Hatfield Marine Science Center

SUMMER TERM - MARINE & ENVIRONMENTAL STUDIES

Participate in a pinniped and cetacean necropsy! Observe seabirds at sea! Collect field samples aboard oceanography cruises! Courses within the Summer Marine & Environmental Studies Program at HMSC provide students with an intensive hands-on field study of organisms in their natural habitats, coupled with interactive classroom or 'hybrid' course formats unless otherwise noted. The 11-week term provides flexibility for students interested in spending a full summer term at HMSC or students with limited time schedules (e.g., teachers and other professionals) with the added benefit of complete immersion into marine-focused topics. Summer Session registration begins in April, and the HMSC summer courses start in June. Housing scholarships are available!

All students pay OSU in-state tuition! Students enrolled in the summer program can live on-site in the Hatfield Marine Science Center housing. Courses are in two 4-week and one 3-week sequence. Students earn up to 6-9 quarter credits in 4 weeks and up to 16-17 quarter credits in 11 weeks. Due to the nature of the intensive format (lab and field experience), students may be assigned reading in advance to prepare them for each course. Please see the OSU Summer Session schedule of classes for the complete schedule and prerequisites for classes offered at HMSC. HMSC Summer Session Course Block Schedule

BI/ENSC/FW/OC 401 - Research and Scholarship credit available (1-16 cr.)

BI/ENSC/FW/OC 410 - Internship credit available (1-16 cr.)

FALL TERM – MARINE CONSERVATION AND EDUCATION

An exciting array of courses are available to upper-division undergraduate and graduate students in Fall 2020. Students can live at Hatfield Marine Science Center and create their plan of study from courses in coastal and ocean science, resource management and policy, and outreach and education. The Fall program includes the signature field-oriented course in Coastal Ecology and Resource Management (CERM) FW 426/526. This five-credit course is taught by a team of faculty and agency scientists and is based at the Hatfield Marine Science Center.  The class consists of a one-week intensive field lab and lecture series, followed by weekly seminars, discussions, and field trips for the term. Students learn basic biological, chemical, and physical processes of coastal habitats and some of the issues associated with human use of coastal resources.

Courses come from OSU’s Fisheries and Wildlife Department, College of Education, and College of Earth, Ocean, and Atmospheric Sciences. Topics range from marine mammals and coastal estuarine ecology to conservation biology and science education. Opportunities for research experience and internships provide additional pathways for students to gain experience in their fields of interest. 

WINTER AND SPRING TERM – INTRODUCTORY COURSES

Introductory Week- and Weekend-long Experiential Marine Science Courses at HMSC

Spend a week or weekend studying Oregon's coastal environment while learning about the interdisciplinary nature of marine science. These introductory courses have an experiential field and lab emphasis designed for first- and second-year undergraduates, non-science, and potential science majors.  Introduction to Marine Life in the Sea courses are an overnight weekend stay. They combine lectures, wet labs, and hands-on field experiences to study several topics related to the marine environment on the Oregon coast. 

SPRING TERM – MARINE BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY

Imagine a 15-credit course where you eat, breath and sleep marine biology for ten weeks, Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5 pm, sometimes earlier and sometimes later and sometimes on the weekend and LOVING IT! Each spring, marine biology students take up residence at the center for Oregon State University's 15-credit course in marine biology, dividing their time between lectures in the classroom, field study along the coast, and laboratories in one of our wet labs. Students learn to observe, identify, and collect seaweed and invertebrates, trawl for fish aboard the R/V Elakha, and muck through the mudflats and estuaries. Follow our students in the class journal blog.

Teaching Marine Biology Writing in the Field: An Interview with Sally Hacker