Maine Maritime Academy > Undergraduate Catalog > Curricula > Marine Biology / Small Vessel Operations (dual major)

Marine Biology / Small Vessel Operations (dual major)

The Marine Biology/Small Vessel Operations dual major allows the student to complete all of the requirements for the Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Biology and Small Vessel Operations, as well as prepare them for a USCG license as Mate less than 200 GRT, Near Coastal (up to 200 miles offshore). This program may be completed in 5 years and is designed for students who plan to work in the marine biology field and may need the capability to operate small vessels.

In addition to meeting the college requirement for graduation with at least a 2.0 grade point average for the B.S. degree, graduating students are required to have a minimum grade point average of 2.25 in the MB/SVO program core courses. For the MB/SVO program, core courses are defined as courses with the prefixes BI, CH, CO, NS, OS, as well as the courses GE221 and EN202.

The following table outlines the normal sequence of courses taken by students majoring in Marine Biology/Small Vessel Operations dual major.

2024/Fall – Undergraduate/Bachelor of Science/Marine Biology / Small Vessel Operations (dual major)
Major Requirements

Credits : 166.00 Min  |  168.00 Max
2.250 Core GPA Minimum
2.000 Overall GPA Minimum
First Year Semester 1
Courses : 7 Min  |  7 Max Credits : 18.50 Min  |  18.50 Max
Course Name Credits
BI101 General Biology I 4.00
CH210 Ocean Studies Chemistry I 4.00
FY100 First Year Experience 1.00
MS101 Pre-Calculus Mathematics 4.00
OS000 OS Seminar O 1.00
OS101 Int. to Oceanography and Env. Science 4.00
PE114 Ocean Survival 0.50
Total : 18.50
First Year Semester 2
Courses : 5 Min  |  5 Max Credits : 16.00 Min  |  16.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI102 General Biology II 4.00
CH220 Ocean Studies Chemistry II 4.00
HC111 Composition 3.00
MS150 Calculus I 4.00
OS001 OS Seminar I 1.00
Total : 16.00
Sophomore Semester 1
Courses : 7 Min  |  7 Max Credits : 14.50 Min  |  14.50 Max
Course Name Credits
BI220 Marine Botany 4.00
CH310 Introduction to Organic Chemistry 4.00
HC220 Humanities I 3.00
NS101 Introduction to Nautical Science 2.00
OS002 OS Seminar II 1.00
PE100 Basic Sailing 0.50
USCG1 USCG Fire Fighting 0.00
Total : 14.50
Soph Sem1 Hum-SS Elect
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
EC% Any EC Course
GE% Any GE Course
HC% Any HC Course
HMSS% Any Hum/SS Transfer Course
HY% Any HY Course
PO% Any PO Course
PY% Any PY Course
Sophomore Semester 2
Courses : 7 Min  |  7 Max Credits : 17.00 Min  |  17.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI210 Marine Zoology 4.00
OS003 OS Seminar III 1.00
OS203 Design & Applied Stat In Science 4.00
OS212 Chemical Oceanography 4.00
PS102 Technical Physics I 4.00
USCG2 USCG Fire Fighting Live Burn 0.00
USCG3 Lifeboat Exam 0.00
Total : 17.00
Junior Semester 1
Courses : 6 Min  |  6 Max Credits : 19.00 Min  |  19.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI201 Ecology 4.00
BI301 Marine Organism Physiology 4.00
NS103 Introduction to Vessel Operations 2.00
OS004 OS Seminar IV 1.00
OS210 Physical Oceanography 4.00
PS301 Technical Physics III 4.00
Total : 19.00
Junior Semester 2
Courses : 4 Min  |  4 Max Credits : 11.00 Min  |  11.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI308 Cell and Molecular Biology 4.00
NS241 Seamanship 2.00
OS005 OS Seminar V 1.00
OS400 Prep for Research in Marine Science 4.00
Total : 11.00
Junior Sem2 Dept Elective
Courses : 2 Min  |  2 Max Credits : 6.00 Min  |  8.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI% Any BI Course
OS% Any OS Course
Senior Semester 1
Courses : 5 Min  |  5 Max Credits : 14.00 Min  |  14.00 Max
Course Name Credits
HC230 Humanities II 3.00
NS132 Small Craft Technology 3.00
NS135 Small Craft Construction 3.00
OS006 OS Seminar VI 1.00
OS401 Research Project 4.00
Total : 14.00
Senior Sem1 Hum-SS Elective
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
EC% Any EC Course
GE% Any GE Course
HC% Any HC Course
HMSS% Any Hum/SS Transfer Course
HY% Any HY Course
PO% Any PO Course
PY% Any PY Course
Senior Sem2 Dept Elective
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
BI% Any BI Course
OS% Any OS Course
Senior Sem2 Hum-SS Elective
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
EC% Any EC Course
GE% Any GE Course
HC% Any HC Course
HMSS% Any Hum/SS Transfer Course
HY% Any HY Course
PO% Any PO Course
PY% Any PY Course
Senior Sem2 Free Elective
Courses : 3 Min  |  3 Max Credits : 9.00 Min  |  9.00 Max
Course Name Credits
% Any Course
Senior Semester 3
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
CO223 SVO/VOT Cooperative Work Exp I 3.00
Total : 3.00
Fifth Year Semester 1
Courses : 4 Min  |  4 Max Credits : 10.00 Min  |  10.00 Max
Course Name Credits
NS122 Cargo I 3.00
NS232 Marine Systems 3.00
NS271 Terrestrial Navigation I 3.00
NS272 Terrestrial Navigation Lab 1.00
Total : 10.00
Fifth Year Sem1 Dept Elective
Courses : 1 Min  |  1 Max Credits : 3.00 Min  |  3.00 Max
Course Name Credits
NS% Any NS Course
Fifth Year Semester 2
Courses : 6 Min  |  6 Max Credits : 13.00 Min  |  13.00 Max
Course Name Credits
NS221 Meteorology 3.00
NS262 Navigation Rules 3.00
NS292 Electronic Navigation 3.00
NS293 Electronic Navigation Lab 1.00
NS298 Topics in Small Vessel Operations 2.00
NS299 200 Ton License Seminar 1.00
Total : 13.00