UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, SANTA BARBARA
DONALD BREN SCHOOL OF
ENVIRONMENTAL SCIENCE &
MANAGEMENT
COASTAL MARINE RESOURCES MANAGEMENT SPECIALIZATION
Specialization Definition
The Coastal Marine Resources Management specialization (CMRM) trains MESM students
to address scientific and socio-economic issues related to coastal marine ecosystems.
Coastal marine ecosystems provide a plethora of essential goods and services, including
fisheries, navigation space, nutrient and carbon cycling, geochemical products, disposal
space for natural and anthropogenic wastes, recreation, and aesthetic pleasure. Coastal
marine goods and services are produced through complex interactions among physical,
chemical, and biological components that occur within a multitude of coastal habitats,
including municipalities, watersheds, intertidal rocky shores and beaches, bays,
wetlands, estuaries, kelp forests, coral reefs, and the nearshore pelagic environment.
Worldwide, societies are faced with the serious challenges of developing and
implementing novel approaches for managing coastal resources for long-term
sustainability, and conserving the structure and function of marine ecosystems. CMRM
students will be trained to meet these challenges through an interdisciplinary education
in marine science, policy, law, quantitative analysis, and modeling. Students from the
CMRM specialization will find employment in both the public (federal laboratories; 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. Many major breakthroughs in basic and applied marine science
and related disciplines in socio-economics have been made by the faculty and staff of
the Bren School, the Departments of (1) Ecology, Evolution and Marine Biology (EEMB),
(2) Environmental Science (ES), and (3) Geography (GEOG), the Marine Sciences
Institute, and the Ocean and Coastal Policy Center.
Research by UCSB marine
scientists, economists, and sociologists is conducted both locally in the Santa Barbara
Channel and worldwide in a diversity of marine ecosystems, including coral reef
systems, deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and polar seas.
CMRM students will be
encouraged to interact with faculty and graduate students of the various marine-related
departments and programs on campus.
Course Work
MESM students tend to have widely varying backgrounds in marine resource-related
subjects. The curriculum outlined below is a guideline. A CMRM student's program of
study (POS) should be worked out with the CMRM advisor.
Scientific research, economic analysis, policy formulation, and quantitative modeling are
the fundamental CMRM skills. All CMRM students are strongly encouraged to take the
following courses, unless they can demonstrate equivalent competence:
ESM 260: Applied Marine Ecology (Lenihan)
And at least one of the following courses:
ESM 257: Coastal Marine Policy (McGinnis)
ESM 259: The Role of Law in Coastal Zone Management (Osherenko)
Understanding the complex nature of coastal marine ecological processes as well as
most policy and economic issues, requires knowledge of oceanographic processes.
CMRM students will be required to take one course each in two fields of oceanography,
including physical, chemical, biological (i.e., open ocean), and/or geological
oceanography.
ESM 254: Coastal Marine Ecosystem Processes (Lenihan) [Biennial]
EEMB 243: Biological Oceanography
EEMB 142A: Aquatic Communities
Geol 266: Chemical Oceanography
Geol 276: Geological Oceanography
Geog 263: Introduction to Physical Oceanography
With guidance from the advisor, students select four to five additional courses
appropriate for the specialization and their particular background, goals, and interests.
Since CMRM students tend to have widely varying backgrounds in CMRM-related
subjects a student’s program of study should be worked out with the CMRM advisor
guidance. The following ESM courses are often included in CMRM students’ programs of
study and should be considered for inclusion.
ESM 211: Applied Population Ecology (Kendall)
ESM 213: Ecological Effects of Pollutants (Marwood)
ESM 217: Environmental Restoration (Lenihan) [Biennial]
ESM 220: Ecological Risk Assessment (Marwood)
ESM 222: Fate and Transport of Pollutants (Keller)
ESM 232: Environmental Modeling (Costello) [Biennial]
ESM 242: Natural Resources Economics and Policy (Costello)
ESM 241: Environmental Politics and Policymaking (McGinnis)
ESM 243: Environmental Policy Analysis (Kolstad)
ESM 244: Valuing Environmental Quality (Bento) [Biennial]
ESM 248: Environmental Institutions (Young)
ESM 235: Watershed Analysis (Dunne) [Biennial]
ESM 253: Lakes and Wetlands (Melack)
ESM 270: Conservation Planning and Priority Setting (Kareiva)
ESM 283: Environmental Negotiation (Ramus)
ESM 286: Environmental Risk (Moore)
In addition, there may be some opportunistic offerings that may be valuable for students
in CMRM depending upon the specific topic of focus.
ESM 430, 435, & 436: Workshops in Environmental Science and Management
ESM 595A-Z: Seminar in Environmental Science and Management
ESM 595I: Seminar in Marine Resource Management
ESM 294. 296, 297 & 299: Advanced Topics
There are a number of courses in other departments that may be for students pursuing
a CMRM program of study. Most importantly, students should assess course offerings in
EEMB, Geography, Geology, and the Interdepartmental Marine Science Program. The
following courses in other departments are most often included in CMRM students’
programs of study:
EEMB 142BC: Environmental Processes in Oceans and Lakes
EEMB 279: Modeling Environmental and Ecological Change
EEMB 244: Marine Microbiology
EEMB 249: Mariculture
EEMB 276/276L: Advanced Biostats
Geog 236: Remote Sensing of the Ocean
Geog 274/274L Introduction to Geographical Data Analysis
A sample program of study (POS) can be found at:
http://www.bren.ucsb.edu/services/student/index.html.
This is only an example to help guide students in developing their own POS. The specific
courses included will differ depending on an individual’s unique background, interests,
and goals!
Career Opportunities
Public Agencies
Private Companies
International
UNEP
Federal
National Marine Fisheries
Service
NOAA/National Marine
Sanctuaries
National Park Service
US Fish and Wildlife
Sea Grant
Regional Fishery Councils
State
Coastal Comissions, EPAs,
Transportation Depts, Fish
and Game, Regional Water
Quality Control Boards, State
Conservancies, Public
Utilities
County and Local
Planning and Development
Depts
Environmental consulting firms
specializing in marine impact
assessment risk assessment,
regional assessment, site
conservation and restoration
planning, watershed use
planning
Coastal Developers
Oil and Gas Companies
Energy Companies
Timber companies
7
Non-Governmental
Organizations
The Nature Conservancy
World Wildlife Fund
International Coral Reef
Conservation
National Resource Defense
Council
Defenders of Wildlife
Center for Marine Conservation
Industry Based Fishery
Councils
Greenpeace