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School of Marine Affairs > Admissions > Degree Requirements

Master of Marine Affairs Degree Requirements

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.

The Core Curriculum (minimum of 20 credits)

  1. Introduction to Marine Affairs (5 credits)
    • SMA 500. Marine Affairs (5 credits)
  2. Marine Affair Practice
    • SMA 501. Integrated Marine Affairs Practice (3 credits)
  3. Economics Requirement (3 credits minimum)
    The basic economics course for SMA students who have not taken at least two economics courses at an undergraduate level are:
    • SMA 536. Applied Microeconomics for Marine Affairs (3 Credits)
    Students who are waived by the Graduate Program Coordinator from SMA 536 due to adequate undergraduate training are required to take at least one economics course at the 400- or 500-level. The following courses are suggested:
    • SMA 537. Economic Aspects of Marine Policy I (3 Credits)
    • SMA 538. Economics of Living Marine Resources
    • ECON 435. Natural Resources Economics (5 Credits)
    • ECON 436. Economics of the Environment (5 Credits)
  4. Marine Law (3 credits)
    • SMA 506. International Law of the Sea (4 Credits)
    • SMA 515. U.S. Ocean and Coastal Law (4 Credits)
    • LAW 443. The Legal Process (3 or 5 Credits)
    • LAW A525. Water Law (3 Credits)
  5. Techniques of Policy Analysis (3 credits)
    The main offering in this category at SMA is:
    • SMA 519. Marine Policy Analysis (3 Credits)
    Upon the approval of the Graduate Program Coordinator, alternative courses in policy analysis may be substituted. One possible alternative is:
    • PBAF 513. Public Policy Analysis (3 Credits)
  6. National and International Policy Processes (3 credits)
    • SMA 507. International Organization and Ocean Management (3 Credits)
    • SMA 508. National Marine Policy Processes (3 Credits)
    • SMA 509. Principles of Coastal Zone Management (3 Credits)
  7. Marine Science Requirement (3 credits minimum)
    The basic science course for SMA students who do not have a strong undergraduate background in oceanography or marine science is:
    • SMA 591. Marine Science in the Coastal Zone (4 Credits)
    Students who are waived by the Graduate Program Coordinator from OCEAN 591 are required to take at least one 400 or 500-level science course. The following are suggested options:
    • FISH 450 Salmonid Behavior and Ecology (4 Credits)
    • FISH 454 Aquatic Wildlife Ecology (3 Credits)
    • FISH 456. Fundamentals of Fish Population Dynamics and Management (4 Credits)
    • BIOL 472 Principles of Ecology (5) NW
    • BIOL 473 Limnology (3)
  8. Quantitative Skills Requirement
    The required skill level is equivalent to intermediate statistics, including an understanding of point estimates, confidence intervals and regression equations. Students not meeting this requirement through undergraduate classes or experience should take one appropriate course while at SMA. Recommended courses include:
    • Q SCI 381. Intro to Probability and Statistics (5 Credits).
    • STAT 301. Basic Statistics with Applications (5 Credits)
    • STAT 311. Elements of Statistical Method (5 Credits) (Can be taken as a "distance learning course or as a regular classroom course)
    Although 300-level courses do not qualify for graduation credits, we will waive 3 credits of the 59-credit SMA graduation requirement for students completing one of these courses.
  9. Qualitative Skills Requirement
    The required skill is satisfied by a single course in interviewing methods or field research methods based in sociology or anthropology or political science or journalism. The focus is on obtaining information on attitudes, interests, and other qualitative characteristics via direct communication with individuals. Recommended courses include:
    • SMA 550I Interviewing Methods for Environmental Topics (3)
    • PBAF 507 U Conflict Resolution and Consensus Building
    • GEOG 425 Qualitative Methodology in Geography (5)
    • CFR 400 Natural Resource Conflict Management

Electives (23 Credits)

Elective credits must qualify as graduate credit (typically 400 or 500-level courses) offered in any UW department or school. Students should consult with their Advisors or Thesis Committee Chairs in choosing a set of elective courses. At least 6 credits, and 2 courses must come from the following list of SMA courses:

  1. SMA 480 Introduction to Fisheries Development and Management
  2. SMA 509 Integrated Coastal Management
  3. SMA 510 Ecological Concepts for Decision Makers
  4. SMA 511 Coastal Environmental Management
  5. SMA 514 Marine Pollution Management
  6. SMA 516 Seaport Management
  7. SMA 517 Marine Transportation
  8. SMA 521 Governmental Responses to Global Climate Change
  9. SMA 523 International Science and Technology Policy
  10. SMA 525 Marine Protected Area Management and Science
  11. SMA 540 Marine Resource Planning
  12. SMA 555 Russian Ocean Policy
  13. SMA 581 Fisheries Management: Case Histories
  14. SMA 550 A-X Special Topics (except those that meet core requirements)

Any SMA classes not used to satisfy a core requirement will qualify as elective credits for graduation. Other 400 or higher level courses offered at the University of Washington will qualify for graduation credit so long as the course is pertinent to the student's area of study.

Independent Study Courses (SMA 600)

Students may use independent study to explore topics within their area of interest and during preliminary thesis research and preparation of the prospectus.

The Thesis and Thesis Presentation (10 credits)

Conferral of the M.M.A. Degree depends upon satisfactory completion of a research project presented in thesis format and prepared under the supervision of a faculty committee. While doing this research the student is required to take at least 10 credits as follows.

  • SMA 700. Master's Thesis Research (9 Credits, minimum)
    Prerequisite: A thesis prospectus must be approved by the student's thesis committee chair prior to enrollment in SMA 700. A student conducting preliminary research and/or developing a prospectus may enroll for SMA 600 (Independent Study) under the supervision of an SMA faculty member. SMA 600 counts towards the required 29 elective credits.
  • SMA 550 P. Thesis Presentations (1 Credit)

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