1. Home
  2. Academics
  3. Programs & Degrees
  4. Master of Marine Science

Marine Science, M.S.

Taking you to exciting frontiers of marine science and preparing you for an impactful career making new discoveries in science, research, and academia.

Sea floor mapping students lab

The M.S. in Marine Science program is a thesis-based Master’s degree offered through the Moss Landing Marine Laboratories (MLML) consortium campus, which includes CSUMB, SJSU, and other CSU campuses. The MLML degree through CSUMB will provide you with a hands-on, field-oriented learning experience that’s respected worldwide and will place you at the cutting edge of marine science knowledge and research.

Empowering You to Excel in Your Chosen Profession

Discover the empowering experience here for you.

The knowledge, skills, and scientific training you’ll gain will prepare you for a successful career improving lives and communities by applying cutting-edge technologies to promote and sustain healthy marine ecosystems.

Faculty in the Department of Marine Science at CSUMB can serve as research advisors to graduate students in the MLML graduate program. The MLML is a consortium campus that includes multiple CSU campuses in northern California. Students applying to conduct thesis research with a CSUMB faculty member should apply to and enroll in the MLML program through CSUMB. 

Students must first complete the application to the MLML program here.  Applicants will need to identify a potential faculty advisor through whom to apply to MLML. Applicants applying to conduct their thesis research with a CSUMB faculty advisor will then complete the CSUMB application via Cal State Apply.

Program alumni find a vibrant range of professional opportunities upon graduation, working with leading employers in the government, non-profit, and private sectors, some of which include:

  • NOAA Fisheries
  • California Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute
  • Hakai Institute
  • NASA
  • National Institutes of Health
  • Environmental Protection Agency
  • U.S. Geological Survey
  • Office of Naval Research
  • Alaska Department of Fish & Game
  • Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife
  • Oikonos
  • The Marine Mamma Center
  • Elkhorn Slough

You’ll find alumni of our program being accepted into respected doctoral programs at institutions like Oregon State University, UC Santa Cruz, UC San Diego, and Stanford University.

Aerial Image of Campus

Public University Price, Private University Experience

A Lifetime of Value

Tuition & Fees Financial Aid

Master of Science, M.S.

Discover the empowering experience here for you.

The program will offer you a distinctive level of hands-on preparation in the field of marine science, with fully outfitted marine operations at MLML, an active research diving program, state of the art equipment and instrumentation, and exposure to an exciting range of cutting-edge research activities. 

 

Educational Objectives

Our emphasis on hands-on, project-based learning will provide you with exceptional opportunities to apply the core principles and theories you’ve learned in real-world settings working with state-of-the-art resources.

Our unparalleled location will take your courses and field work out into the Monterey Bay region with easy access to kelp forests, the rocky intertidal, the deep sea, and Elkhorn Slough.

Our partnership with Moss Landing Marine Laboratories will enable you to take advantage of cutting-edge equipment, instrumentation, marine facilities, boats, and aquaria.

Our significant research activities will expose you to work in a wide variety of disciplines within marine science through coursework and thesis research. CSUMB faculty research specialties include fish ecology, ecophysiology, climate change biology, marine predator ecology, marine microbial ecology, population genetics, genomics, bioinformatics, biological oceanography, and applications to policy and management.

Complete ALL of the following courses:

 

Complete THREE of the following courses:

 

Complete at least THREE of the following courses, not already selected above (selections must total at least 12 units):

As a student in the MLML graduate program you’ll be situated in a world-class location for studying marine science. The Monterey Submarine Canyon, the largest such feature on the west coast of North America, begins within a few hundred meters of the Moss Landing Harbor and the Moss Landing Marine Laboratory’s research fleet.

To the east is the Elkhorn Slough, the largest tract of tidal salt marsh in California outside of San Francisco Bay, and an important site for shorebirds, sea otters, and fishes. To the north and south are sand dunes, sandy beaches, and extensive kelp forest habitats along the rocky shoreline. Some of the most productive kelp forests and intertidal areas can be found in this region. MLML also is located between two large upwelling centers, which provide nutrients that not only stimulate an incredible amount of productivity but also provide a wealth of opportunities to study coastal oceanic processes.

News

Read about our student success and faculty innovation in CSUMB News
Seafloor mapping instruction

Questions? We’re Here to Help!

Don’t hesitate to contact us with any questions you have about the M.S. in Marine Science program.

Our experienced and supportive admissions staff is here to provide all the individualized guidance you need.

Learn more about how to apply for the Master of Marine Science program.