Dec 05, 2024  
USC Catalogue 2024-2025 
    
USC Catalogue 2024-2025

Marine and Environmental Biology (MS)


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The Master of Science degree in Marine and Environmental Biology (MEB) is designed to provide admitted students with a rigorous, quantitative and focused introduction to the burgeoning fields and breadth of topics in marine environmental biology/chemistry, geobiology, oceanography, conservation biology and population dynamics (depending upon the concentration selected). MEB provides students with independent research experiences that satisfy their own specific interests. The program is intended to position and stimulate students for possible advanced study leading to a PhD in one of the areas stated above, and/or provide a unique facet to the background of a prospective medical student. The program will also provide fundamental tools and expertise for entry into a master’s level position in academic, government or private sector research laboratories. It will prepare students interested in governmental and non-government (NGO) environmental regulatory science and forge career pathways into private sector positions in environmental consulting and business.

Applicants must possess a cumulative and science GPA of 3.0 or higher and have the following courses completed prior to admission: one year of introductory biology, one semester of molecular biology, one semester of biochemistry, one year of general chemistry, and one year of organic chemistry. All of the above must carry labs and be available for major credit in the natural sciences at a four-year college or university.

Applicants interested in using course work completed while an undergraduate may apply for the progressive master’s degree as early as their junior year.

Core Courses (16 units)


Complete the reading and statistics courses listed below and 9 units of laboratory research.

Research Seminar Requirement (2 units)


Enroll in BISC 529 for 2 semesters.

Graduate Elective Requirement (14 units)


Select 14 units from the options listed below, of which 8 units must be within the Department of Biological Sciences (BISC), and no more than 8 units can be at the 400-level. Courses cannot count toward more than one degree requirement.

Total required units: 32


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