The PhD in Marine and Environmental Sciences (MES) program provides students with advanced course work and training in the concentration areas of marine sciences, geosciences, sustainability sciences, and ecology and evolutionary biology.
Students must pass three examinations during the course of their graduate studies:
- An oral examination by the student’s dissertation committee.
- A proposal defense presented to the student's dissertation committee that explains the research areas that the student proposes to work in.
- A defense of the student's written dissertation consisting of a public seminar, public question-and-answer period, and private defense of their work to their dissertation committee. Dissertation committees consist of at least four Northeastern faculty and one external faculty member.
A cumulative GPA of 3.000 is required for graduation. All PhD students are required to have at least two first-authored publications submitted to or accepted in a peer-reviewed journal prior to their defense. The PhD will be awarded following submission of a dissertation, approved by the candidate’s dissertation committee, to the College of Science.
Students who do not qualify for the doctoral degree, but who have completed required coursework with a cumulative GPA of 3.000 or better, may be eligible to receive a terminal MS Marine and Environmental Sciences degree. Note that no students will be admitted directly into the Marine and Environmental Sciences program to pursue a masterʼs degree.
Bachelor's Degree Entrance
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Annual review
Dissertation committee
Qualifying examination
Dissertation proposal
Candidacy
First-author publication
Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 4-5 |
| Advanced Biostatistics | |
| Experimental Design Marine Ecology | |
| 8 |
| Research | |
Concentration
Complete one of the following concentrations:
Dissertation
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Dissertation Term 1 | |
| Dissertation Term 2 | |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
30 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7102 | Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8102 | Readings in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2 |
| 12 |
| Population Dynamics | |
| Biology of Corals | |
| Biology and Ecology of Fishes | |
| Marine Birds and Mammals | |
| Ocean and Coastal Processes | |
| Tropical Marine Ecology | |
| Environmental Planning | |
| Geographical Information Systems | |
| |
Geosciences Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7104 | Seminar in Geosciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| EEMB 8104 | Readings in Geosciences | 2 |
| 12 |
| Ocean and Coastal Processes | |
| Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology | |
| Soil Science | |
| Environmental Planning | |
| Geographical Information Systems | |
| |
Marine Sciences Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7101 | Seminar in Marine Sciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8101 | Readings in Marine Sciences | 2 |
| 12 |
| Population Dynamics | |
| Biology of Corals | |
| Biology and Ecology of Fishes | |
| Marine Birds and Mammals | |
| Ocean and Coastal Processes | |
| Tropical Marine Ecology | |
| Geographical Information Systems | |
| |
Sustainability Sciences Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7103 | Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8103 | Readings in Sustainability Sciences | 2 |
| 12 |
| Population Dynamics | |
| Biology and Ecology of Fishes | |
| Ocean and Coastal Processes | |
| Advanced Topics in Environmental Geology | |
| Geographical Information Systems | |
| Introduction to Computational Statistics | |
| Information Design and Visual Analytics | |
| Analyzing Complex Digitized Data | |
| Social Networks | |
| Dynamic Modeling for Environmental Decision Making | |
| Resilient Cities | |
| |
Complete all courses and requirements listed below unless otherwise indicated.
Milestones
Annual review
Dissertation committee
Qualifying examination
Dissertation proposal
Candidacy
First-author publication
Dissertation defense
Core Requirements
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| 1 | 4-5 |
| Advanced Biostatistics | |
| Experimental Design Marine Ecology | |
Concentration
Complete one of the following concentrations:
Dissertation
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| Dissertation Term 1 | |
| Dissertation Term 2 | |
Program Credit/GPA Requirements
10 total semester hours required
Minimum 3.000 GPA required
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7102 | Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8102 | Readings in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | 2 |
Geosciences Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7104 | Seminar in Geosciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| EEMB 8104 | Readings in Geosciences | 2 |
Marine Sciences Concentration
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7101 | Seminar in Marine Sciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8101 | Readings in Marine Sciences | 2 |
Sustainability Sciences
Course List | Code | Title | Hours |
| EEMB 7103 | Seminar in Sustainability Sciences | 2 |
| 2 |
| Seminar in Marine Sciences | |
| Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology | |
| Seminar in Geosciences | |
| EEMB 8103 | Readings in Sustainability Sciences | 2 |
