Marine Sciences (B.S.)

Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Marine Sciences

The Stokes School of Marine & Environmental Sciences offers a B.S. in Marine Sciences to address society’s need for specialized understanding of the marine environment. This program is designed to prepare students for tackling challenges and opportunities presented by the “Blue Economy”. The “Blue Economy '' encompasses a broad range of job opportunities related to the marine environment allowing graduates to pursue careers in government, academic, commercial and industrial settings. The degree program takes advantage of the location of the University South Alabama as well as its partnership with the Dauphin Island Sea Lab (DISL), to provide a unique educational experience as well as experiential learning opportunities. These institutional locations give students direct access to the natural marine laboratories of the Mobile Tensaw Delta, Mobile Bay, and the Gulf of Mexico where students will be immersed in all things marine!

A cornerstone of this program is the Semester by the Sea at DISL where students in this program will spend their spring semester of junior or senior year taking coursework at DISL with the option of living in residence at DISL. Students must complete the following courses with a grade of "C" or higher prior to attending the spring Semester by the Sea: BLY 121/L, BLY 122/L, CH 131/L, CH 132/L, PH 114/L or PH 201/L, MAS 134/L, MAS 331/L, and MAS 332/L.

Students must earn a "C" or higher in all required Marine Science courses including MAS 336, MAS 437/L, or an approved course substitution (i.e., MAS 490), MAS 431/L and MAS 475. 

Degree Requirements

General Education Requirements. Please see the STEM requirements below that must be taken for this major.
General Education53-57
Required Marine Sciences Courses37
MAS 134
134L
Ocean Science
and Ocean Science Lab
4
MAS 331
331L
Marine Science I
and Marine Sciences I Lab
4
MAS 332
332L
Marine Science II-W
and Marine Sciences II Lab
4
MAS 336Marine Operations/Research-W3
MAS 437
437L
Marine Geology
and Marine Geology Lab
4
or MAS 490 Special Topics
MAS 431
431L
Field and Laboratory Measuremn
and Field and Laboratory Measure
4
MAS 475Marine Ecology4
Choose 3 of the following DISL Summer courses:10
Shark and Ray Biology
Marine Biology
Marine Botany
Marine Vertebrate Zoology
Marine Invertebrate Zoology
Coral Reef Biology & Ecology
Marine Mammal Hlth/Strd Resp
Field Marine Science II
Special Topics
Other Course Requirements
See list below
Minor Requirements
A minor is required for this degree program.18-24
The Composite Science minor consists of three laboratory science sequences. Marine Science students may satisfy a Composite Science minor by completing the major additional course requirements (i.e. BLY 121/L, BLY 122/L, CH 131/L, CH 132/L, and PH 201/L or PH 114/L) plus either PH 115 & PH 115L or PH 202 & PH 202L. Or a student could take GY 111 & GY 111L and GY 112 & GY 112L to complete the Composite Science minor or by taking GEO 101 & GEO 101L and GEO 102 & GEO 102L.
A MINIMUM OF 120 HOURS IS REQUIRED FOR A DEGREE120

All undergraduates must complete two designated writing credit (W) courses.

Note: PHL 231 is suggested as one of the AREA II. General Education Requirements.

Other Course Requirements: 

Additional courses required for the major includes 16 credits hours of general education courses in the following list.

MA 125Calculus I3-4
or ST 210 Stat Reason and Application
BLY 121
121L
General Biology I
and General Biology I Lab
4
BLY 122
122L
General Biology II
and General Biology II Laboratory
4
CH 131
131L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Lab
4
CH 132
132L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Lab
4
Choose one from the following:4-5
Physics with Algebra-Trig I
and Alg-Trig Based Physics I Lab
Calculus-Based Physics I
and Calculus-Based Physics I Lab

Major Milestones

Plan of Study Grid
First Year
FallHours
CAS 100 First Yr Exp - 2
EH 101 English Composition I 3
CH 131
131L
General Chemistry I
and General Chemistry I Lab
4
BLY 121
121L
General Biology I
and General Biology I Lab
4
MA 125
Calculus I
or Stat Reason and Application
3-4
 Hours16-17
Spring
MAS 134
134L
Ocean Science
and Ocean Science Lab
4
EH 102 English Composition II 3
CH 132
132L
General Chemistry II
and General Chemistry II Lab
4
BLY 122
122L
General Biology II
and General Biology II Laboratory
4
 Hours15
Second Year
Fall
MAS 331
331L
Marine Science I
and Marine Sciences I Lab
4
PH 114
114L
Physics with Algebra-Trig I
and Alg-Trig Based Physics I Lab
5
History, Social & Behavioral Sciences (Gen Ed) 3
Humanities & Fine Arts Elective (Gen Ed) 3
 Hours15
Spring
CA 110 Public Speaking 3
PHL 231 Social Ethics (Gen Ed - HUMANITIES ELECT) 3
MAS 332 Marine Science II-W 3
MAS 332L Marine Sciences II Lab 1
Humanities & Fine Arts Elective (Gen Ed) 3
 Hours13
Third Year
Fall
History, Social & Behavioral Sciences Elective (Gen Ed) 3
Foreign Language I (Gen Ed) 3
Humanities & Fine Arts Elective (Gen Ed) 3
Minor Course 3
 Hours12
Spring
MAS 336 Marine Operations/Research-W 3
MAS 475 Marine Ecology 4
MAS 431
431L
Field and Laboratory Measuremn
and Field and Laboratory Measure
4
MAS 437
437L
Marine Geology
or Special Topics
4
 Hours15
Summer
Students may take a DISL summer course during Second year summer to lighten load during Third Year Summer.  
MAS 371 Shark and Ray Biology 2
MAS 451 Marine Vertebrate Zoology 4
MAS 471 Marine Invertebrate Zoology 4
 Hours10
Fourth Year
Fall
History, Social, and Behavioral Sciences Elective (Gen Ed) 3
Minor Course 3
Minor Course 3
Minor Course 3
 Hours12
Spring
Foreign Language II (Gen Ed) 3
History, Social, and Behavioral Sciences Elective (Gen Ed) 3
Minor Course 3
Minor Course 3
 Hours12
 Total Hours120-121

Notes 

Students with ACT Math scores 22-23 should take CH 100 and MA 112 in the first semester, and they will graduate with 128 hours; MA 125 also satisfies the math requirement. Students with ACT Math scores 21 and below should begin math courses in the summer before Fall - Year 1.

*   Students who earn an English ACT score of 27 or above, SAT score of 610 or above on the verbal portion, or a new SAT Reading Test can opt out of EH 101.

** Must have one history elective and one literature elective. In addition, students must choose a second history or literature to complete a two-part sequence.

*** There may be additional prerequisites for upper level major electives. Refer to the bulletin for more information.

All Arts and Sciences majors require a minor between 18 and 24 hours. Courses used in a minor can also be used for general education requirements or major requirements (up to two courses).

Two designated writing (W) courses are required with at least one course chosen from offerings in the student's major or minor. Courses carrying this required credit are identified in the University Bulletin by a (W) after the course title.

The Sample 4-year plan is designed as a guide for students preparing for their course selections. This information provides only a suggested schedule. Actual course selections should be made in consultation with an advisor.