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Home / Academics / Academic Majors / Marine and Environmental Sciences / Marine and Environmental Sciences Curriculum

Marine and Environmental Sciences Curriculum

Below is a sample plan of study for a Marine and Environmental Sciences (MES) major. MES majors specialize in one of three major area electives: Environmental Science, Marine Science, or Environmental Monitoring.  Each area includes courses with hands-on field and laboratory work.  The Environmental Monitoring plan of study is shown below as an example, but there are other additional plans of study shown below. 

FOURTH CLASS YEAR (Freshman)

Fall Semester

  • Chemistry I
  • College Composition
  • American Government
  • Calculus I
  • Fundamentals of Navigation

Spring Semester

  • Chemistry II
  • Physics I
  • Calculus II
  • History of the USCG
  • Introduction to Computing
  • Cultural Perspectives

THIRD CLASS YEAR (Sophomore)

Fall Semester

  • Physics II
  • Marine Biology
  • Oceans I – Air and Sea
  • Multivariable Calculus
  • Applications in Navigation Lab
  • Organizational Behavior and Leadership

Spring Semester

  • STEM Elective
  • Geospatial Science I
  • Oceans II – Land and Sea*
  • Ships and Maritime Systems
  • Macroeconomics

SECOND CLASS YEAR (Junior)

Fall Semester

  • Analytical Methods in Chemistry*
  • Ocean Dynamics*
  • Remote Sensing*
  • Criminal Justice & Maritime Operational Law
  • Probability and Statistics

Spring Semester

  • Capstone I
  • Ethics
  • Maritime Watch Officer
  • Energy Physics*
  • Track Elective*
  • Free Elective*

FIRST CLASS YEAR (Senior)

Fall Semester

  • Capstone II
  • Marine Ecology
  • Global Studies
  • Cyber Technology
  • Climate Change Physics*
  • Track Elective*

Spring Semester

  • Capstone III
  • Science Ethics Seminar
  • Environmental Policy and Law
  • Professional Maritime Officer
  • Track Elective*
  • Free Elective*

Marine and Environmental Sciences Concentrations (Taken as Major Area Elective, MES Elective, or Free Elective)

  • Environmental Science
  • Oceans II – Land and Sea
  • Geospatial Sciences II
  • Analytical Methods in Chemistry
  • Ocean Dynamics
  • Remote Sensing
  • Waves, Tides, and Coastal Processes
  • Climate Change Physics
  • Energy Physics

For full details, see the Course Catalog.

  • Environmental Science
  • Organic Chemistry I
  • Organic Chemistry II
  • Analytical Methods in Chemistry
  • Biochemistry
  • Environmental Policy and Law
  • Marine Ecology
  • Emergency Management
  • Fate and Transport of Chemicals in the Environment
  • Toxicology
  • Microbiology

For full details, see the Course Catalog.

  • Oceans II – Land and Sea
  • Fisheries Biology
  • Biological and Chemical Oceanography
  • Fisheries Management
  • Ocean Dynamics
  • Marine Forecasting
  • Waves, Tides, and Coastal Processes
  • Polar Oceanography
  • Geospatial Sciences II
  • Remote Sensing
  • Emergency Management
  • Intel and Cyber Ops

For full details, see the Course Catalog.

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Sponsor Family Application

Thank you for submitting your application to be part of the Sponsor Family Program. Your application will be processed in the upcoming week. Coast Guard Academy’s policy on background screening now requires all adults (everyone 18 and older living in the home) who volunteer to mentor, teach, coach or sponsor cadets, whether on or off Coast Guard Academy grounds, to be screened every 5 years. They are required to provide personal information (name, birth date and social security number) for the purpose of conducting a criminal background check.

The Security Officer at the Coast Guard Academy, CWO2 Gina Polkowski, is overseeing this process. Her email is: Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.

Sponsor Family designations fall into several different categories. Below are the guidelines to help you determine how best to meet the background screening requirement:

  1. If you are Coast Guard active duty you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  2. If you are a Civilian working for the Coast Guard you do not need to apply for an additional Background Check. You will be vetted through the Coast Guard system by CWO2 Polkowski.
  3. If you are non-Coast Guard Active Duty, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  4. If you are non-Coast Guard civilian who has a current security clearance or National Agency check, you are required to provide proof of your current security clearance or National Agency Check that is to be emailed by your Command Security Officer (CSO)/ Security Office to CWO2 Polkowski at  Gina.M.Polkowski@uscg.mil.
  5. All civilians in the families who are 18 years or older and do not have a security clearance or a National Agency Check are required to be vetted through Mind Your Business, the third party vendor hired by the Coast Guard Academy for the vetting process.

After you complete your application, please e-mail the Sponsor Family Program Coordinator at CadetFamilySponsorProgram@uscga.edu. In your e-mail, you must include the e-mail address and phone number of every adult living in the home. The Sponsor Family Coordinator will then initiate the background check process and you will receive an email with further instructions.

Important things to note:

There is a Sponsor Family Training that is a one-hour training which we ask sponsors to attend once every four years. This training is designed to give you an overview of the program, what is expected of you as a sponsor, and what you can expect from your cadets. This training will also help familiarize you with the cadet regulations onboard CGA. You will be notified via e-mail once the training is scheduled.

The matching process of swabs to families will occur during July and August. Please bear with us and remain flexible through this process. There will be a meet and greet scheduled on Campus, typically in late August. This will give families an opportunity to formally meet their cadet if they have not already done so. Details on this will also be via email.

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