Contact Info
Juliana Harding, Ph.D.
Department Chair/Professor
Douglas Hall 226
Diane Fribance, Ph.D.
Associate Chair, Undergraduate Programs/Professor
Douglas Hall 102G
Major in Marine Science
Marine science is an interdisciplinary field where students receive training in marine biology, marine chemistry, marine geology, and physical oceanography. Upon completion of the 300-level courses in each of these four subdisciplines, students are encouraged to select an area of emphasis that may include: marine biology, coastal geology, marine/environmental chemistry, or ocean/atmosphere dynamics.
The Student Experience
Coastal Carolina University (CCU) has the largest Department of Marine Science on the U.S. east coast.
Department facilities include classroom/laboratory buildings, computer labs, and research vessels. The University owns part of Waties Island, a pristine barrier island that is used for course activities and student research. Through classes and collaborative research, students may also have access to facilities in the other six Gupta College of Science Departments as well as the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies where students and faculty work on a wide range of projects including coastal geology and watershed/environmental quality.
Students are encouraged to pursue local and national internship opportunities through the University Career Services Office. A number of our students participate in internship programs at local organizations including Ripley’s Aquarium, Huntington Beach State Park, Myrtle Beach State Park, and other organizations across the nation.
The Department of Marine Science regularly offers Maymester travel courses for CCU students including Coral Reef Ecology held in Discovery Bay, Jamaica, Shark Biology at the Bimini Biological Field Station in the Bahamas, Sea Turtle Biology in Costa Rica, and Field Methods in Oceanographic Data Analysis in Oban, Scotland.
Students may choose to participate in exchange programs that provide an opportunity to spend a semester off campus at Deakin University in Australia, the University of Alaska, Homer, or many other locations worldwide.
Students who are residents of Academic Common Market states and are accepted as Marine Science majors may qualify for in-state tuition rates.
Please email MSCI_chair@coastal.edu if you are visiting campus and want to register for an information session on the Marine Science program.
