SMEA is an interdisciplinary community of scholars addressing emergent environmental and social threats to the sustainability of marine and coastal areas. We do this in ways that are responsive to equity and justice and by creating actionable knowledge, teaching, and engaging with diverse institutions and communities.
We offer a two-year, in-residence graduate program of studies leading to the Master of Marine Affairs (MMA) degree.
SMEA is a small school with approximately 60 students enrolled each year, enabling close collaboration and learning between students and faculty, and amongst students themselves.
Our students hail from a variety of professional backgrounds and locations around the United States and internationally, and arrive at SMEA in different stages of life.
Our faculty are just as diverse in their fields of expertise, working together to deliver a top-notch interdisciplinary curriculum to students and engaging in a range of current research projects.
Our 600+ alumni span the globe, working in all levels of government, at non-profit organizations, and in businesses and industries all related to the wide-spectrum of marine and environmental affairs.
A brief history:
SMEA was established in 1972 as the Institute for Marine Studies, and served initially to provide teaching, research, and public service on contemporary problems in ocean and coastal management. The Director and faculty were appointed starting in 1974 and classes were offered shortly thereafter. The MMA degree was authorized in 1978, and the first degrees were awarded in 1980. In 1990, the school name changed to the School of Marine Affairs, and in 2011 the name was expanded to the School of Marine and Environmental Affairs to better reflect the broader environmental approach to addressing marine problems.