Intercampus Programs: Marine Sciences and Technology (PhD, MS) — PhD Requirements

The PhD program includes four core courses taken by all students (12 credits), courses in a concentration area beyond the core, seminars, and dissertation research. Work in the concentration area usually includes a minimum of 24 credit hours of courses and helps the student prepare for the written and oral candidacy examinations. PhD students are not normally accepted as part-time students. Courses may be taken at any IGS-affiliated program on the four campuses, in other departments, or at other area institutions and may be included in a student’s program of studies as determined by the student’s major advisor and/or dissertation committee.

Core Course Requirements

Each IGS student must complete four core courses (12 credits), one in each of four core areas: biological oceanography, chemical oceanography, physical oceanography, and Marine Policy and/or Management areas (including law and economics). The core courses are intended to provide a common grounding in the biological, chemical, and physical oceanographic areas of marine sciences and technology and in related marine policy and management disciplines. At least two core courses are offered each semester using the University’s substantial distance-learning facilities and technology. Students normally complete the core courses in the first two semesters.

Concentrations and Electives

To build on the core courses, each IGS student selects an area of concentration and chooses a marine policy or management core course and electives appropriate to this concentration, as approved by his/her faculty advisor and/or thesis committee. Students typically take most of their elective courses on the campus where they and their major faculty advisor are in residence. Some elective courses, however, will also be taught via distance learning. In addition, students may choose to be in residence at different campuses for a period of time during their course of study, in order to take certain courses or to take advantage of research opportunities.

Weekly Seminars

Weekly seminars presented by students and by visiting speakers are intended to broaden the scope of each student’s experience and to provide experience in verbal communication. Each MS student must present at least one seminar in the third or fourth semester. Attendance at the weekly seminars is required during all four semesters, for which students receive 1 credit for each of the first two semesters but no credit for the second two semesters.

Candidacy Examinations and Dissertation

No later than the end of the fourth semester, the student and major faculty advisor select additional faculty who constitute the student’s graduate committee, and the student presents a written dissertation proposal to the committee. The student’s major advisor and committee may determine a later date for the presentation of the dissertation proposal. A student’s committee is chaired by the student’s major advisor and guides the student’s research. Committee members may be selected from IGS faculty, other departments, and other institutions. All committees must include at least one IGS faculty member from a campus other than the campus where the student resides. Dissertation committees for Boston-based students must be approved by the Dean of Graduate Studies and meet the university-wide requirements for such committees as described in the “Doctoral Degree Requirements” section of this bulletin.

Successful performance in the core courses is required for advancement to degree status. A grade of B or better in each core course and an overall average of 3.0 in the core courses are required. There is a retake option on a course for which the student receives a grade of B- or less.

No later than the sixth semester, the student’s committee administers the written and oral candidacy examinations. The candidacy examinations are comprehensive and cover the core areas and the student’s area of concentration. They are designed to test the intellectual competence and maturity of the student in the broad area of marine sciences and technology and in the selected area of concentration. Upon successful completion of the PhD candidacy examinations, the student is awarded an en-route MS degree.

A scholarly dissertation based on original research is required of all PhD candidates. Dissertation research may be done in the laboratory or the field, or may be carried out in part during residence with an appropriate private business or government agency. Presentation and defense of a satisfactory dissertation, normally to be completed within five years from the date of advancement to candidacy, fulfill the degree requirements. The dissertation defense consists of a public lecture on the dissertation and a subsequent oral examination by the candidate’s dissertation committee.