Coastal & Marine Sciences

Offering an interdisciplinary marine-related curriculum to undergraduate students enrolled in the five campuses.

The Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program offers an interdisciplinary marine-related curriculum to undergraduate students enrolled in a Five College campus. The Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate is available to students at all five campuses. Through active affiliations with some of the nation's premier centers for marine study (field trips, internships, and study-away programs), students engage in hands-on research to complement course work. Many students who participate in the program go on to advanced study or professional work in various areas of marine science. Five College faculty from both natural and social sciences teach courses in the program. The disciplines represented include animal behavior, biology, botany, chemistry, ecology, engineering, geology, natural resource management, and zoology in the natural sciences, and government, public policy and economics in the social sciences.

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Coastal & Marine Sciences Certificate

The Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate enables students from the five campuses to select from a wide variety of marine-science-related courses, including coastal and marine ecology/geology, resource management and public policy, oceanography and coastal engineering to create a cohesive concentration. The Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate is now available to students on all five campuses.

The FCCMS certificate work includes three components:
1) Course work (6 courses)
2) Field and lab work (80 hour minimum)
3) Independent research project/poster

Under the guidance of faculty advisors on each campus, students choose a progressive series of courses available within the five campuses and in approved academic off-campus programs (Sea Education Association, School for Field Studies, Williams-Mystic, Duke University Marine Lab, Shoals Marine Lab, and others). Students are required to gain proficiency in field/lab work through intensive field courses or internships. Finally, students participate in a “capstone” independent, marine-related research project that will count toward the certificate. Students interested in earning the certificate should begin by setting up an introductory meeting with the Program Coordinator (see People). Once students have begun the introductory course of study, they will be appointed a faculty advisor affiliated with Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences who will assist with course selection, research projects and field/lab requirements to ensure a strong concentration in marine sciences.

Student presenting at Five College symposium.
people at controls of ship

People

The program office is located at Five Colleges, Inc., 97 Spring Street in Amherst. Students interested in learning more about the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate or internship program should schedule a meeting with Program Coordinator Cindy Bright, available by appointment on your home campus (see contact info below). Students affiliated with the program receive information on campus lectures, films and events as well as information on internships and research opportunities in the field.

The FCCMS Program is guided by a steering committee with members from each of the five campuses. Steering committee members also serve as faculty advisors to certificate students.

Steering Committee & Faculty Advisors

Alexandra Purdy, Associate Professor of Biology
David Jones, Associate Professor of Geology

Laela Sayigh, Associate Professor of Animal Behavior

Jason Andras, Assistant Professor of Biological Sciences
Renae Brodie, Professor of Biological Sciences
Al Werner, Professor of Geology

Bosiljka Glumac, Professor of Geosciences
Paulette Peckol, Louise C. Harrington Professor of Biological Sciences

Brian Cheng, Assistant Professor of Environmental Conservation
Andy Danylchuk, Professor of Fish Conservation, Director of Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program
Adrian Jordaan, Associate Professor of Fish Population Ecology and Conservation
Steve Petsch, Associate Professor of Geosciences
Jonathan Woodruff, Associate Professor of Geosciences

Five Colleges, Incorporated (Steering Committee only)
Cindy Bright, Program Coordinator
Ray Rennard, Director of Academic Programs

Courses

A minimum of six courses in three categories is required for the certificate. Check the complete, categorized course list to see which courses are approved for the certificate. This master list may include courses not currently offered. Some courses may have stipulations (like "with marine project only"), or may require prerequisites.

Note: You do not need to be working towards the certificate to take any of these marine-related courses.

Faculty: Please contact marinesci@fivecolleges.edu if you would like to suggest an addition to the FCCMS list. Include the course number, title, semester(s) offered, and its relevance to marine science.

Other courses in addition to those listed here may be eligible for fulfilling the requirements of the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Certificate. Students are encouraged to consult a Coastal and Marine Sciences Program campus advisor to identify courses that are appropriate for their interests.

Fall 2023 CMS Courses: HIGH MARINE CONCENTRATION

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
BIO 268 01 Marine Ecology Paulette M. Peckol Smith College TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
BIO 269 01 Marine Ecology Lab Smith College M 1:30 PM - 4:20 PM
BIO 269 02 Marine Ecology Lab Paulette M. Peckol Smith College TU 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
GEO 232 01 Sedimentary Geology Bosiljka Glumac Smith College TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
GEO 232 L01 Sedimentary Geology Lab Bosiljka Glumac Smith College TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM

Fall 2023 CMS Courses: ECOLOGY and BIODIVERSITY

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
BIO 130 01 Biodiversity, Ecol, Conservatn Virginia Hayssen Smith College TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
BIO 131 01 Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab Marney C. Pratt Smith College TU 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
BIO 131 02 Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab Marney C. Pratt Smith College W 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
BIO 131 03 Res:Biodiv, Ecol, Consrv Lab Marney C. Pratt Smith College TH 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
BIO 266 01 Ecology: Principles&Apps Mariana Abarca Smith College M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
BIO 267 01 Ecology: P&A Lab Mariana Abarca Smith College W 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
BIO 268 01 Marine Ecology Paulette M. Peckol Smith College TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
BIO 269 01 Marine Ecology Lab Smith College M 1:30 PM - 4:20 PM
BIO 269 02 Marine Ecology Lab Paulette M. Peckol Smith College TU 1:10 PM - 4:00 PM
GEO 231 01 Invert Paleont & Hist of Life Luce Ward Smith College M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
GEO 231 L01 Invert Paleont & Hist Life Lab Luce Ward Smith College W 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM

Fall 2023 CMS Courses: GEOLOGY and CHEMISTRY

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
CHM 346 01 Environmental Analytical Chem Cristina Suarez Smith College TU TH 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
CHM 346 L01 Environmental Analytical Chem Mona Kulp Smith College TU 1:20 PM - 5:00 PM
CHM 346 L02 Environmental Analytical Chem Cristina Suarez Smith College TH 1:20 PM - 5:00 PM
GEO 101 01 Intro to Earth Process & Hist Amy Larson Rhodes Smith College M W F 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM
GEO 104 01 Global Climate Change Smith College M W 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
GEO 232 01 Sedimentary Geology Bosiljka Glumac Smith College TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
GEO 232 L01 Sedimentary Geology Lab Bosiljka Glumac Smith College TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
GEO 361 01 Tectonics & Earth History Jack Loveless Smith College M W F 9:25 AM - 10:40 AM

Fall 2023 CMS Courses: RESOURCE MANAGEMENT, POLICY, and SCIENTIFIC SKILLS

Subject Course # Sect # Course Title Instructor(s) Institution Meeting Times
ENV 150 01 Modeling Our World: Intro GIS Heather Rosenfeld Smith College TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM; TU 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM
ENV 201 01 Researching Enviromentl Probs Heather Rosenfeld Smith College TU TH 10:50 AM - 12:05 PM
ENV 202 01 Researching Enviro Probs Lab Heather Rosenfeld Smith College W 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM
GEO 150 01 Modeling Our World: Intro GIS Heather Rosenfeld Smith College TH 1:20 PM - 4:00 PM; TU 1:20 PM - 2:35 PM

Internships

Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Internship Program
Funded by the Five College Coastal and Marine Sciences Program. Only Five College students are eligible (Amherst, Mount Holyoke, Hampshire, and Smith Colleges and the University of Massachusetts Amherst).  Graduating seniors and graduate students are not eligible.
The 2021 Internship Program application is now available.
 

Research Experiences for Undergraduates (REUs)

Nationwide search for paid internships in ocean science (and many other science fields), Funded by the National Science Foundation. Stipends and application deadlines/procedures vary (some as early as January for the following summer). NSF updates deadlines and adds opportunities as they become available. Most of these are limited to undergraduates who are permamnent US residents or citizens.
Hint: If deadlines are out-of-date, click on link to individual REU programs. The individual program websites are more likely to be current.

Texas A&M Ocean and Coastal Resource REU
Due February 15th each year

Marine Biological Laboratory
Woods Hole, Massachusetts

REU for rising sophomores and juniors.
Due February 15th each year (priority)
        March 10th each year (final)

Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Summer student fellowships for guided research (only juniors may apply).
Due February 15th each year.

UMass-Dartmouth
School for Marine Science and Technology

Coverletter and resume required,
no application or due date posted.

Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge, ME
Due February 15th each year

Ocean Exploration Trust
Internships in ocean science, seafloor mapping, ROV engineering and vieo engineering/filmmaking.
Due January 20th each year.

Institute for Broadening Participation:
Pathways to Science

A compilation of coastal and marine research, outreach, and educational opportunities for undergraduates and graduates (you can also search other disciplines). Stipends and application deadlines/procedures vary (some as early as January). Please note that only research internship field hours can be applied towards the certificate.

Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory
University of Southern Mississippi. Fall and spring volunteer internships available.
Due May 1 and November 1

Institute for Marine Mammal Studies
Gulfport, Mississippi
Due November 1, March 1, and June 1 for following season

Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute
Florida Atlantic University (FAU)
Known for its research in marine science and biomedicine, aquaculture and ocean engineering, Harbor Branch-FAU is located between Vero Beach and Fort Pierce, Florida, on the Indian River Lagoon, one of the most biodiverse estuaries in the United States.
Due March 1st each year.

Seabird & Shorebird Internships/Jobs
Many internships and paid field positions in the Northeast and nationwide, posted in weekly compilations (search on "birdjobs").  Applications and due dates vary by posting.

Texas A & M Job Board
Too many great opportunities to list: marine mammals, birds, fisheries, sea turtles, etc. Worth a look.

Green Dream Jobs
Find jobs/internships nationwide. There are usually a few marine science postings.

Seabird & Shorebird Internships/Jobs
Many internships and paid field positions in the Northeast and nationwide, posted in weekly compilations (search on "birdjobs"). Listserve available. Applications and due dates vary by posting.

Institute for Broadening Participation:
Pathways to Science

A compilation of coastal & marine research opportunities for undergraduates and graduates (you can also search other disciplines). Stipends and application deadlines/procedures vary (some as early as January for summer).

Ocean Exploration Trust
Internships in ocean science, seafloor mapping, ROV engineering, and vieo engineering/filmmaking. Due January 16, 2015.

Whale and Dolphin Conservation Society, Plymouth, MA
Volunteer Internships in marine conservation.
Minimum commitment of 3 months, with the possibility of extended term.
All interns are trained in photo-identification, data-collection and management, identification catalog maintenance, public speaking, and marine mammal policy.
Admission is rolling-early application (January) advised.

Cape Ann Whale Watch and Ocean Alliance, Gloucester, MA
Interns will staff whale watch tours (Humpback, Minke, and Fin Whales)and interact with passengers with hands-on teaching tools such as baleen and whale teeth, a 3-D model of the ocean floor, and plankton collected during the trip. Interns will also collect data on whale sighting, identification, and weather. naturalist training will be provided. Group housing is available at cost. Position is volunteer (minimum 2 months), application is rolling.

Marine Mammal Behavior and Cognition Laboratory,
University of Southern Mississippi. Fall and spring volunteer internships available.
Due May 1st and November 1st

Humpback Whale Internship with the Alaska Whale Foundation's Rapunzel Project 

Nationwide

Western USA (AK, CA, CO, HI, ID, MT, NV, OR, UT, WA, WY)

Southeastern USA (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)

NORTHEAST USA (CT, ME, MA, NH, RI, VT, DE, MD, NJ, NY, PA)

Midwest USA (IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, NE, ND, OH, SD, WI)

International

Contact Us

For more information about the Coastal and Marine Sciences Program, contact Cindy Bright, below. 

A smiling woman with shoulder-length brown hair, dark sweater, and a multicolor scarf.

Cindy Bright

Program Coordinator
A smiling man with short hair, blue collared shirt, and blue jacket.

Ray Rennard

Director of Academic Programs
Man with red shirt

Andy Danylchuk

Program Director