Program of Studies for Marine Affairs
for Students Entering Autumn 2004

The School of Marine Affairs fosters comprehensive, long term and proactive approaches to marine policy and ocean and coastal management.

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. The M.M.A. is designed to familiarize students with a diversity of conceptual and methodological approaches and substantive areas in Marine Affairs.

The SMA offers two tracks for completing the Master of Marine Affairs degree: thesis and non-thesis. All students must complete the thesis track unless given specific permission for a non-thesis track as outlined below. Both tracks require completion of the same number of credits.

Thesis Track

Students in the thesis track are expected to prepare a high quality thesis. Ideally, the thesis should be suitable for submission to a peer reviewed journal or equivalent publication.

Thesis track students are permitted to reduce course requirements to allow more time for thesis preparation. A thesis track student may petition her/his thesis supervisory committee to substitute thesis credits for up to nine credits of course requirements provided the student has sufficient prior background in the subject matter of the course or courses to be substituted, and the Graduate Program Coordinator (GPC) concurs. SMA 500, 501 and 550A [Marine Affairs Seminar A] may not be substituted.

Non-thesis Track

The non-thesis track is intended for students who are mid-career or who would gain academically and/or professionally from a course of study other than the intensive research and writing experience required in a thesis. Non-thesis track students prepare a degree project that could take a variety of forms, including a place – based problem solving exercise, a specific policy proposal, or other practical exercise. Students who wish to pursue the non-thesis track must petition the GPC no later than the end of the eighth week of winter quarter of their first year of study. The petition must make a compelling case for the non-thesis track and present an explicit plan for courses, skills development or other educational experience which will lead to a successful degree project.

Non-thesis track students must have an SMA faculty advisor who concurs in the petition for non-thesis study. Non-thesis track students must fulfill all course requirements of the SMA curriculum and must identify ten additional credits of study that substitute for thesis credits and are acceptable to the faculty advisor. A degree project could build upon relevant work experience, internship or other experiential learning. A degree project report will be developed and presented, individually or as part of a student group, during SMA 550B [Marine Affairs Seminar B].

Marine Affairs Seminar 550 A

This seminar is intended for students pursuing the thesis track. The goal is to provide guidance on topic selection, formulation of research questions, research design and research methods that are appropriate for marine affairs theses. A lead faculty member will be responsible for the course but all faculty will participate as necessary to guide students in prospectus development and to discuss special topics. The product at the end of the course is a thesis prospectus.

Marine Affairs Seminar 550 B

This seminar is intended for students pursuing the non-thesis track. The goal is to provide a capstone experience that concludes the student’s study of marine affairs. Students will prepare and present project reports, individually or in groups, as discussed above, but each student is required to submit a written product of their own creation.

The required credits are distributed among the following topics:

  1. The Core Curriculum (29 credits minimum)
    1. Introduction to Marine Affairs
    2. Integrated Marine Affairs Practice
    3. Economics
    4. Marine Law
    5. Policy Analysis
    6. Policy Processes
    7. Marine Science
    8. Quantitative Skills
    9. Qualitative Skills
    10. Marine Affairs Seminar A (thesis) or B (non-thesis)
  2. Electives (20 credits minimum – or 10 additional elective credits for non-thesis track)
  3. The Thesis and Thesis Presentation (10 credits minimum – for thesis track students)
  4. Career Skills (non-credit requirement)

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

Progress Toward the M.M.A. Degree

Advising

During Orientation for the entering class every autumn quarter, each student is assigned to a faculty member who will serve as the First Year Advisor and who will assist the student in planning his/her program and identifying a thesis topic and committee chair over the course of the year. Any time during the first year, the First Year Advisor may be replaced by a Thesis Committee Chair or Degree Project Advisor, who will help the student identify a thesis committee and will direct academic work over the remainder of the student’s program of studies.

If a student has not identified a thesis committee chair by the autumn quarter of the second year, the Graduate Program Coordinator will assign the student to a Second Year Advisor who will assist the student in identifying a thesis advisor by the end of the quarter.

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,the preparation of the required thesis, or the preparation of a degree project (for non-thesis track students).

Satisfactory Progress

"Satisfactory progress" refers to a student's ability to meet the academic standards set by the Graduate School (see http://www.grad.washington.edu/stsv/gradpolicy.htm for details) and the School of Marine Affairs. In particular, students are required to maintain a quarterly and cumulative grade point average of at least 3.0 (B). Students falling below this minimum will be notified by the Graduate Program Coordinator, and, if necessary, a meeting will be scheduled to discuss corrective action. Course grades below 2.7 will not count toward graduation.

II. 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 . Course descriptions and required prerequisites for the courses listed in Table 1 may be found in the University of Washington General Catalog (http://www.washington.edu/students//ACADEMICS)

A. The Core Curriculum

The core requirements are in two categories: (1) Subject areas -- Marine Affairs, marine science, marine law, economics, policy analysis, and government and politics; 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. Students with little or no background in a subject area would satisfy the specified requirements with a basic course covering the fundamentals of the subject. Students with a strong academic background (e.g. two 3-credit undergraduate courses in the subject) can fulfill the subject area requirements by taking a more advanced course. For example, a student with no marine science background would take the introductory course SMA 591, while a student with sufficient marine science background would choose from a number of available marine science courses. Note that waiver from the basic course does not imply waiver of the subject area requirement. In special cases, a student with a strong background in a subject area may seek a waiver of that graduation requirement from the Graduate Program Coordinator. For example, a student having a law degree could seek waiver from the law requirement; a student with a degree in biological oceanography may be able to seek waiver of the marine science requirement.

The skills requirements seek to achieve a minimum level of skill. Each student can satisfy the core skill requirements by taking courses at UW or by having taken adequate coursework before coming to SMA. A student with coursework in both statistics and qualitative methods would be waived from these requirements.

Credits over the 29 credit minimum for the Core Curriculum will count towards elective credits.

The Graduate Program Coordinator makes decision on waiving requirements in both categories.

B. Elective Courses

A total of 20 credits of Elective courses are intended to enhance the student's knowledge of Marine Affairs in areas pertinent to the thesis research project or the degree 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. At least 6 credits from 2 classes must be taken from the SMA curriculum.

The School of Marine Affairs faculty have identified the following topical areas of interest:

By selecting appropriate courses, students may choose to emphasize one or more of these as a focus of study. Elective credits can also include up to 10 credits of Independent Study (SMA 600). Additional advice on elective course offerings can be sought from faculty advisors, thesis committee chairs, and the Graduate Program Coordinator.

C. 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

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 (http://www.washington.edu/students/#ACADEMICS)

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

1. Thesis Process

After choosing a Thesis Committee Chair and a preliminary thesis topic, a student will continue working with the Chair to further define the thesis topic, identify a thesis committee, and prepare a written research prospectus. Credit for preliminary thesis research and preparation of the prospectus can be earned by enrolling with the Thesis Committee Chair for SMA 600 Independent Study. Credit for thesis research and preparation of the thesis will be earned by enrolling in a minimum of 9 credits of SMA 700 Thesis. An additional 9 credits of thesis research may be taken in lieu of 9 credits of SMA courses, as discussed in the Introduction section of the Program of Studies. After the Thesis Committee Chair has approved the prospectus, students may register for thesis credits. Registration must be authorized by the Chair, using SMA Independent Study Agreement form.

The student will also work with his/her Thesis Committee Chair to select core and elective courses that contribute to the substance or methods related to the student’s thesis project.

A student will present his/her thesis results to the SMA community during the quarter in which he/she intends to graduate. Credit for this required presentation is earned by enrolling in SMA 570 Thesis Presentation.

2. Thesis Supervision

Supervision of the student's thesis preparation is the primary responsibility of a committee composed of a Chair, who must be a member of the Graduate Faculty, and at least one other member of the Graduate Faculty. At least one of these committee members must be formally associated with SMA as a regular, affiliate, adjunct, or research faculty. The Chair will assist students in recruiting members to the committee whose expertise will contribute to the design and execution of the thesis research. The student, with assistance of an SMA faculty advisor, is responsible for completing a prospectus for the thesis research and having it approved by their Thesis Committee Chair prior to enrollment in SMA 700 Master's Thesis Research. The committee will continue to meet with the student as needed until completion of the thesis.

D. Non-Thesis Track

The non-thesis track is intended for students who are mid-career or who would gain academically and/or professionally from a course of study other than the intensive research and writing experience required in a thesis. Non-thesis track students prepare a degree project that could take a variety of forms, including a place – based problem solving exercise, a specific policy proposal, or other practical exercise. Since this a new degree track starting in 2003, we anticipate a more precise definition of ‘degree project’ will evolve with experience.

Students who wish to pursue the non-thesis track must petition the GPC no later than the end of the eighth week of winter quarter of their first year of study. The petition must make a compelling case for the non-thesis track and present an explicit plan for courses, skills development or other educational experience, and a discussion of the degree project concept.

Non-thesis track students must have an SMA faculty advisor who concurs in the petition for non-thesis study. Non-thesis track students must fulfill all course requirements of the SMA curriculum and must identify ten additional credits of study that substitute for thesis credits and are acceptable to the faculty advisor. A degree project could build upon relevant work experience, internship or other experiential learning. A degree project report would be developed and presented, individually or as part of a student group, during SMA 550B [Marine Affairs Seminar B].

E. 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.

III. Options

A. Foreign Languages

There is no foreign language requirement for the M.M.A. degree. However, due to the nature of the field and its international aspects, those students having a background in one or more foreign languages will be encouraged to employ them by planning programs of study and research that focus on marine activities and institutions in an appropriate foreign area. In cases where the special interests of students concern specific areas of the world (e.g., the Far East, South America), competence in a foreign language may be essential. The need for a foreign language will be determined by the student's supervisory committee.

Competency in spoken/written English is essential to successful completion of the Program of Studies.

B. Internships

Practical experience in a marine organization is considered advantageous to each student's professional development. The faculty and career services coordinator 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. 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 the student's research, thesis work, and professional career goals.

MASTER OF MARINE AFFAIRS DEGREE REQUIREMENTS

[Note: Students are responsible for assuring that the non-SMA courses listed below meet the intent of the SMA requirement. Course instructors and content often change, frequently at the last minute, but course numbers and course titles remain the same. Consult he GPC to determine if a course still meets the goals of the SMA requirement.]

A. The Core Curriculum (minimum of 29 credits)

  1. Introduction to Marine Affairs (5 credits)
    SMA 500. Marine Affairs. (5 Credits - required for first-year students)
  2. Marine Affairs Practice (3 credits)
    SMA 501. Integrated Marine Affairs Practice (3 credits – required for 2nd year students)
  3. Economics Requirement (3 credits)
  1. Marine Law (3 credits)
  1. Techniques of Policy Analysis (3 credits)
  1. National and International Policy Processes (3 credits)
  1. Marine Science Requirement (3 credits)
  1. Quantitative Skills Requirement (3 credits)
  1. Qualitative Skills Requirement (3 credits)
  1. Marine Affairs Seminars (described above)

B. Electives (20 credits for thesis track, 30 credits for non-thesis track)

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 433 Environmental Degradation in the Tropics
  2. SMA 480 Introduction to Fisheries Development and Management
  3. SMA 485 Pacific Recreation and Tourism Issues
  4. SMA 499 B African Population, Development and Marine Enviroment
  5. SMA 509 Integrated Coastal Management
  6. SMA 510 Topics in Marine Ecology
  7. SMA 514 Marine Pollution Management
  8. SMA 516 Seaport Management
  9. SMA 517 Marine Transportation
  10. SMA 540 Marine Resource Planning
  11. SMA 555 Russian Ocean Policy
  12. SMA 581 Fisheries Management: Case Histories
  13. SMA 550 A-X Special Topics (except those that meet core requirements)

Additionally, any SMA class not used to satisfy a core requirement will qualify for elective credit. 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 and with approval by the Graduate Program Coordinator.

C. 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. To enroll in SMA 600 students must have faculty approval to register, using the SMA Independent Study Agreement form. Receipt of credit is contingent on completion of work or projects agreed to by the instructor. No more than 10 Independent Study credits will count towards graduation.

D. The Thesis and Thesis Presentation (10 credits – for thesis track students)

Conferral of the M.M.A. Degree for students in the thesis track 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.

As noted at the beginning of this Program of Studies, 9 additional thesis credits may be taken in lieu of SMA courses that are waived.

E. Career Skills (non-credit requirement)

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