Marine Sciences – Interdisciplinary Studies (CLAS)

Oceans are an important facet of our global environment: They cover more than 70% of the Earth’s surface, they provide us with food, transport and resources and they play a significant role in controlling climate. However, the world’s oceans remain largely unexplored below the surface, making them one of the last great frontiers for scientific discovery. Marine environments are inherently dynamic and governed by a broad suite of interactive biological, chemical and physical processes.

Overview

The university promotes an interdisciplinary approach to marine science education and research to prepare students for rewarding academic and professional careers. This interdisciplinary studies major, offered cooperatively with the College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, lets students tailor a curriculum that suits their interests and career goals.

The curriculum provides the core scientific and quantitative skills necessary for success. Lower-division courses build a strong foundation in basic sciences and math while upper-division courses provide opportunity for specialization. Students in the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences (CLAS) complete an upper-division core that integrates the physical and biological sciences, mathematics and engineering. They work closely with a faculty adviser to create an individualized curriculum of at least 12 credits of approved electives; this plan must be approved by the program's undergraduate coordinator before the student has earned 70 credits.

Coursework for the Major

The major requires 65-67 hours of coursework completed with minimum grades of C. At least 30 hours of coursework in the major must be completed at UF.

Required Coursework

• OCE 1001 Introduction to Oceanography, 3 credits
• BSC 2010/2010L and BSC 2011/2011L Integrated Principles of Biology 1 and 2 and laboratories, 8 credits
• CHM 2045/2045L and CHM 2046/2046L General Chemistry 1 and 2 and laboratories,
  8 credits
• MAC 2311 Analytical Geometry and Calculus 1, 4 credits
• MAC 2312 Analytical Geometry and Calculus 2 or
  STA 2023 Introduction to Statistics 1, 3-4 credits
• PHY 2053/2053L and PHY 2054/2054L Physics 1 and 2 and laboratories, 10 credits, or
  PHY 2048/2048L and PHY 2049/2049L Physics with Calculus 1 and 2 and laboratories,
  8 credits
• GLY 3083C Introduction to Marine Science, 3 credits
• ZOO 4926 Marine Ecology or
  FAS 4270 Marine Ecological Processes, 3 credits
• ZOO 4403C Marine Biology, 4 credits
• GLY 4930 Geochemical Oceanography, 3 credits
• One marine sciences core elective (selected from list below), 3-4 credits
• 12 credits of approved marine sciences electives, approved by the undergraduate coordinator before the student has earned 70 credits. Electives may be chosen from the list below or from the additional list at the bottom of the page (this additional list requires instructor permission).

Marine Sciences Core Elective: choose one

• GLY 2010C Physical Geology (GE-P) (4)
• GLY 2100C Historical Geology (GE-P) (4)
• GLY 3074 Oceans and Global Climate Change (GE-P) (3) *
• GLY 3105C Evolution of Earth and Life (GE-P) (4) *
• GLY 3202C Earth Materials (3) *
• EGN 4932 Physical Oceanography (3) *

Approved Marine Sciences Electives: choose 12 credits minimum

• EGN 4932 Physical Oceanography (3) *
• FAS 4202C Biology of Fishes (4)
• FAS 4305C Introduction to Fishery Science (3)
• FAS 4405 Aquariums, Water and Aquaculture (3)
• FAS 4932 Aquatic Invertebrate Ecological Physiology (3)
• GLY 3074 Oceans and Global Climate Change (GE-P) (3) *
• GLY 3105C Evolution of Earth and Life (GE-P) (4) *
• GLY 3202C Earth Materials (3) *
• GLY 3603C Paleontology (4)
• GLY 4552C Sedimentary Geology (4)
• GLY 4734 Coastal Morphology and Processes (3)
• GLY 4930 Geophysics (3)
• OCE 3016 Introduction to Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering (3)
• ZOO 4205C Invertebrate Biodiversity (4)

*These courses cannot count as marine sciences core electives and approved electives.

Critical Tracking

To graduate with this major, students must complete all university, college and major requirements. For degree requirements outside of the major, refer to CLAS Degree Requirements — Structure of a CLAS Degree.

For the purposes of critical tracking, associated lecture and lab courses are considered one critical-tracking course (e.g., BSC 2010/2010L = 1 critical-tracking course).

Equivalent critical-tracking courses as determined by the State of Florida Common Course Prerequisites may be used for transfer students.

Semester 1:

• 2.0 UF GPA required for semesters 1-5
• 2.5 critical-tracking GPA for semesters 1-5
• Complete OCE 1001 and 1 critical-tracking course from BSC 2010/2010L,
  BSC 2011/2011L, CHM 2045/2045L, CHM 2046/2046L, MAC 2311, PHY 2053/2053L (or PHY 2048/2048L, PHY 2054/2054L (or PHY 2049/2049L)

Semester 2:

• Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses

Semester 3:

• Complete 1 additional critical-tracking course

Semester 4:

• Complete 2 additional critical-tracking courses

Semester 5:

• Complete all 8 critical-tracking courses

Recommended Semester Plan

Students are expected to complete the writing and math requirement while in the process of taking the courses below. Students are required to complete HUM 2305 The Good Life (GE-H) in semester 1 or 2. Students are also expected to complete the general education international (GE-N) and diversity (GE-D) requirements concurrently with another general education requirement (typically, GE-C, H or S).

Additional Electives: instructor permission required

EOC 6196 Littoral Processes (3)
EOC 6934 Advanced Topics in Coastal and Oceanographic Engineering (3)
FAS 5276C Field Ecology of Aquatic Organisms (4)
FAS 6171 Applied Phycology (3)
GLY 5255 Organic Geochemistry and Geobiology (3)
GLY 5558C Sedimentology (3)
GLY 5736 Marine Geology (3)
GLY 5786L Field Topics in the Geology of the Bahamas (2)
GLY 6075 Global Climate Change (3)
GLY 6425 Tectonics (3)
OCP 6050 Physical Oceanography (3)
OCP 6168 Data Analysis Techniques for Coastal and Ocean Engineers (3)
OCP 6295 Estuarine and Shelf Hydrodynamics 1 (3)
ZOO 6406 Biology of Sea Turtles (3)
ZOO 6456C Ichthyology (4)