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School of Marine Affairs > Admissions > SMA Masters Program

SMA Masters Program

Note: This is an example of the Degree Requirements, only. SMA students should refer to the the specific degree requirements for the year they entered the School of Marine Affairs.

I. Introduction

The Master of Marine Affairs (M.M.A.) degree is granted by the School of Marine Affairs, an academic and research unit of the College of Ocean and Fishery Sciences. The M.M.A. degree program is a two-year graduate course of studies requiring the completion of 59 quarter credits. Designed to familiarize students with a diversity of conceptual and methodological approaches and substantive areas in Marine Affairs, the required credits are distributed among the following topics:

  1. The Core Curriculum (26 credits minimum)
    1. Introduction to Marine Affairs
    2. Integrated Marine Affairs Practice
    3. Policy Processes
    4. Marine Law
    5. Marine Science
    6. Economics
    7. Policy analysis
    8. Quantitative Skills
    9. Qualitative Skills
  2. Electives (23 credits minimum)
  3. The Thesis and Thesis Presentation (10 credits minimum)
  4. Career Skills (non credit requirement)

Details of course requirements are discussed in Section II and listed at the end of this document.

II. Progress Toward the M.M.A. Degree

First Year of Study

The first year of study is devoted to developing a comprehensive understanding of the marine affairs field and to strengthening analytical skills, demonstrated by making substantial progress toward the completion of the core course requirements and electives. Each student will work with her/his First Year advisor and/or Thesis Committee Chair to design a course of study based on the student's goals and interests, and satisfying the M.M.A. requirements. The Graduate Program Coordinator and the Graduate Program Assistant may also provide assistance in these matters.

Second Year of Study

During the second year of study, students are expected to develop competence in a particular aspect of marine affairs through additional course work, seminars, and the preparation of the required thesis.

III. Degree Requirements

Conferral of the M.M.A. degree is conditional upon meeting the standards of academic performance established by the University of Washington Graduate School and upon satisfactory completion of the Master of Marine Affairs Degree Requirements (Table 1). Course descriptions and required prerequisites for the courses listed in Table 1 may be found in the University of Washington General Catalog.

  1. The Core Curriculum

    The core requirements are in two categories: (1) Subject areas -- Marine Affairs, marine science, marine law, economics, policy analysis, and policy processes; and (2) Skills -- quantitative analysis, and qualitative methods. For the subject areas, each student must satisfy the graduation requirement by taking one or more courses while attending SMA.

  2. Elective Courses

    A total of 23 credits of Elective courses are intended to enhance the student's knowledge of Marine Affairs in areas pertinent to the thesis research project and the student's special interests. Electives provide the needed depth of understanding in substantive fields of inquiry and in methods of research and analysis.
    The School of Marine Affairs faculty have interests in the following five areas:

    • Ocean and Coastal Management
    • Ports and Marine Transportation
    • Marine Environmental Protection
    • Marine Resources Management
    • Marine Recreation and Tourism

    By selecting appropriate courses, thesis advisors, and thesis committee members, students may choose to emphasize one or more of these as a focus of study. Additional advice on elective course offerings can be sought from first year advisor, thesis committee chairs, and the Graduate Program Coordinator.

  3. The Thesis and Thesis Presentation

    The SMA faculty believes the Master's thesis is a major part of the student's educational experience. An acceptable thesis

    • demonstrates independent thought and research,
    • contributes to understanding or potential resolution of a problem in marine affairs, and
    • communicates effectively to a relevant audience.

    The traditional academic thesis is a significant, multi-chapter paper communicating the results of research and analysis of a problem. Some theses attempt to explain and/or predict phenomena important to marine affairs (the scientific thesis). Others seek to identify policy issues, adopt an approach to policy development or evaluation, and make recommendations (the policy analysis thesis). Still others provide a detailed description and explanation of a marine affairs issue, problem, or case study, but do not attempt either to predict or evaluate (the descriptive thesis).

    Students may choose to produce a non-traditional thesis, such as a publishable paper, a videotaped program or other project that is not predominantly written material. Such a thesis must meet the same standards of academic excellence as the traditional thesis, and it must involve sufficient documentation to satisfy Graduate School requirements.

    The student's Thesis Committee Chair must approve in advance a prospectus, which articulates the topic and form of a thesis project.

  4. Career Skills (non-credit requirement)

    SMA believes that developing the skills to secure and sustain a successful career is an important component of the Master's program. A total of four appointments with the SMA Career Services Coordinator are required of each student. These sessions are intended to enhance the student's knowledge of their strengths and skills, and their ability to communicate them in an effective manner.

    • First year: One career counseling appointment during fall quarter
      One resume review session during winter quarter.
    • Second year: One career counseling appointment during fall quarter
      One resume review session during winter quarter

Internships

Practical experience with policy-making in a marine organization is considered advantageous to each student's development. The faculty will assist students, when possible, to find positions in legislative, governmental, for profit and not-for profit organizations in the U.S. and abroad for full or part-time assignments lasting approximately one quarter. Up to 10 graded credit hours may be earned during the internship assignment by arranging an SMA 600 independent study project under the supervision of an appropriate faculty member with written approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator. Internships should be carefully selected to contribute to, rather than distract from, the student's research and thesis work.

Admissions Procedure | SMA Masters Program | Degree Requirements | Financial Information | Additional Information

UW School of Marine Affairs
3707 Brooklyn Ave. NE
Seattle, WA 98105-6715
uwsma@u.washington.edu