2024 - 2025 Graduate Catalog
Sub-concentration in Marine Policy
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The Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS) and School of Marine Science (SMS) recognize the critical need to improve communication between marine scientists and resource managers, policy makers, and the public. Students enrolled in SMS degree programs who want to advance their education in the areas of marine, environmental and public policy can elect one of the following options:
Sub-concentration in Marine Policy
The sub-concentration, offered in collaboration with William & Mary’s Public Policy Program and Law School, exposes students to the tools and ideas that shape contemporary dialogue of coastal and marine policy. Through required coursework, students will first develop an understanding of policy structures and processes before exploring constructs, models, and methods commonly used to discuss and analyze coastal and marine policy. Completion of the sub-concentration also requires observation and reflection on coastal and marine public policy in practice. Students may need to take additional coursework over that required for the degree in order to fulfill the sub-concentration requirements. Students who complete the sub-concentration will receive a notation of “Sub-concentration in Marine Policy” on their transcript. The requirements for the sub-concentration are as follows:
Requirements:
Students will select courses from thematic areas (one area must be public policy; courses are subject to availability). In addition, a “capstone” course will provide the opportunity to observe and reflect on marine public policy in practice. Students must accrue at least 10 credit hours in total.
Pre-requisites for Public Policy courses (except MSCI 689 and PUBP 627 )
Required - One Public Policy course selected from:
Required - Two additional courses from one or more of the following thematic areas:
Economics
Law
Public Policy
- MSCI 689 , PUBP 601 , PUBP 612 , and PUBP 627 may be used within the Public Policy thematic area if not already used to fulfill the policy course requirement above.
Other Courses
- OEAS 690 Topics in Marine Environmental Policy (offered by Old Dominion University through a cooperative agreement)
The above course list is subject to availability of seats. As additional courses become available at W&M, including the SMS, or through an existing agreement with Old Dominion University or other future agreements with other universities, students may petition the SMS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to have a course included to fulfill the thematic area requirement. Courses from other thematic areas might include social sciences (e.g., anthropology, sociology), education, maritime or marine-related business or other disciplines.
Notes: (1) Instructor or School permission may be required to enroll in courses that do not have the MSCI prefix and is subject to the availability of seats. Procedures for cross-school registration are available from the SMS Registrar; (2) Seminar courses offered by the W&M Law School may be more appropriate than lecture courses for SMS students; (3) Courses with the prefix LAW and PUBP are taught on the Williamsburg campus as are MSCI 687, 689, 692, 693, 694, 695.
Required - At least one credit of reflective practice
Taken as the last course in the marine policy sub-concentration sequence, selected from:
Supervised by a faculty member, students may self-identify opportunities to observe the coastal or marine public policy process in practice (e.g., public meetings of government commissions, agencies, or other decision-making bodies, at the local, regional, state, national or international level; policy shadowing experiences; internship; etc), and draft a 2-5 page synthesis paper, reflecting upon their observations of the policy process, integrating concepts from their prior course work, and discussing how the policy experience may relate to their science and research.
Additional Opportunities
Any of the above policy-related courses with an MSCI prefix are available to any SMS student and may be taken to fulfill degree requirements with the agreement of the student’s advisor and committee members. In addition, the SMS Office of Academic Affairs periodically sponsors policy-oriented professional development opportunities in Washington D.C. and on the VIMS campus in Gloucester Point. Information on special programs is distributed to all SMS students through a weekly Academic Digest newsletter.
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