Marine Biology BS Degree Requirements (120 hours)

Degree Plan

General Education Curriculum

GEC 01. Written Communication (6 hours)

ENG 101 - Composition One 3 hrs.
ENG 102 - Composition Two 3 hrs.

GEC 02. Natural Science (8-10 hours minimum)

Select 2 sciences with labs:

AST 111 - General Astronomy I 3 hrs. AND
AST 111L - General Astronomy I Laboratory 1 hr.
AST 112 - General Astronomy II 3 hrs. AND
AST 112L - General Astronomy II Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 103 - Biology and Society 3 hrs. AND
BSC 103L - Biology and Society Laboratory 1 hr
BSC 107 - Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology 3 hrs. AND
BSC 107L - Essentials of Human Anatomy and Physiology Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 110 - Principles of Biological Science I 3 hrs. * AND
BSC 110L - Principles of Biological Science I Laboratory 1 hr. *
BSC 111 - Principles of Biological Science II 3 hrs. * AND
BSC 111L - Principles of Biological Science II Laboratory 1 hr. *
BSC 250 - Human Anatomy and Physiology I 3 hrs. AND
BSC 250L - Human Anatomy and Physiology I Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 251 - Human Anatomy and Physiology II 3 hrs. AND
BSC 251L - Human Anatomy and Physiology II Laboratory 1 hr.
CHE 104 - Chemistry and Our Environment 3 hrs. AND
CHE 104L - Chemistry and Our Environment Laboratory 1 hr.
CHE 106 - General Chemistry I 3 hrs. *AND
CHE 106L - General Chemistry I Laboratory 1 hr. *
CHE 110 - Fundamentals of General, Organic and Biochemistry 3 hrs. AND
CHE 110L - Fundamentals of General, Organic and Biochem Lab 1 hr.
GHY 104 - Weather and Climate 3 hrs. AND
GHY 104L - Weather and Climate Laboratory 1 hr.
GHY 105 - Land and Water 3 hrs. AND
GHY 105L - Land and Water Lab 1 hr.
GLY 101 - Physical Geology 3 hrs. AND
GLY 101L - Physical Geology Laboratory 1 hr.
GLY 103 - Historical Geology 3 hrs. AND
GLY 103L - Historical Geology Laboratory 1 hr.
MAR 151 - Introduction to Ocean Science 3 hrs. AND
MAR 151L - Introduction to Ocean Science Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 103 - Introductory Physics 3 hrs. AND
PHY 103L - Introductory Physics Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 111 - General Physics I 3 hrs. *AND
PHY 111L - General Physics I Laboratory 1 hr. *
PHY 112 - General Physics II 3 hrs. *AND
PHY 112L - General Physics II Laboratory 1 hr. *
PHY 201 - General Physics I with Calculus 4 hrs. AND
PHY 201L - General Physics I with Calculus Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 202 - General Physics II with Calculus 4 hrs. AND
PHY 202L - General Physics II with Calculus Laboratory 1 hr.
PSE 190 - Living in a Material World 3 hrs. AND
PSE 190L - Lab for Living in a Material World 1 hr.

GEC 03. Humanities (9 hours)

ENG 203 - World Literature 3 hrs.

Select 2 courses, 1 History required:

HIS 101 - World Civilizations: Beginnings to 1500 C.E. 3 hrs.
HIS 102 - World Civilizations: 1500 to the present 3 hrs.
HUM 201 - Colloquium on the Pre-Modern World 3 hrs.
HUM 202 - Colloquium on the Modern World 3 hrs.
PHI 151 - Introduction to Philosophy 3 hrs.
PHI 171 - Ethics and Good Living 3 hrs.
REL 131 - Comparative Religion 3 hrs.

GEC 04. Aesthetic Values (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

GEC 05. Social and Behavioral Sciences (6 hours)

Select 2 courses:

ANT 101 - The Human Experience: A Global Perspective on Human Diversity 3 hrs.
ANT 221 - Introduction to Cultural & Linguistic Anthropology 3 hrs.
ECO 101 - Basic Economics 3 hrs.
GHY 101 - World Geography: Dynamics of a Changing Earth 3 hrs.
HHS 100 - Concepts of Wellness 3 hrs.
PS 101 - American Government 3 hrs.
PSY 110 - General Psychology 3 hrs.
SOC 101 - Understanding Society: Principles of Sociology 3 hrs.

GEC 06. Mathematics (3 hours)

Select 1 course:

MAT 100 - Quantitative Reasoning 3 hrs. ***
MAT 101 - College Algebra 3 hrs.
Higher-level MAT course*
ACT Math sub score of 24 or higher
SAT Math score of 560 or higher

GEC 07. Writing-Intensive Requirement (Major Area)

MAR 488 - Scientific Writing in Ocean Science 3 hrs. (WI)
ENG 101 & ENG 102 prerequisites

GEC 08. Speaking Intensive Requirement (Major Area)

MAR 489 - Marine Science Seminar 1 hr.

GEC 09. Capstone Requirement (Major Area)

MAR 497 - Senior Practicum 2 hrs. (Capstone)
Must be taken Senior Year; ENG 101 & ENG 102 prerequisites

Note:

*This course satisfies both the GEC requirement and a program requirement for this major.

**This particular GEC course is recommended by this major.

***This course does not satisfy prerequisites for any other math course.

GEC 07 - GEC 09 courses are specific to this major.

For full description of the GEC, see here .

Program Curriculum

DEG 01. Major Area of Study Requirements (51-55 hours)

COA 101 - Thrive in Marine Biology I 1 hr.
COA 102 - Thrive in Marine Biology II 1 hr.
COA 270 - Introductory Environmental Microbiology 3 hrs.
COA 305 - Form and Function of Marine Organisms 3 hrs.
COA 305L - Form and Function of Marine Organisms Laboratory 1 hr.
COA 446 - Marine Ecology 3 hrs. AND
COA 446L - Marine Ecology Laboratory 2 hrs.
COA 320 - Introduction to Biometry 3 hrs.
COA 401 - Coastal Processes I 3 hrs.
COA 402 - Coastal Processes II 3 hrs.
MAR 210 - The Oceans 3 hrs.
MAR 310 - Field Methods in Marine Science 3 hrs.
MAR 413 - Management of Oceanographic Data 3 hrs.
MAR 488 - Scientific Writing in Ocean Science 3 hrs.
MAR 489 - Marine Science Seminar 1 hr.
MAR 497 - Senior Practicum 2 hrs.

Experiential Learning requirement

Select 3 hours from the following.:

MAR 490 - Special Problems in Marine Science 1-6 hrs.
MAR 493 - Ocean Science Internship 1-6 hrs.

Marine Biology Electives

Select 14 hours from the following:

BSC 370 - Genetics 3 hrs.
BSC 407 - Biology of Vertebrates 3 hrs. AND
BSC 407L - Biology of Vertebrates Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 450 - Comparative Animal Physiology 3 hrs.
CHE 256 - Organic Chemistry II 3 hrs. AND
CHE 256L - Organic Chemistry II Laboratory 1 hr.
GHY 104 - Weather and Climate 3 hrs. *AND
GHY 104L - Weather and Climate Laboratory 1 hr. *
GHY 217 - Introduction to Geographic Information Systems 3 hrs.
MAR 402 - Marine Environmental Science 3 hrs.
COA 428 - Marine Invertebrate Zoology 3 hrs. AND
COA 428L - Marine Invertebrate Zoology Laboratory 3 hrs.
COA 424 - Marine Aquaculture 3 hrs.
COA 475 - Marine Microbial Ecology 3 hrs.
MAR 414 - Marine GIS 3 hrs.
MAR 418 - Oceans and Climate 3 hrs.
MAR 419 - Marine Pollution 3 hrs.
COA 443 - Marine Mammals 3 hrs. AND
COA 443L - Marine Mammals Laboratory 2 hrs.
COA 436 - Marine Botany 2 hrs.
COA 418 - Fundamentals of Ecotoxicology 3 hrs.
COA 423 - Diversity of Fishes 3 hrs.

DEG 02. Additional Requirements (30-41 hours)

BSC 110 - Principles of Biological Science I 3 hrs. *AND
BSC 110L - Principles of Biological Science I Laboratory 1 hr. *
BSC 111 - Principles of Biological Science II 3 hrs. *AND
BSC 111L - Principles of Biological Science II Laboratory 1 hr. *
BSC 201 - General Zoology 3 hrs. AND
BSC 201L - General Zoology Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 226 - General Botany 3 hrs. AND
BSC 226L - General Botany Laboratory 1 hr.
BSC 340 - Introductory Ecology 3 hrs.
BSC 360 - Cell Biology 3 hrs.
CHE 106 - General Chemistry I 3 hrs. *AND
CHE 106L - General Chemistry I Laboratory 1 hr. *
CHE 107 - General Chemistry II 3 hrs. *AND
CHE 107L - General Chemistry II Laboratory 1 hr. *
CHE 255 - Organic Chemistry I 3 hrs. AND
CHE 255L - Organic Chemistry I Laboratory 1 hr.
PHY 111 - General Physics I 3 hrs. *AND
PHY 111L - General Physics I Laboratory 1 hr. *

Select 1 course:

MAT 114 - Calculus for the Arts and Sciences 3 hrs. *
MAT 167 - Calculus I with Analytic Geometry 3 hrs. *

Note:

♦ Calculus is required for this major. MAT 114 is recommended for biology majors. See General Education Curriculum .

Hours to Degree

120 hours are needed to graduate with a BS in Marine Biology. Of the total hours applied to this degree, 30 hours must be in courses numbered at the 300 level or above. The student must earn at least 21 of the last 30 hours of course work and at least 12 hours in the major area of study from Southern Miss. See Residence Hour Requirements for more information.