Announcement
The Marine Studies Initiative has transitioned to Marine and Coastal Opportunities. This website is no longer being maintained. Please view our new website for the most up-to-date information.
MSI Academic Development Goal
The Marine Studies Initiative generated transformational educational experiences centered on marine studies.
Across the university, we have been creating transdisciplinary environment that expands innovative marine education and training opportunities for students, professionals, and lifelong learners. This included establishing a university-wide marine studies degree program, expanding collaborations with our educational partners and engaging students in seeking globally relevant solutions.
Are you looking for information about the continuing programs, including internships, courses, and awards? Go to maco.oregonstate.edu
Stand Out
Oregon stands out for its mixture of unparalleled access to the beach and ocean and the natural beauty of its coastline. It is a source of inspiration, reflection, and repose. The Marine Studies Initiative catalyzed experiential learning opportunities, which support students and faculty in exploring and creating solutions to sustain the diverse ecosystems, communities and economies at the confluence of the continent and sea. Marine and Coastal Opportunities (MACO) is now a permanent program within the Office of Academic Affairs at Oregon State University. To learn more, visit MACO at maco.oregonstate.edu
Our strategies used to achieve this goal:
BUILT COMPREHENSIVE PROGRAMS
Designed transdisciplinary educational core programs (courses, options and certificates) that fostered student success and lifelong learning, engaged a diverse student body, taught ethics and promoted marine literacy at all levels within Oregon State University and across the state. These programs prepared all types of students for leadership and the workforce.
CREATED A NEW MARINE STUDIES DEGREE
Created a transdisciplinary marine studies undergraduate major and minor that focuses on the human dimensions of marine systems. These liberal art degrees emphasize the social, political, and cultural issues of the coasts and oceans, built on a meaningful understanding of marine natural science. Learn more HERE.
LAUNCHED INNOVATIVE EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES
Expanded experiential learning opportunities at Oregon State's main campus in Corvallis, the Hatfield Marine Science Center and other coastal and ocean locations in collaboration with academic, government, nonprofit, Native American tribal and industry partners. Teaching and learning focused on seeking solutions to ocean-related societal challenges.
New MAST Degree
The College of Liberal Arts’ Marine Studies degree launched in January 2021, after a multi-year development process. This new interdisciplinary, liberal arts program complements the exceptional marine-related earth and life science degree programs at OSU. Marine Studies, known as “MAST,” explores the dynamic relationship between humans and the marine environment. MAST majors take course work in social sciences, arts, and humanities, as well as a selection of marine science classes. While MAST recognizes the essential role that the natural sciences play in understanding the seas, this degree trains students to examine, filter, and express their knowledge and learning through humanistic and cultural lenses. This program prepares students for careers in public and private sectors, including in the expanding blue economies requiring ocean literacy, interdisciplinary collaborative skills, and strengths in liberal arts fields. The degree development began in 2018, through a core writing team of 10 individuals and extensive liaising across campus. Hallmarks of the Winter 2021 program launch included: Nine new courses, including two required courses Humans and the Ocean (MAST 201) and Society, Culture, and the Marine Environment (MAST 300) and core electives such as Maritime Histories of the Pacific (HST 314), Literatures of the Coast (ENG 340), and Indigenous Ocean and Coast (ES 360). Students also take coastal experience courses, internships, and capstone projects. As of Fall 2023, there were 90 students enrolled in MAST and, as of Spring 2024, 11 students have graduated with a MAST degree.
Classes and Experimental Learning
Another core MSI objective was to expand marine-related experiential learning opportunities. There is a complex patchwork of challenges related to developing and delivering new opportunities and access to the coast, without a single solution. The MSI approach was to gather information and experiences from faculty and students, through roundtable discussions, surveys, and interviews. A team was convened to research existing OSU courses to find courses with strong potential for coastal-based adaptation and meeting requirements of undergraduate degree programs. Beginning in 2018, MSI started to directly
address some challenges by providing course development awards, partnering with academic units to pilot new courses, and supporting faculty to teach at the coast. Student access to coastal-based courses has improved because of crucial academic unit commitments, communications about opportunities, awards and scholarships for travel to and studies at the coast, the piloting of different course schedules, and engagement with academic advisors who are key to students finding successful experiences.
Internships
MSI began a summer internship program for OSU students in 2018, with six internships offered with three partner organizations. By the conclusion of MSI and Summer 2024, MSI will have sponsored a total of 50 interns and worked with 19 different partner organizations along the Oregon Coast. The program has offered a wide variety of applied science and liberal arts topics, including science communication and outreach, seafood industry marketing, scientific technology testing, animal husbandry, film festival directing, marine reserve interpretation, engineering, whale research, tourism, filmmaking, aquatic microbiology, and water quality monitoring. The MSI interns come from a wide array of backgrounds, majors, and locations.
Central Student Hub
Since 2018, a Marine Studies Initiative advisor has helped students navigate among the various marine-related undergraduate degree programs at OSU. An overarching goal was to increase awareness of and access to marine-related classes, programs, and training opportunities such as internships. Relationships were developed with academic advisors across campus, academic units, and OSU Admissions. Two booklets were developed in partnership with OSU Admissions for students interested in ocean-focused degrees. These booklets, originally in hard copy but now digital, list different marine majors and describe opportunities for internships and research experiences.
The MSI Office has helped transfer processes for marine-interested community college students by fostering relationships with community colleges and working with the degree partnership program to guide students to degree-specific academic advisors. The MSI Academic Advisor also raised the visibility of OSU’s marine-related programs in elementary, middle, and high schools across the state of Oregon.
MSI joined the various recruitment events held by OSU, including the START orientation program for enrolled students, Orange and Black Days for admitted students, and Spring Preview for high school juniors and seniors as well as transfer students. Through contact with degree programs, advisors, and affiliated Colleges, the MSI Academic Advisor counseled students on the marine-related program opportunities across campus.
Looking for advising on marine and coastal opportunities at OSU? Connect with a MACO advisor!