2025 - 2026 Graduate Catalog
Sub-concentrations in Marine Policy or Shellfish Aquaculture
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Students enrolled in Batten School & VIMS graduate degree programs who want to advance their education in the areas of marine, environmental and public policy or in the field of shellfish aquaculture, from commercial production to restoration and fisheries enhancement, can elect one of the following sub-concentration options:
Sub-concentration in Marine Policy
The sub-concentration, offered in collaboration with the College of Arts & Sciences Public Policy Program and the William & Mary 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 the availability of seats). 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:
Required - Two additional courses from one or more of the following thematic areas:
The following course list is subject to availability of seats.
Economics
Law
Other Courses
- OEAS 690 Topics in Marine Environmental Policy (offered by Old Dominion University through a cooperative agreement)
As additional courses become available at William & Mary, including the Batten School & VIMS, or through an existing agreement with Old Dominion University or other future agreements with other universities, students may petition the Batten School & VIMS 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 Batten School & VIMS Registrar; (2) Seminar courses offered by the W&M Law School may be more appropriate than lecture courses for Batten School & VIMS students; (3) Courses with the prefix LAW and PUBP are taught on the Williamsburg campus as are MSCI 687, 689, 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.
Sub-concentration in Shellfish Aquaculture
The sub-concentration increases students’ understanding and knowledge of the opportunities and challenges across the spectrum of shellfish aquaculture. Through required coursework, students will improve their comprehension of the types of shellfish aquaculture practiced locally and around the world. Students may need to take additional coursework over that required for the degree to fulfill the sub-concentration requirements. Students who complete the sub-concentration will receive a notation of “Sub-concentration in Shellfish Aquaculture” on their transcript. The requirements for the sub-concentration are as follows:
Requirements:
Students must accrue at least 10 credit hours in total.
Required - One Fundamentals course, from the following menu:
Required - All three modules of MSCI 560: Bivalve Shellfish Aquaculture
Required - Five additional credit hours, from the following menu:
- Applied Breeding/Research Methods (2 credits)
- Applied Farm Operations (2 credits)
- Applied Hatchery & Nursery Operations (2 credits)
The above course list is subject to availability of seats. As additional courses become available at William & Mary, including the Batten School & VIMS, or through an existing agreement with Old Dominion University or other future agreements with other universities, students may petition the Batten School & VIMS Associate Dean for Academic Affairs to have additional courses included.
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