Coastal & Marine Sciences (BS in Coastal & Marine Sciences)

William & Mary’s Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences & VIMS are unique among coastal and marine science institutions. As a state agency, VIMS has a legal mandate to provide research, education and advisory service to government, citizens and industry. In the Batten School, students have an unparalleled opportunity to conduct research that matters. Research at the Batten School & VIMS extends from inland watersheds to the open ocean, with an emphasis on coastal and estuarine science.

The Batten School ranks among the top coastal and marine science institutions in the U.S. and currently offers two graduate research degrees (Ph.D. and M.S.), a professional master’s degree (M.A.), and an undergraduate degree (B.S.). Additionally, an undergraduate minor is offered in collaboration with W&M College of Arts & Sciences.

The Coastal & Marine Sciences major offers undergraduate students a robust interdisciplinary foundation in the science of estuaries and coasts, with student engagement across biological, physical, and social dimensions. The program combines rigorous scientific training with applied learning in coastal systems, public policy, and sustainability.

The program prepares graduates for careers and further study in marine and environmental science, public policy, education, conservation, and related fields. All undergraduate Coastal & Marine Sciences majors take a common core curriculum. Typically, in the fall semester of their junior year, newly admitted majors participate in an immersive semester at the Batten School & VIMS Gloucester Point campus. Round trip daily transportation is provided from the Williamsburg campus to the Gloucester Point campus during the immersion semester. 

Admission to the Major Program

Current W&M students wanting to declare a major in Coastal & Marine Sciences will be required to apply for competitive admission to the program. Students should apply to the major program prior to the start of the spring semester of their sophomore year, with the intention of entering the major program in the fall semester of their junior year.

Students admitted to the Coastal & Marine Sciences major will be required to participate in our fall semester immersion experience at the Batten School & VIMS Gloucester Point campus during their first semester in the major program (generally fall of junior year). The immersion semester provides majors with a fully engaged, cohort-based, learning environment which incorporates numerous field and laboratory experiences across their integrated courses. 

Freshmen, sophomores, and transfer students are strongly encouraged to review the curriculum to ensure

1. the necessary marine science proficiency courses (those courses that are prerequisite courses for required immersion semester courses) will be completed prior to the start of their fall immersion semester experience, and
2. junior academic standing (54 earned credit hours) is attained prior to the start of the immersion semester.

Details on the major program admission process, including application deadlines, can be found on the Batten School website: https://www.vims.edu/academics/

Contact our Undergraduate Program Director, Prof. Christopher Hein, for more information.

Coastal & Marine Sciences (BS in Coastal & Marine Sciences)

The major curriculum is designed to provide students with an understanding of the processes and functions of coastal, estuarine, and marine environments. Core coursework will educate students in the natural sciences subfields of geology, biology, chemistry, and physics as they relate to the interdisciplinary field of coastal and marine sciences. Students will also explore the effects of marine systems processes on human populations, economies, and societies, and learn how natural and anthropogenic factors shape coastal ecosystems.
Courses for the Coastal & Marine Sciences major will be held in-person at the Williamsburg campus, with the exception of the required immersion semester experience. All immersion semester courses will be taken in-person at the nearby Batten School & VIMS Gloucester Point campus. Opportunities to participate in elective field courses at the Batten School & VIMS Eastern Shore campus and on international study abroad programs are also available. 

Total Credit Hours for Major: 36 credits
Proficiency Courses: 18-20 credits (not counted toward the major)

Of the 120 credit hours required for a B.S. degree in Coastal & Marine Sciences, a minimum of 60 credit hours must be earned in a subject field offered outside the Batten School. A maximum of 6 credits of 300-level marine science research and 3 credits of advanced 400-level marine science research may count towards the major. A maximum of 3 credits of marine science internship may count toward the major elective requirement.