The School of Ocean Science and Engineering offers a Doctor of Philosophy in Coastal Sciences with specialization in a wide range of research fields including benthic ecology, biological modeling, coastal ecology, conservation genetics, fish ecology, fisheries, landscape ecology, marine aquaculture, marine microbiology, marine toxicology, and microbial ecology. Graduate students receive focused academic and hands-on training in a variety of marine-based fields. Students can declare one of four emphasis areas: Aquaculture, Aquatic Health Sciences, Coastal Ecology and Ecosystem Processes, or Fisheries and Fisheries Oceanography.
The purpose of the Doctor of Philosophy in Coastal Sciences is to prepare students for nationally recognized postdoctoral programs or careers with academic institutions, industry, and government agencies at the state and federal level.
Course Requirements (54 or 84 hours)
Students entering the Ph.D. program with a M.S. degree are required to complete 54 hours in the following program of study:
- COA 791 - Research in Coastal Sciences (16 hours)
- COA 898 - Dissertation (12 hours)
- Electives (11 hours)
- Research Tools (15 hours)
- For the Electives and Research Tools, courses should meet the following requirements:
- Nine (9) credit hours taken from the following course options:
- Twelve (12) credit hours taken from the following course options:
- COA 791, 797, and 898 do not count as electives or research tools.
Students entering the Ph.D. program with a B.S. degree are required to complete 84 hours in the following program of study:
- COA 791 - Research in Coastal Sciences (28 hours)
- COA 898 - Dissertation (12 hours)
- Electives (29 hours)
- Research Tools (15 hours)
- For the Electives and Research Tools, courses should meet the following requirements:
- Required Courses:
- Twelve (12) credit hours taken from the following course options:
- COA 791, 797 and 898 do not count as electives or research tools.
Prerequisites
Regular admission to the doctoral program in science education requires a master's degree, a Class-AA teaching certificate in one of the emphasis areas if an advance in certification to Class-AAAA is desired, three years of teaching experience at the secondary or college level, and a minimum GPA of 3.5 for all previous graduate work. Applicants are required to present for consideration verbal, quantitative and writing scores on the Graduate Record Examination, a résumé, three letters of recommendation, and a letter of intent expressing academic, professional, and research goals to the Center Director. Letters of recommendation should be from persons qualified to assess the applicant's readiness for graduate study.
Initial admission to the program may be conditional. Students are expected to possess proficiency at the undergraduate level in the chosen emphasis for advanced study. Students not proficient may be required to take additional undergraduate courses. Regular status will be granted with the completion of 9 semester hours of Southern Miss graduate courses with a 3.5 GPA, a positive recommendation from the Center Director, and the removal of any deficiencies.
The previous admission requirements are in addition to these general Academic Requirements and Procedures as set forth in this Bulletin.
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