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Master of Science in Marine & Environmental Science

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College of Science & Mathematics
Department of Biological Sciences
Master of Science in Marine & Environmental Science

The Master of Marine and Environmental Science (MMES) degree provides students with the training and skills necessary for planning, conducting, and evaluating research in marine and environmental science. Additionally, students explore how to utilize research to manage natural resources, with a particular focus on the issues and challenges related to natural resource management in the Caribbean region. The program draws upon the expertise of faculty within several units of the University of the Virgin Islands (UVI), in particular the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies and the College of Science and Mathematics. Further, it is a bridge between academia and natural resource management sectors within the US Virgin Islands, the greater Caribbean, and beyond.

During their first year, MMES students attend core courses on UVI's Orville E. Kean campus on St. Thomas. The core courses (see courses under "Graduation Requirements" below)  provide broad theoretical and practical background and tools necessary for effectively conducting scientific research, managing natural resources and communicating the results of research and management decisions to various audiences. MMES students also work with their advisor and committee to develop their thesis research proposal during their first year. Students spend their second year conducting their thesis research and taking elective courses or participating in internships. Please see the "Research Areas and Faculty" below for research in which our students and faculty are active. Past internships have included work with The Nature Conservancy, the Virgin Islands Marine Advisory Service, Coral World, and the Virgin Islands Department of Planning and Natural Resources. Graduates of the program are prepared for a wide array of careers in academic, government, non-profit, and private sectors.

All requirements for the degree must be completed on the St. Thomas campus


2020 Cohort's Capstone: An investigation into the role of herbivory on coral reef recovery in Puerto Rico and the USVI

2019 Hurricane Gliders in the Virgin Islands

2015 MMES Cohort Spring Capstone Research Project

 


 For More Information Contact:

Dean Sandra Romano, Ph.D.
Program Director Donna Nemeth, PhD. 
Program Coordinator Sophia McKenzie