As a Coastal & Marine Science major at Sacred Heart, you will study and conduct research as part of a team and become an integral partner in finding solutions to our world’s ever-changing environmental challenges.
Why Earn Your BS in Coastal & Marine Science at Sacred Heart?
Coastal ecosystems are at the interface between marine and terrestrial habitats and are exposed to a wide variety of human and natural stressors. Climate change has caused novel challenges for coastal and marine habitats that are already stressed from human development, pollution, and over-harvest of natural resources.
The Coastal and Marine Science (CMS) major is an interdisciplinary undergraduate program with a broad science curriculum. The program emphasizes marine and estuarine sciences with hands-on courses that span ecological & environmental science as a whole, irrespective of habitat. The interests of biology students are diverse, but at the undergraduate level, students generally center their studies on biological interactions occurring in an ever-changing environment. Students are encouraged to broaden their perspectives by spending a semester on the SHU campus in Dingle, Ireland.
Choose from the following areas of exploration:
Students experience a global perspective of CMS with a semester in Dingle, Ireland.
Explore courses on the oceans and estuaries, coastal management, and invertebrate biology.
Conduct a summer research project on benthic invertebrate biodiversity influenced by ocean acidification/pollution events.
Obtain a paid summer research position in horseshoe crab ecology and their importance to human health.
Participate in a study of dolphin conservation in the Bahamas.
Explore courses on populations, communities, tropical, and chemical ecology.
Participate in a paid summer research position in coastal restoration and study the impacts of global climate change.
Conduct ongoing research projects including migratory bird physiology under dramatic environmental change and the environmental toxicology of fish.
Explore courses in mammalogy, vertebrate biology, marine mammal summer research, and primate communication behavior research projects in Thailand.
Conduct local and international work on tourism and agricultural impacts on stream and estuarine systems using the latest molecular techniques.
Gain lab experience in population and conservation genetics.
Explore a GIS course with hands-on mapping exercises.
As a coastal & marine science major, you will also:
Benefit from small class sizes that are interactive and engaging both in the classroom and out in the field
Learn from accomplished faculty who are practitioners in their field
Have opportunities of short, two-week courses in Dingle, Ireland
Collect data and perform ecological restoration allowing for a deeper understanding of complex concepts
Apply for a STEM scholarship, a grant awarded to SHU students by the National Science Foundation
Participate in hands-on field studies including plant & animal identification, environmental sampling, ecology, restoration and conservation
Gain foundational knowledge in advanced biology, mathematics, chemistry, and physics
Participate in paid summer research programs through faculty grants and SHU’s College of Arts & Sciences Undergraduate Research Initiative
Conduct laboratory studies in chemical extractions, metabolite assays, enzyme assays, nutrient analysis, DNA extraction, PCR, and sequencing
Learn computer science and software skills in data management, statistical analyses, Excel, SPSS, graphing techniques, Word, and PowerPoint
Participate in various clubs and organizations, such as the Biology Club, Green SHUs, and Beta Beta Beta, the National Biological Honor Society
Gain real-world experience with an internship in the field
International studies involving environmental impacts of tourism and pollution on stream and estuarine ecology in Ireland, dolphin behavior in the Bahamas, primate behavior in Thailand, and tropical biology in Costa Rica
Coastal restoration ecology involving uplands and
Plant-animal interactions and invasive species ecology
Eco-physiology of large, pelagic fishes, like bigeye thresher sharks and swordfish, to hunt in cold, hypoxic environments
Horseshoe crab ecology in Long Island Sound (Project Limulus)
Migratory bird physiology
NOAA Fisheries, Northeast Fisheries Science Center, Milford Lab, Connecticut
Smithsonian Environmental Research Center
Oceanworld Aquarium, Dingle, Ireland
National Science Foundation, Research Experience for Undergraduates
Costa Rica, Tropical Field Internship
The Maritime Aquarium, Animal Care & Education, Norwalk, CT
Town Conservation Internships, Greenwich, Stratford, & Milford, CT
Connecticut Audubon Society
CT Agricultural Experimental Station, New Haven, CT
The Nature Conservancy
Aquarion Water Company, Amphibian surveys and fish passage study
Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection
Audubon CT, National Audubon Society
New England Aquarium, Boston, MA
LEO Zoological Conservation Center
Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo
Living Shorelines
Restoring habitat structure and function in Connecticut.
Dual Degree Program Options for Coastal and Marine Science Majors
Sacred Heart University’s dual degree programs provide a defined pathway for incoming freshmen to move seamlessly from an undergraduate to a graduate degree.
While some of our dual degree programs require specific undergraduate majors, others are open to almost all undergraduate disciplines. Apply to a dual degree program as an incoming freshman and you’ll have the opportunity to be admitted directly into the graduate program of your choice at the same time as your admission as an undergraduate student. Students are encouraged to reach out to your admissions counselor to discuss dual degree options.
Graduate ready for a career or further your study
The coastal and marine biology major will prepare you for graduate training and/or careers in coastal/marine/ecological research and environmental management.
Brown University
Columbia University
Dartmouth College
Emory University
Fordham University
New York University
Rutgers University
Southern Connecticut State University
University of Connecticut
University of Maine
University of Massachusetts
University of Miami
University of Rhode Island
Yale University
Federal (e.g. EPA, NOAA, FWS) state and local governments
Scientific and technical consulting firms
Research institutes
Environmental engineering firms (e.g. AECOM, EGA)
Nonprofit organizations (e.g. The Nature Conservancy, and Audubon National)
Educational institutions
Farms and aquaculture facilities
Pharmaceutical companies
Theme parks, zoos and aquaria
*Advancement in these positions may require additional training in graduate school
Environmental Protection Agency
Straughan Environmental, Inc.
The Maritime Aquarium
AECOM
Arcadis
Groundwater & Environmental Services, Inc.
Kleinfelder
Bristol-Meyer Squibb
Centers for Disease Control
Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station
Dianon Systems
Teaching Positions at Public and Private Schools
Unilever Corporation
The Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts an eight to eleven percent growth in the field of coastal and marine biology by 2028. Population growth, climate change and its impact on marine ecosystems will continue to drive hiring in this area.
Where Can You Gowith a Bachelor's in Coastal & Marine Science
Majoring in coastal & marine science paves the way for you to advance your career through combined programs and advanced degree pathways.
Sacred Heart University offers coastal and marine science majors the opportunity to complete a bachelor’s degree and Master of Arts in Teaching with initial teacher certification in secondary biology or general science within five years. Students must apply to the MAT during their sophomore year, and work closely with their advisor to ensure they are completing all prerequisite coursework during their undergraduate years.
Coastal & Marine Science
Sacred Heart University summer research assistant conducting a study with Dr. LaTina Steele on invasive freshwater pond plants and their chemical defenses.
Two Sacred Heart University students participating in Project Limulus: a community research program on the population ecology and conservation of the American horseshoe crab.
Sacred Heart University students in Bimini, Bahamas with Dr. Deirdre Yeater studying dolphin behavior and conservation.
Sacred Heart University student helping with the tagging and releasing of horseshoe crabs in Stratford, CT.
Sacred Heart University student visiting the Yale Peabody Museum learning about beneficial insect species.
Dr. Jennifer Mattei with students from her Restoration Ecology class learning how to plant American beach grass on a newly restored dune system in Stratford, CT.
Students from Sacred Heart University restoration ecology class learning about living shorelines and the importance of oyster reefs and salt marsh habitats.
On Earth Day, Sacred Heart University students from the Department of Biology plant native grasses as part of a Living Shoreline restoration.
Dr. Deirdre Yeater and a Sacred Heart University student conducting a study of captive Beluga whales at Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT.
Sacred Heart University students teach community volunteers how to collect data and tag horseshoe crabs in Long Island Sound.
Dr. Ashley Stoehr with students studying thresher sharks and swordfish physiology to help understand the impacts of ocean warming on cold water species.
Restoration Ecology students learned how to restore native salt marsh and upland dune grasses at Stratford Point and taught community volunteers about the importance of marshes to fish and wildlife.
Sacred Heart University student participating in a paid summer research program in restoration ecology.
Majors in the Department of Biology at Sacred Heart University show community members how to conduct a spawning horseshoe crab count.
Dr. Deirdre Yeater and Dr. Barbara Pierce co-taught a class on conservation and captive wildlife with Sacred Heart University students at Mystic Aquarium, Mystic, CT.
Students demonstrating to members of the community in Milford, CT how to tag horseshoe crabs.
Dr. Barbara Pierce teach Sacred Heart University students in her conservation biology course how to band and identify migratory birds.
Sacred Heart University student learning about the penguins of the Antarctic in a course on conservation biology.