Marine Science (MSCI)

MSCI 200 Adventures in Marine Science (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: GE Area 1A/A2*.

Introduction to environmental issues, research topics, and career trajectories related to Marine Science. To enhance writing skills, students will develop a semester-long writing project and digital portfolio based on multiple, scaffolded assignments incorporating research, literature citations, reflections, and persuasive essays. Students will develop a picture of themselves as a professional marine scientist and a projected CV of where they see themselves at graduation to add to the portfolio. Students will participate in 15 hours of community service related to ocean/coastal well-being. (Plus-minus letter grade)

MSCI 306 Marine Science Diving and Boating (Units: 2)

Prerequisites: Upper-division science majors; basic open water SCUBA diving certification; physician's authorization to dive; ability to pass a swim test; and permission of the instructor.

Hands-on learning and application of advanced skills to conduct marine science research. Topics include diving physics, physiology, and marine ecological survey skills using diving and boating. Learn to accomplish research on and under the water in a variety of conditions. Lead dives to demonstrate the ability to gather data to test hypotheses in marine ecology, conservation, and restoration and generate plots to visualize the collected data. Lecture, 1 unit; Activity, 1 unit. Extra fee required.

MSCI 699 Independent Study (Units: 1-3)

Prerequisite: Permission of the instructor. Open to undergraduate students who have adequate subject matter preparation for the selected problem.

Faculty-directed study of selected research problems in the marine sciences. May be repeated for credit.

MSCI 709 Foundations in Interdisciplinary Marine & Estuarine Science (Units: 4)

Prerequisite: Graduate Interdisciplinary Marine & Estuarine students or permission of the instructor.

Developing interdisciplinary working knowledge at the intersection of global change (climate change, ocean acidification, invasive species, disease, land use), coastal oceanography (physical, biological, chemical, geological), marine/estuarine biology (biodiversity, population, ecosystem, physiology), and societal issues (general public, managers, policymakers). (Plus-minus letter grade only)

MSCI 715 Writing for Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Scientists (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Restricted to Interdisciplinary Research Intensive Pedagogical Training of InterDisciplinary Estuarine Scientists (RIPTIDES) students.

Advance academic writing skills through targeted exercises and activities. Topics will include academic vocabulary, essay structure, paragraph structure, and citation skills. Activities will be conducted to teach how to report and present the methods, results, and conclusions of scientific inquiry. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

MSCI 717 Professional Skills Workshop I: Data Analysis and Visualization (Units: 2)

Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Research Intensive Pedagogical Training of InterDisciplinary Estuarine Scientists (RIPTIDES) students or permission of the instructor.

Weekly discussion of statistical analysis in R and data visualization for inclusion in a thesis project. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

MSCI 718 Writing and Professional Skills Workshop II (Units: 2)

Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Science students or permission of the instructor.

Weekly assignments in academic writing, editing and reviewing with peers, practice, and increased skills in interview techniques, resume writing, and journal article submission. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

MSCI 788 Professional Internship in Marine and Estuarine Sciences (Units: 3)

Prerequisite: Interdisciplinary Research Intensive Pedagogical Training of InterDisciplinary Estuarine Scientists (RIPTIDES) students.

Professional internship with a partner organization one day per week. Partners are from a wide range of organizations where scientific information is used, not generated. Students will relate what they learn to classmates during weekly group meetings and group discussions with internship mentors to address student career planning questions. Lecture, 1 unit; laboratory, 2 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

Course Attributes:

• Internship Component Req./Opt.

MSCI 885 Seminar in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Science (Units: 2)

Prerequisite: Graduate standing or permission of the instructor.

Topic to be specified in Class Schedule. May be repeated for a total of 4 units. (Plus-minus letter grade only)

Topics:

1. Graduate Seminar in Oceanography
2. Graduate Seminar in Marine Science
3. Graduate Seminar in Marine Geology

MSCI 895 Field Study or Applied Research Project (Units: 3)

Prerequisites: Graduate standing in Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Science; permission of the instructor and chair of student's committee; and approval of Advancement to Candidacy (ATC) and Culminating Experience (CE) forms by Graduate Studies. ATC and Proposal for Culminating Experience Requirement forms must be approved by the Graduate Division before registration.

Supervised independent and original laboratory or field investigation. Guidelines are available upon advisement through the Interdisciplinary Marine and Estuarine Science graduate coordinator. (CR/NC/RP grading only)

MSCI 897 Research (Units: 1-4)

Prerequisites: Permission of the adviser, instructor, and department chair.

Independent investigations for the student with adequate preparation. May be repeated for a total of 8 units. (Plus-minus letter grade, CR/NC, RP)