Coastal Marine Resources Management

The Coastal Marine Resources Management specialization (CMRM) trains MESM students to address interdisciplinary questions related to marine coastal ecosystems. Coastal marine ecosystems provide a plethora of essential goods and services, including fisheries, navigation space, geochemical products and recycling, disposal space for anthropogenic wastes, and recreation. Managing these goods and services requires an understanding of natural and social sciences, economics, decision-making, behavior, law and institutions, and ethics.

Worldwide, societies are faced with the serious challenge of developing and implementing new strategies for managing at-risk coastal resources and communities that rely on them. CMRM students will be trained to meet this challenge through an interdisciplinary education in marine ecology, oceanography, marine policy and law, economics, and various forms of quantitative modeling. Students from the CMRM specialization will find employment in both the public (federal agencies; state and local governments; universities) and private (consulting firms; industry) sectors.

The University of California, Santa Barbara provides a unique academic setting for the CMRM specialization. Major breakthroughs in basic and applied marine science and related disciplines in policy, economics and sociology have been made by researchers from the Bren School, the Departments of Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB), Environmental Science (ES), Geology (GEOL), and Geography (GEOG), and the Marine Science Institute (MSI). Marine-related research by UCSB biologists, engineers, economists, anthropologists, and political scientists is conducted both locally in the Santa Barbara Channel and worldwide in a diversity of marine ecosystems including coral reefs, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and polar seas. CMRM students will be encouraged to interact with faculty, students, and staff from other departments and programs on campus that conduct coastal marine science and management.

The Bren School has particular research strengths in the following areas: (1) developing innovation in fisheries management through interdisciplinary research in fisheries ecology, conservation biology, resource economics, and governance; (2) ecotoxicology, especially concerning emerging nanotechnology; and (3) ecosystem restoration.  These all research emphases are often leveraged to develop novel and exciting Group Projects.

The Bren School MESM degree requires students to complete a core curriculum that provides solid foundation in coupled human and environmental systems. Students become conversant in the language, knowledge, techniques, and methodologies of various disciplines while developing general analytical skills, problem-solving abilities, and the adaptability that is indispensable to professional success. Our objective is to provide a foundation of multidisciplinary knowledge plus quantitative and analytical skills that will enable students to interpret, design, communicate, and implement policy and management solutions. Students normally complete the core courses during the first year of study; the courses are designed to accommodate varying levels of knowledge.

Course Work

MESM students are required to take a minimum of 36 units of electives in their primary specialization. Students who pursue two specializations must meet the 36-unit requirement for each specialization. Some electives may count toward more than one specialization. Each CMRM student will tailor an individualized Program of Study (POS) with help from the CMRM specialization advisor and other Bren faculty. Most courses associated with this specialization are offered every year. If the course is marked with an asterisk (*), it will be offered every other year.

CMRM students should take the following courses:

ESM 260: Applied Marine Ecology

At least one of the following:

ESM 242: Natural Resources Economics and Policy

ESM 257: Coastal Marine Policy and Management

At least one oceanography course

Understanding the complex nature of coastal marine ecological processes as well as most policy and economic issues, requires knowledge of oceanographic processes. There is a rich supply of oceanography curriculum in other departments. The Bren School has deliberately avoided developing courses similar to those in other departments on campus and has focused on creating courses that will enhance the overall University curriculum. It is expected that CMRM students will participate in course offerings across the campus.

UCSB offers a variety of courses in physical, chemical, biological (i.e. open ocean), or geological oceanography. The following courses are most often included in CMRM students' programs of study.

The full menu of marine-focused offerings in other departments can be found on the Interdepartmental Graduate Program in Marine Science website.

CMRM students must take at least one of the following courses to strengthen technical skills:

The rest of the courses in a CMRM student's program of study should be selected to develop knowledge and skills appropriate for the student's specific career interests, whether in policy, conservation, restoration, pollution control/prevention, business applications, etc.

The following courses may also provide curriculum opportunities of value for CMRM students:

Requirements

• In order to be considered for admission into any graduate program at UCSB, applicants must have received a bachelor’s degree (or equivalent) from an accredited four-year institution prior to the quarter for which the applicant seeks admission. S/he must have earned an undergraduate cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.0 or higher on a 4.0 scale for undergraduate or post-graduate studies. Applicants are also required to take the Graduate Records Examination (GRE; general exam only) to be eligible to apply to UCSB’s graduate programs.
• Statement of Purpose essay - REQUIRED
  The Statement of Purpose (SOP) should also include your goals and how the Bren School will help you to achieve them, and what led you to seek a career in the environmental field. The SOP should outline past experiences (not necessarily only in academics) and how they have prepared you to succeed in a rigorous graduate program. 
  The SOP should be at least one page but no more than two. Formatting style (e.g., line spacing, typeface, or font size) is up to the discretion of the applicant. This document should be uploaded directly to the UCSB e-application.

• Personal Achievements/Contributions essay - REQUIRED
  UC Santa Barbara is interested in a diverse and inclusive graduate student population. In your Personal Achievements/Contributions (PAC), please describe any aspects of your personal background, accomplishments, or achievements that you feel are important in evaluating your application for graduate study. For example, please describe if you have experienced economic challenges in achieving higher education, such as being financially responsible for family members or dependents, having to work significant hours during undergraduate schooling, or coming from a family background of limited income. 
  Please describe any unusual or varied life experiences that might contribute to the diversity of the graduate group, such as fluency in other languages, experience living in bicultural communities, academic research interests focusing on cultural, societal, or educational problems as they affect under-served segments of society, or evidence of an intention to use the graduate degree toward serving disadvantaged individuals or populations. You may upload this document directly to your online application. 
  Alternatively, if you wish to address some discrepency in your application (e.g., low grades), you can also discuss this in your PAC to help the Admissions Committee better understand what external events or circumstances might have affected your grades at that time, and how you're better prepared now to excel in an academically rigorous program. 
  As with the SOP, formatting style (e.g., line spacing, typeface, and font size) of the PAC essay is up to the discretion of the applicant. The UC Berkeley Graduate Division provides an online resource called Writing the Personal Statement which is especially helpful in guiding applicants on this document.
• Resume or Curriculum Vitae - REQUIRED
  Applicants should include all relevant academic, work, volunteer, or leadership experience. Formatting style (e.g., line spacing, typeface, and font size) is up to the discretion of the applicant.
• Graduate Records Examination (GRE) scores - REQUIRED
  UCSB requires all applicants to its graduate programs to submit GRE scores, with the exception of Art Studio majors. Neither UCSB nor the Bren School enforce a minimum GRE score, and the Bren School does not require a subject test for its applicants. UCSB’s Graduate Institution (GI) code: 4835; please use this number on your GRE score sheets and confirm you select the graduate institution option and not the Undergraduate Institution (UI) option. A department code is not necessary to have scores sent to UCSB. GRE test scores are valid for five years after the testing year in which the test was taken (July 1–June 30). Please allow 4-6 weeks for ETS to transfer your scores to the UCSB Graduate Division, which keeps all scores in its database until they expire. More information about the GRE can be found online at http://www.ets.org/gre/.
  As part of your application you must also self-report your scores. The self-reported scores are used in matching your official scores on file. Once you initiate your application, please complete the "Exam" tab with the required demographic and exam information. 

• English language competency exam scores - REQUIRED of international students only
  If an applicant’s native language is not English, then s/he is required to complete either the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) or the English Language Testing System (IELTS) exam. Exceptions may be granted to applicants who have completed an undergraduate or graduate degree at an institution whose primary language of instruction is English. Scores for either examination may be no more than two years old at the time of application and can be submitted to UCSB by using the UCSB institution code 4835. 
  The University requires a minimum score of 550 (paper test) or 80 (computer test) for the TOEFL exam. The University requires a minimum Overall Band Score of 7.0 or higher for the IELTS exam. The TOEFL ITP (Institutional Testing Program) is not acceptable for the purposes of fulfilling the UCSB English language exam requirement.
  The Bren School generally does not admit students to the MESM program unless they have TOEFL or IELTS scores significantly higher than the minimum required by the University. The MESM program is rigorous, and there is not time for students to develop their English skills simultaneously. In addition, the considerable amount of group work requires students to be highly proficient in English at the time they commence the program. 
  All non-native English speakers who are admitted to UCSB—even those having an acceptable TOEFL or IELTS score—must take the university's English Language Placement Exam (ELPE). The Bren School expects students to have completed all English as Second Language (ESL) courses recommended by the test results prior to starting coursework at Bren. 
• Letters of Recommendation - REQUIRED
  Students are required to provide a minimum of three letters of recommendation (maximum of four) as part of their application package. 
  
  Letters of recommendation should be uploaded electronically to an applicant's online application directly by the recommenders. For this process to happen, you will be asked to supply the name, email address, job title, and and current institution or organization name of each recommender. Once this information is supplied, the online application will generate an automated email to the recommenders, prompting them each to upload a letter on your behalf.
  If you are using a Letter Service (such as Interfolio or a university career center) to submit one or more letters, you will be able to indicate this information within the recommender profile. UCSB needs a rating on our rating scale from each recommender you indicate. If the letter will come from a letter service, we will only request the necessary rating from your recommender. 
  It is beneficial if an applicant can provide at least one letter (and more, if possible) from a faculty member who is familiar with his or her academic abilities. We realize that this may be difficult for applicants who have been out of school for a number of years. If this is not possible, students are requested to provide letters from professionals in supervisory or managerial roles who can attest to their scholarly ability and potential, creativity, dedication, and work performance, among other attributes.
• Prerequisite Verification Form - RECOMMENDED
  In an effort to ensure applicants are meeting the required MESM program prerequisites, Bren School applicants are asked to submit a Prerequisite Verification Form, citing where they met program preparation requirements. This is especially helpful for faculty Admissions Committee reviewers if applicants completed courses with atypical titles that might apply toward our prerequisites. Please upload this document under the Supplemental Materials section of the UCSB e-application.
• Supplemental Memo Addressing Prerequisites - OPTIONAL
  Students who lack essential preparation are requested to send the school a memo outlining how they plan to rectify the deficiency before enrolling in the Fall, should they be admitted. Presenting a good plan will strengthen one’s application. This is only required of those applicants who have not met the required prerequisites prior to application.
• Transcripts from all institutions attended - REQUIRED
  All applicants will be required to upload transcripts to their application from all institutions they attended. These uploaded transcripts are required to be official documents created by the university but can include "unofficial" transcripts that are generated by an online student portal, assuming the transcripts include the name of the student, the institution, the grades, and a grading scale. 
  Applicants who are admitted and submit a positive Statement of Intent to Register (SIR) with UCSB will be required to send official transcripts directly from the institution(s) attended to the UCSB Graduate Division, unless they attended UCSB as an undergraduate, in which case official transcripts are not required since UCSB can verify academic records using their student data-tracking systems. 
• Non-refundable application fee - REQUIRED
  Applications are not processed until this is received. All applications require a non-refundable application fee of $105 for domestic applicants and $125 for international applicants. This fee can be paid by credit card or with a check/money order using the Check/Money Order Submission Form found on the last page of the application. Students who think they are eligible can submit an application fee waiver.

Scholarships

• Global Education