Curriculum Options

SMEA has a two track curriculum to serve students preparing for careers as practitioners, as well as those who are focused on academic or research-oriented careers.

The Professional track includes courses-only and capstone options and is designed to  help students develop professional skills and work in team settings as a component of their degree programs. Courses-only students complete their degrees through additional coursework tailored to their interests and often participate in internship programs and other professional development opportunities. Capstone students complete a team project with defined deliverables for an external client.

The Thesis track will allow students to develop original research and hone problem-solving skills appropriate for a range of careers in marine and environmental affairs, including research, policy analysis, and doctoral programs. Find out more about possible research topics on our Research Areas page.

The curriculum requirements for the two tracks are similar, but differ in important ways that reflect the orientation of each track. Regardless of which track a student chooses, all MMA students will graduate with the same well-rounded, interdisciplinary training that SMEA has provided for 50+ years.

An Interdisciplinary, Human-Dimensions Focused Curriculum

A human-dimensions focus and interdisciplinary training in the natural sciences, social sciences, and policy is embedded in both tracks. SMEA’s curriculum is designed to familiarize students with a diversity of conceptual and methodological approaches, and substantive areas in the field of marine and environmental affairs. The curriculum includes Core and Elective classes.

Core and Elective Classes

The Core is comprised of three components:

1. An Introductory Course – Marine and Environmental Affairs Theory and Practice – that explores diverse perspectives and multiple ways of knowing in marine and environmental affairs, approaches to collaborative problem-solving and decision-making, and ethical engagement with communities in environmental management contexts.
2. Subject Area Courses to provide a foundation in marine science, marine law, economics, equity and environmental justice, policy analysis, and policy process.
3. Analytic Skills including statistics, spatial analysis, and qualitative methods.

Elective courses are intended to enhance the student’s knowledge of marine and environmental affairs in areas pertinent to the thesis research, capstone project, and/or the student’s special interests. Electives provide the needed depth of understanding in substantive fields of inquiry and in methods of research and analysis. Most students take a combination of SMEA and external department coursework to gain a well rounded set of skills and perspectives.

The SMEA faculty draw from diverse disciplinary perspectives and approaches in their research and advise students who conduct research in a variety of research areas in marine and environmental affairs.

The first year of study is devoted to developing a comprehensive understanding of marine and environmental affairs by making substantial progress toward the completion of the core course requirements and electives. Students select a track at the end of their first quarter, identify an advisor, and develop a detailed plan of study. Capstone students complete a capstone management plan and thesis students complete a thesis prospectus during winter quarter.

During the second year of study, students not only focus on their culminating project (i.e., capstone or thesis), but also continue to take electives and core courses as needed to meet requirements. Students in all track options conclude their program with a presentation to the SMEA community to share what they learned from their thesis research, capstone project, or selected coursework.

Two Tracks to the MMA

What are the degree requirements for each track?

All students must complete 59 credits to graduate, but the tracks differ in the balance of coursework and research and in the number of elective and required courses that comprise those 59 credits. The table below illustrates the difference in degree requirements for the two tracks:

Core Requirement                                                                                                   Credits

The curriculum is an evolving process, as such, requirements vary among entering class. Please refer to the appropriate Program of Studies for explicit requirements for your entering class.

Selecting a track

Students will self-select into either the Professional or Thesis track in their first year of the MMA program. Formal admission to the Thesis track requires concurrence of a faculty advisor to serve as the Thesis Chair, the submission of a thesis research prospectus, and nomination of the thesis committee by the end of spring quarter of their first year.

Course Fee Policy

School of Marine and Environmental Affairs (SMEA) attempts to provide immersive learning experiences in and out of the classroom that provide students with the opportunity to learn and practice skills in the context of content and concept learning, as well as to apply that learning to real world situations. SMEA defrays these expenses, and charges course fees where appropriate, for the following costs:

We have made available $400 per quarter, per course/class offering, to aid in experiential learning. If additional funds are required to provide necessary trips or speakers in pursuit of those goals, we will consider adding a course fee.

Course fees are used to pay for additional expenses beyond instructional remuneration, in cases where the responsible unit cannot otherwise offer the instructional activity due to financial constraints.  In practice, almost every course has expenses beyond instructor salaries, and many of these are absorbed by the unit.  For courses with a course fee, units may still absorb some percentage of the total non-salary cost of delivering the course.  Students may also be expected to assume costs associated with taking a course, for instance by purchasing computer equipment and software used for multiple courses as well as non-course use.

Course Fee Refunds

Students must make a written request to Tiffany Comtois-Dion (tlcdion@uw.edu) to secure a refund for a course fee, regardless of whether the course is being taken for credit or audited.

Course fees will be refunded for a course a student drops within the first 7 calendar days of the quarter or if a student withdraws within the first 7 calendar days of the quarter. After the 7^th calendar day of the quarter, SMEA generally will not refund course fees because purchases for the class will have already been made. However, special consideration may be given for extenuating circumstances, such as in the case of hardship withdrawal, but only if the student has not extensively participated in the field or laboratory work. Course fees refunded after the 7^th calendar day of the quarter may be prorated based on the number of weeks remaining in the quarter.