Master's Degree Requirements

• 32 Total Credits
• 4 Core Courses - 12 credits
  1. Biological Oceanography (3 credits)
  2. Chemical Oceanography (3 credits)
  3. Geological Oceanography (3 credits)
  4. Physical Oceanography (3 credits)
• Concentration Requirements - 9 credits from the 4 courses below
  1. Population Dynamics (3 credits): Covers the dynamics of theoretical and real populations and the factors that influence these dynamics.
  2. Fish Biology (3 credits): Covers the diversity of fishes from a phylogenetic perspective (i.e. evolutionary relationships among fish groups) with special focus on the life history, feeding ecology, reproduction, early life history, bioenergetics, sensory systems, and current research topics.
  3. Dynamics of Marine Ecosystems (3 credits): Covers ecosystem-level influences on populations from primary producers to higher trophic levels, including effects on reproductive output, larval transport mechanisms, nursery performance, and the success of seasonal or ontogenetic migrations. The course will start with a review of molecular techniques (stable isotopes, microchemistry) and will end with a review of climate-cycle relationships with population size and condition.
  4. Applied Multivariate Statistics (3 credits): Covers multivariate statistical techniques and mathematical modeling including multiple regression, principle components analysis, information theoretic analysis, discriminant analysis, and community analysis.
• Electives - 5 credits taken from other formal courses or Directed Research as determined by the student's Master's Thesis advisory committee.
  • A list of the elective courses available to students can be found on the Course Schedule web site.
  • Please note only 3 credit hours of science education courses can be used towards your degree requirements. Please contact Dr. Ted VanVleet (vanvleet@marine.usf.edu) for details on these types of courses.
• Master's Thesis Credit Hours - 6 credits