Marine Sciences (BS): Chemistry Concentration
The degree of Bachelor of Science in Marine Sciences may be obtained by selecting one of five concentrations: Biological Oceanography, Chemistry, Geology, Meteorology, or Physics. The concentrations are designed to facilitate minoring or double majoring in the science cognates.
Marine scientists explore all aspects of the seas and coastal regions, seeking to understand how the oceans, their biological communities, the solid earth and the atmosphere interact. Chemical oceanographers study such things as how minerals on land weather into salts and enter the ocean, how chemicals in seawater interact and react, how major elements cycle through the ocean, and how organic material created by plants survives in the ocean and is buried in sediments deep below the sea surface.
As professionals with interdisciplinary training, marine scientists are needed to advise business, industry and governments on the potential impact of human activities and the wise use of marine resources. Marine scientists work for consulting firms; regulatory agencies; the mass media; business and industry; federal, state and local governments; academic laboratories; research and education organizations; and nonprofit environmental watchdog groups.
Contact
For more information about our marine science programs, visit our website or contact:
Maggie Puryear
Associate Director of Undergraduate Programs
mwpollar@ncsu.edu
919.513.1093
Plan Requirements
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| Core Courses/Marine Science | ||
| MEA 100 | Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections 2 | 4 |
| MEA 200 | Introduction to Oceanography 2 | 3 |
| MEA 210 | Oceanography Lab 2 | 1 |
| MEA 250 | Introduction to Coastal Environments 2 | 3 |
| MEA 251 | Introduction to Coastal Environments Laboratory 2 | 1 |
| MEA 459 | Field Investigation of Coastal Processes 2 | 5 |
| MEA 460 | Principles of Physical Oceanography 2 | 3 |
| MEA 462 | Observational Methods and Data Analysis in Marine Physics 2 | 3 |
| MEA 495 | Junior Seminar in the Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences | 1 |
| Chemistry Concentration 1 | ||
| Select one of the following pairs: 5 | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry I and Organic Chemistry I Lab 1 | ||
| Organic Chemistry I for Students in Chemical Sciences and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I for Students in Chemical Sciences 2 | ||
| Select one of the following pairs: 5 | 4 | |
| Organic Chemistry II and Organic Chemistry II Lab 1 | ||
| Organic Chemistry II for Students in Chemical Sciences and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II for Students in Chemical Sciences 2 | ||
| CH 315 & CH 316 | Quantitative Analysis and Quantitative Analysis Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| CH 401 | Systematic Inorganic Chemistry I 2 | 3 |
| CH 403 | Systematic Inorganic Chemistry II 2 | 3 |
| CH 431 | Physical Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| CH 433 | Physical Chemistry II 1 | 3 |
| MEA 323 | Geochemistry of Natural Waters 2 | 3 |
| MEA 473 | Principles of Chemical Oceanography 2 | 3 |
| Basic Math & Sciences 1 | ||
| Select one of the following pairs: 5 | 4 | |
| Chemistry - A Molecular Science and General Chemistry Laboratory 1 | ||
| General Chemistry I for Students in Chemical Sciences and General Chemistry Laboratory I for Students in Chemical Sciences 3 | ||
| Select one of the following pairs: 5 | 4 | |
| Chemistry - A Quantitative Science and Quantitative Chemistry Laboratory 1 | ||
| General Chemistry II for Students in Chemical Sciences and General Chemistry Laboratory II for Students in Chemical Sciences 3 | ||
| PY 205 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I 1 | 4 |
| PY 208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II 1 | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus I 1 | 4 |
| MA 241 | Calculus II 1 | 4 |
| MA 242 | Calculus III 1 | 4 |
| MA 341 | Applied Differential Equations I 3 | 3 |
| Statistics Elective 3 | 3 | |
| Select one of the following Computer Science electives: | 3 | |
| Introduction to Computing in the Geosciences 3 | ||
| Introduction to Computing and Data Science with AI - Python 3 | ||
| Introduction to Computing-FORTRAN 3 | ||
| Introduction to Computing - MATLAB 3 | ||
| Introduction to Computing - Java 3 | ||
| Introduction to Scientific Computing 3 | ||
| College Requirements | ||
| COS 100 | Science of Change 4 | 2 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| Select one of the following Advanced Writing courses: | 3 | |
| Communication for Engineering and Technology | ||
| Communication for Business and Management | ||
| Communication for Science and Research | ||
| GEP Courses | ||
| GEP Humanities | 6 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 6 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 2 | |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Global Knowledge (verify requirement) | ||
| GEP Foundations of American Democracy (verify requirement) | ||
| World Language Proficiency (verify requirement) | ||
| Free Electives | ||
| Free Electives (12 Hr S/U Lmt) 6 | 3 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Grade of C- or higher required in CH 101, 201, 221, 223, 431, 433; ENG 101; MA 141, 241, 242; PY 205, 208.
- 2
No more than one D will be accepted in MEA core courses and concentration courses.
- 3
No more than one D will be accepted in other basic math or science courses.
- 4
COS 100 is for new freshmen only. Transfer students will need to select a course from the GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives course list.
- 5
Students planning to double major in the BS or BA in Chemistry should choose the general and organic chemistry series for chemistry majors.
- 6
Free electives may not be CH 111, MA 100, MA 101, MA 103, MA 107, MA 108, or MA 111.
Statistics Electives
| Code | Title | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| ST 311 | Introduction to Statistics 3 | 3 |
| ST 312 | Introduction to Statistics II 3 | 3 |
| ST 350 | Economics and Business Statistics 3 | 3 |
| ST 370 | Probability and Statistics for Engineers 3 | 3 |
| ST 371 | Introduction to Probability and Distribution Theory 3 | 3 |
| ST 372 | Introduction to Statistical Inference and Regression 3 | 3 |
Semester Sequence
This is a sample.
| First Year | ||
|---|---|---|
| Fall Semester | Hours | |
| CH 101 & CH 102 | Chemistry - A Molecular Science (CP) 1, 5 or General Chemistry I for Students in Chemical Sciences and General Chemistry Laboratory I for Students in Chemical Sciences | 4 |
| COS 100 | Science of Change 4 | 2 |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| MEA 100 | Earth System Science: Exploring the Connections 2 | 4 |
| MA 141 | Calculus I (CP) 1 | 4 |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 201 & CH 202 | Chemistry - A Quantitative Science (CP) 1, 5 or General Chemistry II for Students in Chemical Sciences and General Chemistry Laboratory II for Students in Chemical Sciences | 4 |
| MA 241 | Calculus II (CP) 1 | 4 |
| ENG 101 | Academic Writing and Research 1 | 4 |
| GEP Elective | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Second Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 221 & CH 222 | Organic Chemistry I 1, 5 or Organic Chemistry I for Students in Chemical Sciences and Organic Chemistry Laboratory I for Students in Chemical Sciences | 4 |
| MA 242 | Calculus III 1 | 4 |
| MEA 200 & MEA 210 | Introduction to Oceanography and Oceanography Lab (CP) 2 | 4 |
| PY 205 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists I (CP) 1 | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 315 & CH 316 | Quantitative Analysis and Quantitative Analysis Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| CH 223 & CH 224 | Organic Chemistry II 1, 5 or Organic Chemistry II for Students in Chemical Sciences and Organic Chemistry Laboratory II for Students in Chemical Sciences | 4 |
| MEA 250 & MEA 251 | Introduction to Coastal Environments and Introduction to Coastal Environments Laboratory 2 | 4 |
| PY 208 | Physics for Engineers and Scientists II (CP) 1 | 4 |
| Hours | 16 | |
| Third Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| CH 401 | Systematic Inorganic Chemistry I 2 | 3 |
| CH 431 | Physical Chemistry I 1 | 3 |
| MA 341 | Applied Differential Equations I 3 | 3 |
| MEA 460 | Principles of Physical Oceanography 2 | 3 |
| MEA 495 | Junior Seminar in the Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences | 1 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| CH 403 | Systematic Inorganic Chemistry II 2 | 3 |
| CH 433 | Physical Chemistry II 1 | 3 |
| MEA 462 | Observational Methods and Data Analysis in Marine Physics 2 | 3 |
| Statistical Science Option Elective 3 | 3 | |
| 6 | 3 | |
| Hours | 15 | |
| Summer | ||
| MEA 459 | Field Investigation of Coastal Processes 2 | 5 |
| Hours | 5 | |
| Fourth Year | ||
| Fall Semester | ||
| Advanced Writing Elective | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Health and Exercise Studies | 1 | |
| MEA 473 | Principles of Chemical Oceanography 2 | 3 |
| Hours | 13 | |
| Spring Semester | ||
| Computer Science Option Elective 3 | 3 | |
| GEP Social Sciences | 3 | |
| GEP Humanities | 3 | |
| MEA 323 | Geochemistry of Natural Waters 2 | 3 |
| Hours | 12 | |
| Total Hours | 120 | |
- 1
Grade of C- or higher required in CH 101, 201, 221, 223, 431, 433; ENG 101; MA 141, 241, 242; PY 205, 208.
- 2
No more than one D will be accepted in MEA core courses and concentration courses.
- 3
No more than one D will be accepted in other basic math or science courses.
- 4
COS 100 is for new freshmen only. Transfer students will need to select a course from the GEP Interdisciplinary Perspectives course list.
- 5
Students planning to double major in the BS or BA in Chemistry should choose the general and organic chemistry series for chemistry majors.
- 6
Free electives may not be CH 111, MA 100, MA 101, MA 103, MA 107, MA 108, or MA 111.
Career Opportunities
MEAS undergraduate degree programs provide talented students with the foundation of scientific knowledge required for careers in government, industry, or academia. Many students pursue graduate degrees after completion of an undergraduate degree in Marine Science.
Marine Sciences graduates go on to become oceanographers, to manage our coastal resources, model air-sea interaction, and explore global climate change. They conduct basic and applied research, serving as environmental consultants for industry and governmental agencies, policy and management experts for governmental agencies, and environmental science educators. Graduates with a Marine Sciences degree are versed in the fundamental processes and interdisciplinary nature of the coastal zone. As scientists, managers, administrators, and regulators, they make decisions regarding use and conservation of coastal and marine resources.
MEAS graduates play a key service role for the State of North Carolina, assisting in everything from forecasting severe storms and analyzing the impact of atmospheric pollutants on agriculture and our estuaries, to determining the effects of toxic waste disposal on quality of surface and ground water.
Career Titles
- Chief Scientist
- Coastal Geologist
- Conservation Scientist
- Contact Diver
- Environmental Consultant
- Environmental Protection Specialist
- Environmental Research Scientist
- Environmental Scientist
- GIS and Geological Oceanography Specialist
- Marine Eco-toxicologist
- Marine Geophysicist
- Natural Science Manager
- Ocean Mapper
- Oceanographer
- Sensory Biophysicist
- Undersea Specialist
- Wildlife Biologist
- Zoologist
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