The Marine Biology major is designed for students who wish to specialize in the area of marine sciences. Completion of this major provides students with both an excellent background in biology and specialization in various disciplines such as oceanography, subtidal and intertidal ecology, and physiology of marine organisms. Graduates are well prepared for postgraduate opportunities in the marine sciences, many other areas of biology, and medicine. The major provides valuable field experience with concomitant individual research opportunities in marine biology.
 

Capstone Major

The Marine Biology major is a designated capstone major. Students apply theory and technique learned through four years of classroom and laboratory experience to their own independent projects. The main purpose of the capstone is to provide a unique field experience that involves designing and executing a research project. Students are aided in the scientific process of learning about a new ecosystem, developing relevant questions, designing conceptually based projects, troubleshooting and completing the work, and writing a publication-ready manuscript. They are also expected to exhibit strong teamwork, problem-solving, and communication skills.

Mga Resulta ng Pagkatuto

1. Demonstrated broad knowledge of fundamentals of ecology, behavior and evolution, or marine biology acquired through coursework

2. Development of skills in library research, data interpretation, synthesis, and scientific writing

3. Use of current primary scientific literature, including database searches, identification of appropriate sources, and reading and understanding papers

4. Understanding of key questions and hypotheses, interpretation of results and conclusions, and discrimination of quality through critique

5. Use of knowledge gained for conception and execution of student project that includes self-developed questions and hypotheses, design of appropriate theoretical or empirical/experimental approach, execution of that approach, and analysis and interpretation of data

6. Communication of original scientific work to colleagues and mentors through capstone scientific paper

7. Demonstrated communication skills through oral or poster presentation at a symposium

8. Display of strong teamwork and problem-solving skills