| GRADUATE
STUDY IN COASTAL MARINE AND WETLAND STUDIES BROCHURE
College of Natural and Applied Sciences (www.coastal.edu/science)
Coastal Carolina University
 Coastal
Carolina University was founded in 1954 and recently celebrated its
50th anniversary of distinguished academic programs. Approximately
7,000 students, including more than 1,000 graduate students, are enrolled
at the University, representing 45 states and 41 foreign countries.
Students may choose degree programs offered through the University’s
four colleges: Education, Business Administration, Humanities and Fine
Arts, and Natural and Applied Sciences.
Coastal currently offers 38 major programs of study at the baccalaureate
level and 6 degree programs at the graduate level in the fields of
Education, Instructional Technology and Coastal Marine and Wetland
Studies. Coastal Carolina University is accredited by the Commission
on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools to
award baccalaureate and master’s degrees. The University is located
in Conway, South Carolina, approximately nine miles from the resort
area of Myrtle Beach.
College of Natural and Applied Sciences
The academic departments of the College of Natural and Applied Sciences
collaborate to support the multidisciplinary graduate degree in Coastal
Marine and Wetland Studies. The College is committed to developing
opportunities for research projects involving graduate students and
their faculty mentors. In many cases, this research leads to peer reviewed
publications, external funding opportunities, and outreach programs
that address local, regional, and national scientific needs.
Located near coastal marshes, freshwater wetlands, undeveloped barrier
islands, and one of the fastest growing metropolitan areas in the nation,
the College provides exceptional opportunities for research in the
responsible development and preservation of these environments. Research
conducted by the College’s faculty and students is vital to the
management of South Carolina’s natural resources. With research
support from the National Science Foundation, the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration and other external sources, the scientists
of the College have earned national and international recognition as
a result of their cutting-edge research and teaching.
Coastal Marine
and Wetland Studies
The Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies graduate program encompasses
a wide range of modern scientific disciplines. Focusing on the coastal
zone, this multidisciplinary approach incorporates biology, wetland
ecology, chemistry, geology, marine science, physics, and conservation
biology in a comprehensive program of study.
The curriculum emphasizes current knowledge about marine and wetland
environments including the physical, chemical, geological and biological
processes, the distribution and abundance of marine and freshwater
flora and fauna, and the ethical management of coastal and wetland
resources. The thesis program’s requirement calls for students
to conduct and report on their original research.
Admission Requirements
Candidates for the Master of Science degree program in Coastal Marine
and Wetland Studies must meet the following set of criteria:
- Complete an application form and pay the required application
fee.
- Submit an official transcript from each post- secondary school
or college previously attended (all prior undergraduate academic
study
must be represented
as well as other graduate study). The transcripts should show a minimum overall
graduating GPA of 3.0 and a minimum GPA of 3.0 in the basic courses prerequisite
to the area of proposed graduate study and in any graduate work already
completed.
- Provide evidence of receiving a baccalaureate degree from a regionally
accredited institution in this country or its equivalent at a foreign
institution based
on a four-year degree program.
- Submit official scores on the Graduate Record Examination (GRE).
The University expects successful applicants to have a score of no
less than 400 on both
the verbal and quantitative portions. The GRE number for Coastal Carolina
University
is R5837. International students whose native language is not English must
also submit scores on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL).
Scores on the GRE (and TOEFL) must be less than five years old. International students may contact the Office
of International Programs and Studies (843) 349-2054.
- Submit at least two letters of recommendation.
- Submit a written statement of educational and career goals, how
this degree will fulfill those goals and the subject area of research
interest
while
completing this degree.
- Submit a resumé.
The preferred deadline of applications for Fall admission is March
1 and the preferred deadline for Spring admission is November 1.
Students are typically notified in April or December of the College’s
Admissions Committee’s decision.
Faculty Research Interests
Faculty research interests are extensive within coastal marine and
wetland sciences. Some specific areas of faculty research include:
- Impact of pollution on water quality
- Stream and wetland ecosystems
- Molecular ecology and evolution
- Coastal environmental change
- Coastal geomorphology and stratigraphy
- Coastal geology and geophysical
studies
- Beach erosion and processes
- Biogeochemistry of mercury and other trace elements
- Bird population
differentiation and mating systems
- Role of nutrition in reproduction, growth and thermoregulation in
a variety of
mammals
- Population biology and physiological ecology
- Salt marsh ecology
and habitat restoration
- Marine and estuarine microbial dynamics
- Plant/animal interactions
in marshes
- Ecology and behavior of bottlenose dolphins and
fish
- Ecology of sharks and rays
- Implications of land use and development
on wetland water quality, ecological communities
and susceptibility to invasion
- The
role of nekton and benthos in
the structure and function of marsh-estuarine
ecosystems.
Faculty
Daniel C. Abel
(Ph.D. Scripps Institute of Oceanography) is a marine biologist.
His research focuses on understanding the ecology of sharks and
rays
along the South Carolina coast. dabel@coastal.edu
Joseph T. Bennett
(Ph.D. University of Washington) conducts research in the application
of analytical chemistry to solutions of environmental problems. He
is currently involved in monitoring the sanitary quality of surf
zone waters of the Grand Strand and is also conducting research on
the impact of pollution on the water quality of local aquatic and
marine environments. jbennett@coastal.edu
Steve Bush
(Ph.D. University of Massachusetts-Amherst) is a geneticist who studies
the population genetics of plants. bush@coastal.edu
Richard Dame
(Ph.D. University of South Carolina) is an internationally recognized
ecologist who studies shallow water ecosystems, especially those
dominated by suspension feeders. dame@coastal.edu
Michael Ferguson
(Ph.D. Kansas State University) has research interests in the molecular
ecology and evolution of type III effector proteins produced by the
opportunistic pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa. He is mainly interested
in how these proteins evolved as P. aeruginosa evolved from a soil
organism to a human pathogen. ferguson@coastal.edu
Paul Gayes
(Ph.D., Marine Sciences Research Center - SUNY Stony Brook), Director
of the Burroughs & Chapin Center for Marine and Wetland Studies,
is actively involved in: coastal geologic and geophysical framework
studies, study of coastal environmental change, beach erosion and
processes, behavior of nourished beaches and development of geophysical
(acoustic) habitat mapping methods. ptgayes@coastal.edu. Web page
and recent activities: www.coastal.edu/cmws
Craig Gilman
(Ph.D. University of Rhode Island) is involved in research utilizing
satellite oceanography to study ocean circulation and the role the
ocean plays in the Earth’s climate. gilman@coastal.edu
Kevin Godwin
(Ph.D. SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry) is a wetland/landscape
ecologist. His research focuses in wetland ecology/landscape ecology/conservation
biology. ksgodwin@coastal.edu
Jane L. Guentzel
(Ph.D. Florida State University) focuses her research on the biogeochemistry
of mercury and other trace elements in the atmosphere and in aquatic
systems. jguentze@coastal.edu
M. Scott Harris
(Ph.D. University of Delaware) has research expertise in coastal geology,
particularly stratigraphy, geomorphology, geoarchaeology, and evolution
of the coastal plain and continental shelf. msharris@coastal.edu
Chris Hill
(Ph.D. University of Washington) links field and laboratory research
to answer questions about population differentiation and mating systems
in birds, especially in marsh-nesting sparrows. He is also interested
at how landscape scale factors affect the distribution of marsh nesting
birds. chill@coastal.edu
Wendy Hood
(Ph.D. Boston University) is a mammalian physiological ecologist. Her
research focuses on the role of nutrition in reproduction, growth
and thermoregulation in a variety of mammals, but most notably in
bats. wrhood@coastal.edu
John Hutchens
(Ph.D. University of Georgia) is an aquatic ecologist interested in
the structure and function of stream and wetland ecosystems. His
research focuses on understanding how human activity influences organisms
and ecosystem processes in streams, freshwater wetlands, and salt
marshes. jjhutche@coastal.edu
Eric Koepfler
(Ph.D. College of William and Mary) has a broad range of interests in
marine ecology. His training is as a microbial ecologist where he examines
bacterial communities. These communities interact with algae, higher plants,
and benthic invertebrates. Bacterial community structure and function
are also influenced by human “anthropogenic” factors associated
with coastal development, and global climate change. Dr. Koepfler studies
these types of topics in the water column and in intertidal marsh habitats.
Dr. Koepfler’s other research focus involves biophysics associated
with temperature and salinity effects on microbes, plants and sea turtle
nests. eric@coastal.edu
Brent Lewis
(Ph.D. Florida State University) is conducting research in the area
of trace metal cycling and speciation.
Susan Libes
(Ph.D. Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution/ Massachusetts Institute
of Technology Joint Program in Oceanography and Ocean Engineering)
is an environmental and marine chemist. Her research focuses on eutrophication
and hypoxia in blackwater rivers and coastal marine waters. She is
the director of the Waccamaw Watershed Academy which supports research,
public service and curricular activities on watershed science and
policy. susan@coastal.edu
James O. Luken
(Ph.D. Duke University) is a plant ecologist. His research currently
focuses on the population biology and physiological ecology of rare
carnivorous plants growing on the edges of Carolina Bays. He is also
interested in plant invasions of wetlands and factors that contribute
to these invasions. joluken@coastal.edu
Richard Moore
(Ph.D. University of Texas at Austin) conducts on the community ecology
and physiology of subtropical estuarine and marine fishes and the
systematics and zoogeography of freshwater fishes of the southeastern
United States. richard@coastal.edu
Douglas D. Nelson
(Ph.D. University of South Carolina) is a sedimentologist and near
shore oceanographer with interests in sediments, coastal plain stratigraphy,
sediment transport and near shore processes. dnelson@coastal.edu
Keith Walters
(Ph.D. University of South Florida) is a marine ecologist with wide-ranging
research interests that include deep-sea biology, marine snow dynamics,
salt marsh plant-animal interactions, micro crustacean population biology
and marine habitat restoration. For more information check out http://ww2.coastal.edu/kwalt.
kwalt@coastal.edu
Eric Wright
(Ph.D. University of South Florida) is a coastal geologist. His primary
research interests are in coastal geomorphology and stratigraphy,
coastal evolution and late Quaternary studies. ewright@coastal.edu
Robert Young
(Ph.D. University of Rhode Island) conducts research on the ecology
and behavior of bottlenose dolphins and fish, with an emphasis on
the contributions of nekton to community structure and ecological
processes in salt marshes, bays and near-coastal habitats. ryoung@coastal.edu
Assistantships
Graduate assistantships provide financial resources to assist highly
qualified students in the completion of their degrees. Both teaching
and research assistantships are available, and are awarded on a competitive
basis. Assistantships have a minimum work schedule of 20 hours each
week. Applications for assistantships are made at the time of application
for admission to the degree program. Students interested in a research
assistantship should contact faculty directly concerning availability.
Graduate assistants may qualify for a special tuition rate, as published
annually. Graduate assistant tuition rates apply to both in-state
and out-of-state graduate assistants. All graduate assistants during
the fall and spring terms are required to enroll for a minimum of
6 graduate credit hours per term.
Required Courses
The M.S. degree in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies at
Coastal Carolina University requires a minimum of 30 graduate credit
hours. This
includes
the successful defense of a thesis based on original research.
The three core classes prepare students to deal with the complex
multidisciplinary scientific interrelationships that apply to coastal
areas. Students
also are required to participate in the graduate seminar series.
 Core Curriculum -
9 credits total, 3 credits per course
CMWS 601 - Coastal Marine and
Wetland Processes - Overview of the relationships among geological,
physical, biological and chemical processes affecting
wetlands and coastal zone ecosystems.
CMWS 602 - Coastal Marine and Wetland Ecology - Relationship between
organisms and their environments in wetland and coastal zone ecosystems.
CMWS 603 - Coastal and Wetland Policy and Management - Relationships
among economics, environmental policy, environmental ethics and environmental
law.
Graduate Seminar -
3 credits total, 1 credit per course
CMWS 697 - Graduate Seminar I -
Approaches to research and literature review of possible thesis research
CMWS 698 - Graduate Seminar II - Plans for research and expected outcomes
based on a review of literature
CMWS 699 - Graduate Seminar III - Public presentation of the completed
thesis
Electives - 12 credits total
Approved graduate courses at the 500 level or above. A maximum of
6 credits at the 500-level may be used toward completing the 12
elective
credits.
Graduate courses in Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies include Marine
Environmental Modeling and Data Analysis, Advanced Geographic Information
Systems, Standard Methods of Seawater, Tissue and Sediment Analysis,
Applied Geophysical Field Methods, Aquatic Physiological Ecology, Environmental
Ecotoxicology, Applications of Isotope Geochemistry, Climate Change
and Evolution of Coastal Environments, Wetland Regulation and Delineation,
and others including courses in biology and marine science.
Thesis Research -
6 credits total, 1-6 credits per course
CMWS 700 - Thesis Research - The student must assemble a thesis committee
of three faculty members, one of whom is the major professor.
Campus Living and Facilities
University Residence Halls
 Coastal Carolina University maintains 31
residence halls which house approximately 2,200 students. Apartment
style housing
is
available
at University Place for full-time graduate students on a space
available basis. Housing contracts extend for an entire academic
year (fall
and spring semesters). A separate contract is available for summer
sessions. All students are required to leave during Thanksgiving,
winter and spring breaks. University Place is located near the
University with shuttle transportation to the main campus.
University Place offers a combination of two and four bedroom “garden
style” suite apartments. Each apartment is furnished with a washer/dryer,
refrigerator, microwave, dishwasher, stove, upholstered sofa and chair,
TV stand and kitchen table and chairs. All bedrooms have private bathrooms
and a shared tub/shower. Each bedroom is furnished with cable TV connection,
Internet connection, double bed, desk and chair, chest of drawers and
large mirrored closet. University Place also offers an Activity House
equipped with an exercise and fitness facility, pool, social room with
wide screen TV, half basketball court and full sand volleyball court.
A variety of year-round off-campus housing is also available to students
at various nearby locations. For more information on housing, contact
the Office of Residence Life at (843) 349-6400.
Parking and Vehicles
Parking permits must be purchased from the University’s Department
of Public Safety by registering the vehicle and furnishing the proper
identification. All vehicles on campus or at the residence halls must
be registered with the Department of Public Safety and must display a
valid campus parking decal.
Dining Services
Graduate students have the option of purchasing a meal plan. There
are two locations on campus which provide dining services. The
Commons serves all-you-can-eat cafeteria-style breakfast, lunch and
dinner.
The CINO Grille is located in the Student Center and has a variety
of dining options including deli sandwiches, coffee, pastries and
more. For more information on dining options, contact ARAMARK at
(843) 347-8923.
Health Services
Coastal Carolina University’s Office of Student Health Services
provides health care for all students residing in University residence
halls and optional health care for students living off campus.
Health Services are available on campus Monday through Friday from
8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Emergency health care is available at Conway Medical
Center, which is located less than two miles from campus. Student health
insurance is available on a voluntary basis. For question regarding
health services or health insurance, contact the Office of Student
Health Service at (843) 347-7466.
Financial Aid
Coastal Carolina University makes every effort to assist students
in financing their education. Graduate students must be degree-seeking
and enrolled in at least six (6) credit hours to be considered for
financial aid. Interested students must complete the Free Application
for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) to be considered for the Stafford
Loan or other alternative loans. Coastal’s school code is 003451.
The online version of the FAFSA is available at www.fafsa.gov. For
additional information on financial aid, contact the Office of Financial
Aid at (843) 349-2313.
Information Requests
Coastal Marine and Wetland Studies Graduate Program
Coastal Carolina
University
P.O. Box 261954
Conway, SC 29528-6054
843-349-2074
CMWSgrad@coastal.edu
Additional information about the
master’s program may be found at www.coastal.edu/science/coastalstudies.
Information on this page is subject to change without
notification.
For University Admissions Information Contact:
Office of Admissions
Coastal Carolina University
P.O. Box 261954
Conway, SC 29528-6054
843-349-2170 • 800-277-7000
admissions@coastal.edu
For University Graduate Studies Information Contact:
Office of Graduate Studies
Coastal Carolina University
P.O. Box 261954
Conway, SC 29528-6054
843-349-2394 • 800-277-7000
graduate@coastal.edu
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