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Moss Landing Marine Laboratories

MS - Marine Science

For graduate information contact MLML.

Admission to the Program

Application and admission requirements are available at www.mlml.catstate.edu

Degree Requirements

Graduate students shall successfully complete 30 units of coursework with a grade of "B" or better in each course, a thesis project, and an oral research defense to qualify for the M.S. degree in Marine Science at Moss Landing Marine Laboratories. MLML's program requirements are the same regardless of the student's home campus affiliation; however, admission, graduation and department requirements may vary from campus to campus.

Degree requirements for the M.S. degree in Marine Science are:

• Three of the following five core courses: MS 103, MS 141, MS 142, MS 143 and MS 144
• MS 104: Quantitative Marine Science with a grade of "B" or better, or transfer in with equivalent mathematical background. MS 104 course cannot be counted toward the 30-unit degree requirement.
• A minimum of fifteen upper division units (200 level) including MS 285: Graduate Seminar (2 unit minimum and 4 unit maximum) and 4 units of MS 299: Master's Thesis.
• The remaining units may be electives from either 100-level or 200-level courses. No more than 15 units of 100-level coursework may be used toward the 30-unit requirement.
• Fulfillment of Classification, English Competency Writing and Advancement to Candidacy.
• A thesis approved by the student's thesis committee. The thesis must conform to the rules set forth by the home campus graduate office and meet the academic standards of the MLML graduate program.
• An oral thesis defense in the form of a seminar open to the general public. The student's thesis committee must be present, may require further oral questioning after the seminar, and will evaluate the success of the presentation.

All students shall maintain enrollment in the MLML graduate program until all degree requirements are met. All students shall complete core courses by their third semester to qualify for Classified standing. If a student receives lower than a "B" in a core course, the student may either retake this course or take another core course to fulfill the Classification requirement. If a student receives lower than a "B" in a non-core class they may either retake the course or take another course to use towards their 30-unit requirement. Students may enroll in MS 298: Research in Marine Science, while they are conducting their research, or to maintain enrollment with their home campus. Students are eligible to use 2-units of MS 298 toward their 30-unit requirement in addition to the 4-unit MS 299: Master's Thesis. Students are encouraged to complete their degree requirements within three years.

English Competency Writing Requirement

CSU policy requires that English competency shall be a requirement of classified graduate students as a condition necessary for advancement to candidacy for the award of a master's degree.

MLML students satisfy this requirement by successfully completing a Thesis Proposal before they advance to candidacy. The Student's thesis committee determines successful completion of this requirement.

Please refer to the MLML Graduate Student Handbook for additional degree requirements, www.mlml.calstate.edu.

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