professor (climatology/meteorology, climate change, marine resources, temporal and spatial statistics)

David Siegel, Ph.D., University of Southern California, Professor (physical and bio-optical oceanography, numerical modeling, turbulence, air-sea interaction and theoretical ecology)

Libe Washburn, Ph.D., UC San Diego, Professor (ocean turbulence and mixing processes, ocean bio/optics, air-sea interaction and marine pollution)

Department of Earth Science

Jordan F. Clark, Ph.D., Columbia University, Associate Professor (hydrogeology)

Rachel M. Haymon, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Professor (marine geology and geochemistry)

James P. Kennett, Ph.D., Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand, Professor (paleoceanography, marine geology)

David W. Lea, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology - Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Professor (chemical oceanography and paleoceanography)

Bruce P. Luyendyk, Ph.D., Scripps Institution of Oceanography, Professor (tectonics, geophysics, paleomagnetism)

Ken C. Macdonald, Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Professor (marine tectonics and magnetism)

David L. Valentine, Ph.D., UC Irvine, Associate Professor (biogeochemical cycling, bicrobially mediated transformations in marine sediments and waters)

Department of Mechanical and Environmental Engineering

Wilbert J. Lick, Ph.D., Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, Professor (oceanography and limnology, applied mathematics)

Stephen R. McLean, Ph.D., University of Washington, Professor (fluid mechanics, physical oceanography, sediment transport)

Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management

Trish Holden, Ph.D., UC Berkeley, Associate Professor (environmental microbiology, coastal
and estuarine bacterial ecology, soil microbiology)

Bruce Kendall, Ph.D., University of Arizona, Associate Professor (applied ecology, quantitative ecology with emphasis on population dynamics of organisms)

Hunter Lenihan, Ph.D., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, Associate Professor (community, conservation, and restoration ecology, fisheries oceanography, polar and deep-sea biology, adaptive management of marine resources)

Oran Young, Ph.D., Yale University, Professor (environmental institutions/regimes, fisheries management, protection of marine mammals, offshore oil and gas development, compliance and enforcement, impacts on coastal communities and polar regions)

Affiliated Faculty

Carol Blanchette, Ph.D., (Marine Science Institute) )

Milton Love, Ph.D., (Marine Science Institute)

Norman Nelson, Ph.D., (Institute for Computational Earth System Science )

Gail Osherenko, J.D., (Marine Science Institute)

Langdon Quetin, Ph.D., (Marine Science Institute)

Robin Ross, Ph.D., (Marine Science Institute)

Alison Whitmer, Ph.D., (Marine Science Institute)

Emeriti Faculty

James F. Case, Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University, Professor Emeritus (bioluminescence, neurobiology)

Raymond C. Smith, Ph.D., Stanford University, Professor Emeritus (biooptics, remote sensing)

Robert K. Trench, Ph.D., UC Los Angeles, Professor Emeritus (coral reef biology; biochemistry, physiology, and phylogenetics of symbiosis)

The Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science offers studies leading to the master of science and doctor of philosophy degrees in marine science. This program recognizes the intrinsic interdisciplinary nature of modern marine science and the necessity for cross-disciplinary, graduate-level training through a program which brings together 42 marine faculty located in eight departments on the UCSB campus. These include the departments of Anthropology; Chemistry and Biochemistry; Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology; Earth Science; Geography; Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology; Mechanical and Environmental Engineering, and the Donald Bren School of Environmental Science and Management. All participating faculty maintain strong marine-oriented research programs which accommodate students from both the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science and their own individual departmental graduate programs.

The program emphasizes the understanding of the ocean as an integrated system. Research areas in the program currently under active investigation include biological, chemical, and physical oceanography, marine geochemistry, marine geology and geophysics, marine biology, paleoceanography, ocean optics, and remote sensing, and ocean engineering. Some students focus on a particular disciplinary area for their research (e.g., biological oceanography, marine geology, ocean physics, etc.), but enter the program because they seek a broader training in marine science than can be provided within the framework of traditional departmental programs. Others complete interdisciplinary dissertations involving expertise in two or more subdisciplines within marine science

The program accepts students with a bachelor’s degree or its equivalent in a biological or physical science, engineering, or mathematics. In addition to program requirements, candidates must meet university degree requirements found in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB.” Master’s and doctoral candidates in the program must be registered as full-time students in classes in the participating departments or in Interdepartmental Program classes. Highly individualized programs of instruction can be undertaken by students enrolled in the program and interdisciplinary research is greatly facilitated by the breadth of faculty available as advisors and thesis committee members.

Admission

Applicants may apply for either the M.S. or Ph.D. degree program. The M.S. program is small and oriented toward research. An M.S. degree is not required to enter the Ph.D. program. In addition to fulfilling all university requirements for admission to graduate status, described in the section "Graduate Education at UCSB” the applicant will normally hold a bachelor’s degree in a biological or physical science, engineering, or mathematics. Such a degree should include at least one year each of calculus/statistics, chemistry, and physics. Applicants are required to submit the UCSB application for graduate admission, official undergraduate transcripts, three letters of recommendation from individuals who can best assess the applicant’s academic and research potential, and the General Test (verbal, quantitative and analytical) of the Graduate Record Examination (GRE). Students should take the GRE as early as possible in the fall prior to applying to insure that scores arrive by the December 15 application deadline. Applicants whose native language is not English, are required to take either the Test of English as Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the International English Language Testing System (ISLTS) exam. Excemptions to this requirement will be considered for those students who have completed an undergraduate or graduate education at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. The minimum TOEFL score for consideration is 550 when taking the paper-based test (PBT), 213 when taking the computer-based test (CBT), and 80 when taking the internet-based test (IBT). The minimum IELTS score for consideration is an Overall Band Score of 7 or higher. TOEFL or IELTS scores must not be more than two years old at the time of application to UCSB. Applicants should specify their general areas of interests within marine science on their application and provide a clear and focused statement of purpose. Applications will be reviewed and directed to appropriate faculty within the program for consideration. Applicants to the program must be accepted by a major professor with whom they wish to work and who has agreed to supervise the student’s graduate training and thesis research. No student will be admitted without a faculty sponsor. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to contact individual faculty in the program directly. For more information on how to choose a faculty sponsor applicants may visit the website at marinegp.ucsb.edu or inquire to the Marine Sciences Program for assistance. Applications are considered for fall admission only and should be received with all supporting materials by December 15.

Graduate Program

Master of Science - Marine Science

The master of science (M.S.) degree is by thesis only and is viewed as a goal in its own right, rather than as a stepping stone to a Ph.D. The M.S. requirements are designed to provide maximum flexibility to accommodate individual student interests while also assuring a basic level of competence in marine science.
M.S. candidates follow an integrated course of study recommended by their thesis advisor and thesis committee. The thesis committee is nominated by the end of the first year and consists of three faculty from the Interdepartmental Program, with the major professor serving as committee chair.

Degree Requirements

Requirements include the following:

Completion of the Marine Science core course series which includes:
- EEMB 243 (Biological Oceanography)
- Geology 266 (Chemical Oceanography)
- Geology 276 (Geological Oceanography)
- Geography 263 (Introduction to Physical Oceanography).
Twenty-four additional units of graduate and upper-division coursework in the student’s area of interest, of which no more than 8 may be courses numbered 596-599.
Presentation of one seminar per year in the Marine Science Graduate Seminar (MARSC 595).
Submission of a satisfactory thesis.
Presentation of a research seminar in open forum at the completion of the thesis.

There is no foreign language requirement.

Doctor of Philosophy - Marine Science

Candidates for the doctor of philosophy in marine science must demonstrate by coursework and written and oral examinations superior competence in the field of specialization, broad knowledge of the field of marine science, and satisfactory knowledge of sciences other than marine science that are relevant to the dissertation topic. Ph.D. candidates will follow an integrated course of study recommended by their dissertation advisor and dissertation committee. The dissertation committee will be nominated by the end of the second year and will consist of at least three faculty from the Interdepartmental Program, with the major professor serving as committee chair.

Degree Requirements

Requirements include the following:

Completion of the Marine Science core course series which includes:
- EEMB 243 (Biological Oceanography)
- Geology 266 (Chemical Oceanography)
- Geology 276 (Geological Oceanography)
- Geography 263 (Introduction to Physical Oceanography).
Completion of 16 additional units of graduate-level courses in marine sciences and the related area of specialty, exclusive of courses numbered 596 and 599.
Presentation of one seminar per year in the Marine Science Graduate Seminar (MARSC 595).
Satisfactory performance on a written qualifying exam covering a broad synthesis of marine science taken at the end of the first year. All students will take the same exam.
Satisfactory performance on an oral qualifying exam administered by the student’s dissertation committee. The exam will include the student’s area of specialty and the dissertation prospectus. It should be taken by the end of the third year of study at the latest. Students petition to be advanced to candidacy after passing this exam.
Submission of a satisfactory dissertation.
Presentation of a research seminar in open forum at the completion of the dissertation.