Overview
The Marine Biology and Ecology degree is a BSMAS degree and is designed to give students a strong background in biology and quantitative skills, as well as research experience in biomedicine, genomics, evolution, physiology, microbiology, immunology, and ecology. The strength of the Marine Biology & Ecology program is the opportunity for undergraduates to fully participate in research with Marine Biology and Ecology diverse faculty. These research opportunities provide skills to excel in medicine, graduate school, and other diverse fields.
Curriculum Requirements
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Marine Biology and Ecology Core Requirements | ||
| MSC 111 | Introduction to Marine Science | 3 |
| MSC 112 | Introduction to Marine Science Lab | 1 |
| MBE 230 | Introduction to Marine Biology | 3 |
| MBE 232 | Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| Select one of the following: | 3 | |
| Marine Ecology | ||
| Tropical Coastal Ecosystems | ||
| Marine Ecology of the Galapagos 1 | ||
| MBE 307 | Physiology of Marine Organisms (Declared Pre-Health students may use BIL 360 instead) | 3 |
| MBE 308 | Genetics and Evolution (Declared Pre-Health students may use BIL 250 instead) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Marine Vertebrate Zoology (recommended) | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology (recommended) | ||
| Biology of Fishes (recommended) | ||
| Terrestrial Biology and Adaptations of the Galapagos. 2 | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Marine Biology Upper Level Elective Core Requirement | 16 | |
| Students must complete 16 credits of upper level electives including: | ||
Approved electives in Marine Biology and Ecology (MBE) or Marine Science (MSC) at the 300-level or above. | ||
Up to 8 credit hours of approved electives from courses numbered 300 or higher in RSM, OCE, GSC, or ATM. | ||
All students must complete at least one core research experience requirement as shown below: | ||
Core Research Experience Requirement Options | ||
Rosenstiel Research-Intensive Courses: 8 credits which must be approved by the Marine Biology and Ecology Undergraduate Program Director. | ||
| Rosenstiel School Science Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Survey of Modern Meteorology | ||
| Earth System History | ||
| The Earth System | ||
| Introduction to Marine Geology | ||
| Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Physical and Chemical Processes in Coastal Ecosystems | ||
| Introduction to Physical Oceanography (MSC 351 and MSC 352 taken together in the Galapagos may be used to complete the MSC 301 requirement and 3 credits of major electives.) | ||
or MSC 351 | Climate, Oceanography, and Biogeography of the Galapagos | |
| Origin and Geology of the Galapagos Islands. 3 | ||
| Biology Requirements | ||
| BIL 150 & BIL 151 | General Biology and General Biology Laboratory | 5 |
| BIL 160 & BIL 161 | Evolution and Biodiversity and Evolution and Biodiversity Laboratory | 5 |
| BIL 255 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| Chemistry Requirements | ||
| CHM 121 | Principles of Chemistry (minimum grade of C- required) | 4 |
| CHM 221 | Introduction to Structure and Dynamics | 4 |
| Chemistry laboratories will count as STEM electives and should be taken by Pre-Medical and Pre-Veterinary students. | ||
| Computational Science Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Foundations of Computational Marine Science (recommended) | ||
| Marine Genomics | ||
| Spatial Applications in Marine Science | ||
| Scientific Programming and Simulation Modelling | ||
| Computer Programming I | ||
| Python Programming for Everyone | ||
| Geographic Information Systems I | ||
| Mathematics Requirements | ||
| MTH 161 | Calculus I (minimum grade of C- required) | 4 |
| or MTH 171 | Calculus I | |
| MTH 162 | Calculus II (fulfills the Rosenstiel BS quantitative skills requirement) | 4 |
| or MTH 171 | Calculus I | |
| Statistics Requirement 4 | ||
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Environmental Statistics (recommended) | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Biobehavioral Statistics Section B | ||
| Physics Requirements | ||
| Select one of the following options: | 10 | |
| Option 1 (recommended): | ||
| University Physics I for the Sciences and Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
| University Physics II for the Sciences and Physics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Option 2: | ||
| University Physics I | ||
| University Physics II | ||
| University Physics III | ||
| Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
or PHY 108 | Physics Laboratory 2 | |
| Option 3: | ||
| College Physics I and Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
| College Physics II and Physics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Minor Requirement (complete a minor or equivalent coursework) | ||
| Select a minor in any field of your choice. Minor requirement can be replaced with 15 to 18 credits in upper-level (200+) electives in STEM fields (MBE, MSC, RSM, OCE, ATM, GSC, BIL, BMB, NEU, MIC, CHM (will allow CHM 113), CSC, MTH, PHY) or with up to 18 credits of pre-health academic requirements. If selected minor is less than 15 credits, remaining credits can be taken in any field of study. | 15-18 | |
| General Education Requirements | ||
| Written Communication Skills: | ||
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| WRS 107 | First-Year Writing II: STEM | 3 |
| or WRS 106 | First-Year Writing II | |
| or ENG 106 | Writing About Literature and Culture | |
| Quantitative Skills: | ||
| Calculus I (fulfilled through the major) | ||
or MTH 171 | Calculus I | |
| Areas of Knowledge: | ||
| Arts and Humanities Cognate | 9 | |
| People and Society Cognate | 9 | |
| STEM Cognate (9 credits) (fulfilled through this major) | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 123-130 | |
- 1
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 422 to fulfill the Ecology requirement.
- 2
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 421 to fulfill the Zoology requirement.
- 3
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 424 to fulfill the Rosenstiel School science requirement.
- 4
Equivalent Statistics course may be substituted with permission from the Marine Biology and Ecology Undergraduate Program Director.
Suggested Plan of Study
This is only a sample. There are numerous ways students can create plans of study for the Marine Biology and Ecology major. Students should feel empowered to use the information listed in the Academic Bulletin to take charge of their education, pursue their own academic interests, and create their own, unique plans of study.
| Freshman Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall | Credit Hours | |
| MSC 111 | Introduction to Marine Science | 3 |
| MSC 112 | Introduction to Marine Science Lab | 1 |
| BIL 150 | General Biology | 4 |
| BIL 151 | General Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| WRS 105 | First-Year Writing I | 3 |
| MTH 161 | Calculus I | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Spring | ||
| BIL 160 | Evolution and Biodiversity | 4 |
| BIL 161 | Evolution and Biodiversity Laboratory | 1 |
| CHM 121 | Principles of Chemistry | 4 |
| WRS 107 | First-Year Writing II: STEM | 3 |
| MTH 162 | Calculus II | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 16 | |
| Sophomore Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| MBE 230 | Introduction to Marine Biology | 3 |
| MBE 232 | Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| BIL 255 | Cellular and Molecular Biology | 3 |
| CHM 221 | Introduction to Structure and Dynamics | 4 |
| MSC 204 | Environmental Statistics | 3 |
| A&H Course #1 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| MBE 306 | Marine Ecology | 3 |
| MBE 307 | Physiology of Marine Organisms | 3 |
| MBE 308 | Genetics and Evolution | 3 |
| CSC 120 | Computer Programming I | 4 |
| GSC 111 | Earth System History | 4 |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Junior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| Saltwater Semester, UGalapagos, or other upper-level MBE electives with research (up to 17 credits). | 17 | |
| Credit Hours | 17 | |
| Spring | ||
| MBE 329 | Marine Vertebrate Zoology | 3 |
| Minor course or STEM Elective #1 | 3 | |
| A&H Course #2 | 3 | |
| P&S Course #1 | 3 | |
| P&S Course #2 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 15 | |
| Senior Year | ||
| Fall | ||
| PHY 201 | University Physics I for the Sciences | 4 |
| PHY 106 | Physics Laboratory 1 | 1 |
| Minor course or STEM Elective #2 | 3 | |
| A&H Course #3 | 3 | |
| P&S Course #3 | 3 | |
| Credit Hours | 14 | |
| Spring | ||
| PHY 202 | University Physics II for the Sciences | 4 |
| PHY 108 | Physics Laboratory 2 | 1 |
| Minor course or STEM Elective #3 | 3 | |
| Minor course or STEM Elective #4 | 3 | |
| Minor course or STEM Elective #5 | 2 | |
| Credit Hours | 13 | |
| Total Credit Hours | 125 | |
Additional Major Curriculum Requirements
Students who wish to complete the additional major must complete the course pre-requisites in addition to any core major requirements. Please note that there may be financial aid implications if adding the additional major increases the length of a student’s degree beyond 120 credits. Students are strongly encouraged to consult with a financial aid representative before declaring the additional major.
If a student would like to add Marine Biology and Ecology as an additional major, they need to meet with the Marine Biology and Ecology Program Director before submitting their Academic Change Form to their Cane Navigator for processing.
| Code | Title | Credit Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-Requisite Mathematics Requirements | ||
| Calculus I (minimum grade of C- required) | ||
or MTH 171 | Calculus I | |
| Calculus II (fulfills the Rosenstiel BS quantitative skills requirement) | ||
or MTH 171 | Calculus I | |
| Pre-Requisite Statistics Requirement | ||
Select one of the following: | ||
| Environmental Statistics (recommended) | ||
| Introduction to Probability and Statistics | ||
| Introduction to Biobehavioral Statistics Section B | ||
An equivalent Statistics course may be substituted with permission from the Marine Biology and Ecology Undergraduate Program Director for students required to complete a Statistics or a course for their primary major. Approved courses include but are not limited to ECS 204, EPS 351, ISE 311, MAS 201, MAS 311, NUR 202, PSY 291, SOC 211. | ||
| Pre-Requisite Rosenstiel School Science Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Survey of Modern Meteorology | ||
| Earth System History | ||
| The Earth System | ||
| Introduction to Marine Geology | ||
| Chemical Oceanography | ||
| Physical and Chemical Processes in Coastal Ecosystems | ||
| Introduction to Physical Oceanography (MSC 351 and MSC 352 taken together in the Galapagos may be used to complete the MSC 301 requirement and 3 credits of major electives.) | ||
or MSC 351 | Climate, Oceanography, and Biogeography of the Galapagos | |
| Origin and Geology of the Galapagos Islands. 1 | ||
| Pre-Requisite Biology Requirements | ||
| General Biology and General Biology Laboratory | ||
| Evolution and Biodiversity and Evolution and Biodiversity Laboratory | ||
| Cellular and Molecular Biology | ||
| Pre-Requisite Chemistry Requirements | ||
| Principles of Chemistry (minimum grade of C- required) | ||
| Introduction to Structure and Dynamics | ||
| Pre-Requisite Computational Science Requirement | ||
| Select one of the following: | ||
| Foundations of Computational Marine Science (recommended) | ||
| Marine Genomics | ||
| Spatial Applications in Marine Science | ||
| Scientific Programming and Simulation Modelling | ||
| Computer Programming I | ||
| Python Programming for Everyone | ||
| Geographic Information Systems I | ||
| Pre-Requisite Physics Requirements | ||
| Select one of the following options: | ||
| Option 1 (recommended): | ||
| University Physics I for the Sciences and Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
| University Physics II for the Sciences and Physics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Option 2: | ||
| University Physics I | ||
| University Physics II | ||
| University Physics III | ||
| Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
or PHY 108 | Physics Laboratory 2 | |
| Option 3: | ||
| College Physics I and Physics Laboratory 1 | ||
| College Physics II and Physics Laboratory 2 | ||
| Pre-Requisite Oceanography majors adding on Marine Biology and Ecology as an additional major must take an additional 4 credit hours for a total of 16 credit hours from the Oceanography elective courses, GSC 462, GSC 550, MSC 220, MSC 317, MSC 321, MBE 324, MSC 325, MBE 326, MBE 333, MBE 338, MBE 346, MSC 348, MSC 351, MSC 352, MSC 364, MBE 366, MSC 401, MSC 402, MSC 405, MBE 410, MBE 411, MSC 411, MSC 412, MBE 415, MSC 417, MSC 419, MSC 420, MSC 422, MSC 423, MSC 424, MSC 426, MSC 429, MBE 432, MSC 460, MBE 463, MGS 513, or 500-level OCE. | ||
| Marine Biology and Ecology Core Requirements | ||
| MSC 111 | Introduction to Marine Science | 3 |
| MSC 112 | Introduction to Marine Science Lab | 1 |
| MBE 230 | Introduction to Marine Biology | 3 |
| MBE 232 | Introduction to Marine Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| MBE 306 | Marine Ecology 2 | 3 |
| or MBE 366 | Tropical Coastal Ecosystems | |
| or MSC 422 | Marine Ecology of the Galapagos | |
| MBE 307 | Physiology of Marine Organisms (Declared Pre-Health students may use BIL 360 instead) | 3 |
| MBE 308 | Genetics and Evolution (Declared Pre-Health students may use BIL 250 instead) | 3 |
| Select one of the following: | 3-4 | |
| Marine Vertebrate Zoology (recommended) | ||
| Invertebrate Zoology (recommended) | ||
| Biology of Fishes (recommended) | ||
| Terrestrial Biology and Adaptations of the Galapagos. 3 | ||
| Animal Behavior | ||
| Marine Biology Upper Level Elective Core Requirement | 16 | |
| Students must complete 16 credits of upper level electives including: | ||
Approved electives in Marine Biology and Ecology (MBE) or Marine Science (MSC) at the 300-level or above. | ||
Up to 8 credit hours of approved electives from courses numbered 300 or higher in RSM, OCE, GSC, or ATM. | ||
All students must complete at least one core research experience requirement as shown below: | ||
Core Research Experience Requirement Options | ||
Rosenstiel Research-Intensive Courses: 8 credits which must be approved by the Marine Biology and Ecology program director. | ||
| Total Credit Hours | 36-37 | |
- 1
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 424 to fulfill the Rosenstiel School science requirement.
- 2
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 422 to fulfill the Ecology requirement
- 3
Students who participate in the UGalapagos Program may use MSC 421 to fulfill the Zoology requirement.
- Note:
Your primary major must have a minimum of 24 credits of core major requirements. They must be different than those used for this additional major.
Mission
The mission of the Rosenstiel School of Marine, Atmospheric, and Earth Science is to deepen our collective knowledge of our planet through cutting-edge scientific research on the oceans, atmosphere, geology, biota, and the human dimension, while training the next generation of scientists. We transfer the knowledge gained to our students, the national and international scientific community, and to policymakers and the public.
The educational mission of the BSMAS degree in Marine Biology and Ecology at the University of Miami is to graduate students with the ability to integrate knowledge of the marine system, and its biota, ecology, physiology, and genetics to provide students a foundation for successful careers.
Goals
The MBE departmental major curriculum will provide the rigor, flexibility, depth and integration to enable students to:
- Design their course of study that provides both depth and breadth in marine biology and ecology and science related courses.
- Undertake active research experiences, which will allow them to gain a strong understanding of the scientific process.
- Learn from the diverse and outstanding group of professors, researchers, and classmates.
- Prepare themselves for the public and private sector employment, graduate school, and successful careers.
Student Learning Outcomes
Students completing the MBE departmental major will be able to:
- Master a broad set of fundamental biological knowledge including how to search for, understand the primary scientific literature, and understand how fundamental biological principles relate to the marine environment.
- Solve problems competently by identifying the relevant features of the problem and developing a strategy to solve the problem.
- Use computers and computational approaches to acquire and process data as well as use software to analyze data.
- Understand and synthesize the objectives of research experiments, properly conduct experiments, and appropriately record, analyze, and communicate the results.
- Effectively communicate the concepts, results, and implications of their laboratory experiments and independent research both orally and in the written form to experts in the field, scientists in other disciplines, and the general public.
