Student snorkeling mangrove habitat during Florida Keys extended field trip.
Dr. Teasdale instructs Marine Botany students on mangrove physiology during Florida Keys extended field trip.
Students surveying the biota of Bathtub Reef during Southeast Florida field trip.
Getting a closer look at marine organisms under a dock in the Keys.
Tropical island tunes by Dr. McCarthy during Keys trip.
Nurse shark at the Keys Marine Lab.
A JU extended field trip tradition:
cable tie poker!
Students prepare to snorkel from the beach during Keys field trip.
Students tour deep-sea subs at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Inst. during Southeast Florida field trip.
Dr. McCarthy dissects the appendages of a crawfish for students on the Southeast Florida field trip.
| COURSES |
| Jacksonville University offers a wide variety of courses
applicable to the marine science major. The following lists
marine science elective courses available to JU students and highlights
extended course field trips. See the Program Requirements
page for full details regarding required courses and a typical 4-year
course plan for marine science majors at JU. |
 Dr. McCarthy points out organisms in the marine fouling community to Ichthyology students during 4-day field trip to the Keys Marine Lab in the Florida Keys. |
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ELECTIVE COURSES APPLICABLE TO MARINE SCIENCE MAJORS |
| MSC/BLY
302. Invertebrate Zoology (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. An advanced study of the invertebrate phyla with emphasis on the phylogeny, physiology, morphology, and habitat of each taxonomic group. Field trips are included. MSC 304. Icthyology (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. An advanced study of fish with emphasis on the ecology, physiology, morphology, and behavior of the Teleosts. Field trips are included, including extended field trip to the Florida Keys. MSC 307. Marine Geology (3 credits) Three hours lecture. A basic study of the composition, structure, geologic history, and surface features of the earth with emphasis on the marine portion. MSC 308. Physical Oceanography (3 credits) Three hours lecture per week. A study of ocean water, air and sea interactions, currents, waves, tides, and underwater sound. MSC 310W. Marine Ecology (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. A study of the interrelationships of plants, animals, and the marine environment. Formal scientific papers of laboratory results and a library research paper (minimum of 6,000 words) will be required. MSC 406. Biological Oceanography (3 credits) Three hours lecture per week. A study of the biological nature of ocean systems. A comprehensive study of the biota of the oceans, including biogeography and natural history of marine organisms. MSC 407. Marine Botany (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. A study of aquatic plants and their role in the oceans and estuaries. Includes extended field trip to the Florida Keys. MSC/BLY 412W. Physiological Ecology (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. An interdisciplinary approach to the interrelationships between the organism and environment, and among different taxa. Major emphasis will be placed on the physiological aspects of aquatic organisms (notably estuarine and coastal forms). Formal scientific papers of laboratory results will be required for a minimum of 6,000 words. MSC 420. Sea Sessions (12 or 17 credits) The course consists of enrollment in the SEA Semester program sponsored by the Sea Education Association (SEA), a nonprofit organization located at the oceanographic research community of Woods Hole, MA. The program consists of a classroom component emphasizing the theoretical foundations necessary for understanding oceanography. This includes lectures, seminars, workshops, and fieldtrips in areas of oceanography, nautical science, navigation, humanities, and literature. the remaining portion of the course allows students to put their classroom knowledge to the test aboard an ocean sailing vessel. Students serve as ship's crew and complete a research project while on the cruise. MSC 422. Coral Reef Ecology (4 credits) Three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. This course will offer an in-depth examination of tropical coastal communities, including coral reefs, seagrasses, mangroves, intertidal, beaches, and salt ponds. Terrestrial systems will also be studied. Emphasis will be on the ecology and conservation of these systems. The courses will be a combination of intensive classroom work on the JU campus and intensive field experiences. Unique aspects of the Caribbean culture will be incorporated. MSC 430. Special Topics in Marine Science (3 or 4 credits) Three hours per week; or, three hours lecture and three hours laboratory per week. A semester course offered on demand, covered predetermined special topics of student interest and marine science significance. MSC 431. Oceanographic Techniques (1 credit) This course will consist of practical experience on oceanographic instrumentation through fieldtrips and cruises. MSC 495. Research Participation (varies from 1 to 4 credits) Student participation in research directed by a faculty member. |
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EXTENDED COURSE FIELDTRIPS |
| Florida Keys JU's upper-level Ichthyology and Marine Botany courses combine during this 4-day field trip. Students stay in dorms at the Keys Marine Lab and experience intense hands-on field work snorkeling coral reefs, exploring mangroves and coral quarries, learning underwater sampling techniques and statistical analyses of the data they collect. |
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Southeast Florida This 3-day field trip is an integral part of the Marine Ecology course. Students will camp in tents at Jonathan Dickinson State Park by night and explore the varied coastal habitats of Southeast Florida by day. Day excursions include tours of Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution and the Smithsonian Marine Station in Fort Pierce, data collection at Coral Cove Reef in Jupiter and Bathtub Beach Reef in Stuart, and a water taxi ride to snorkel Peanut Island in West Palm Beach. |
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Seahorse Key, Florida Panhandle This extended field trip is offered as part of the Introduction to Marine Science course. Students will stay in dorms at the University of Florida Marine Laboratory at Seahorse Key. During this field trip, students will have the opportunity to explore coastal habitats along the Gulf of Mexico and collect marine organisms, while learning a variety of field collection techniques including seining, otter trawling, and dredging. |
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San Salvador, Bahamas This offering is still in the planning phase. This course is envisioned as a three-week short course offered during the summer. During this course, students will spend two weeks on the JU Main Campus learning about the ecology of tropical marine habitats and organisms. Then, students will fly together to San Salvador, Bahamas, where they will spend over one week in the dorms at the Gerace Research Center. While in the Bahamas, students will explore local marine habitats and conduct in-field experiments. |
