Bachelor of Science in Ocean Engineering (STEM)

at University of New Hampshire - Durham Campus USA

The Major in Marine, Estuarine, and Freshwater Biology is intended to give students interested in the fields of marine and freshwater biology the background and direct hands-on experience needed to pursue productive careers, including potential advanced study.  This strategically cross-disciplinary major builds on a broad set of science courses in high-impact areas of study for today’s world, represented by a core curriculum in math, chemistry, physics, and biology.  The core background is strengthened by a series of required and elective courses in a diverse range of aquatic sciences spanning watersheds to oceans, providing opportunities for study from organismal to ecosystem scales. Designed to provide a solid foundation of knowledge in freshwater, estuarine, and marine biology, the MEFB Major allows flexibility and encourages students to focus on particular areas of interest from molecular biology to ecosystem and policy studies.  Students will have the opportunity to specialize in areas of their own interest, such as aquaculture and fisheries, animal behavior, ecological restoration, or management. While MEFB students must complete rigorous course requirements, our students are encouraged to tailor their elective courses within and across departments and colleges as needed to build their own, unique cross-disciplinary path.

The University of New Hampshire is uniquely located for the study of aquatic organisms and their habitats. We are centered between the Great Bay Estuary and the Gulf of Maine, with easy access to diverse marine environments as well as the freshwater habitats of New Hampshire’s Lakes Region and the White Mountain National Forest. We boast three Marine Laboratories that provide exceptional opportunities for our student’s research and educational needs, including Jackson Estuarine Laboratory (JEL), the Coastal Marine Lab (CML; part of the larger Judd Gregg Marine Research Center), and the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML), as well as strong affiliations with the Great Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve.  While JEL is located on Great Bay in Durham, CML is in nearby New Castle at the Seacoast, and SML is located six miles off the coast. SML provides summer undergraduate programing with field-based marine courses that fulfill major electives, as well as internships and research opportunities for advanced study. In addition, UNH’s campus maintains two fish aquaculture facilities, a world-class genomics laboratory, and the State Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, which provide hands-on opportunities for undergraduates.  There is also an active diving program with courses at both beginner and advanced levels. A major strength of the MEFB program is the hands-on approach to learning combined with an emphasis on involving undergraduate students in mentored research opportunities.

The bachelor of arts in Earth sciences is offered through the Department of Earth Sciences. This program provides students an opportunity to obtain a broad education and a general background in the Earth sciences with a greater degree of freedom in choosing electives than in the bachelor of science programs. Through careful choice of electives, students can prepare for business, industry, public service, the non-profit sector or graduate school.

The Option in Information Systems and Business Analytics will appeal to students who wish to learn how to take advantage of contemporary technologies to solve complex business problems. Pivotal contributors to the success of any venture, Information Systems and Business Analysts must be able to understand and communicate both the business needs as well as the technical details of solutions. The option prepares students for a career in a wide range of industries by helping them master the fundamentals of information systems, as well as the ability to implement solutions or provide leading-edge, analytics-based solutions to real business problems. Students work on real-world industry projects and apply concepts and problem-solving skills learned in the classroom. 

All students in the option develop functional knowledge and skills in information systems and business analytics. Beyond the required courses in the option, students choose between an emphasis in Information Systems or an emphasis in Business Analytics. 

Biology is one of the most popular science majors since it provides a broad background in the biological sciences while allowing flexibility and specialization within the major. It integrates theoretical and practical (hands-on laboratory and field work) courses in different aspects of the biology of multicellular life. It encompasses the study of structural and functional relationships of living organisms at the molecular, cellular, and organismal level, the interactions of living systems with the environment and with each other, and the evolutionary relationships of life. Our goal is to create an environment for those with a scholarly interest in the biological sciences, and to extend their understanding, awareness, and appreciation of the diversity inherent in the biological sciences. Our major is aimed at promoting an excellent education in biological sciences by involving undergraduate students in a strong interaction with faculty both in the classroom and in research laboratories.

The biology major prepares students for post graduate degrees in the biological and medical fields, and for job opportunities in industry (environmental, biomedical, pharmaceutical, and biotechnological) and governmental research, and secondary school teaching. Completion of the four-year undergraduate program plus a fifth-year internship will be necessary for biology teaching certification. Students who plan to enter medical, dental, or related professional schools are advised to confer with their faculty adviser to work the requirements for these programs into their academic majors.

Core courses in the biology major are from departments that contribute to the biological sciences community at UNH. The core curriculum consists of introductory and upper-level science courses plus seven additional courses in the biological sciences; three of these must be selected from course lists in three broad categories.

While students are advised to declare the biology major as incoming first-year students to assure adequate program planning, transfer into this major at a later stage is also possible. Several of the other biological science majors share the same biology core curriculum. For the first to two years, it is quite easy to change to or from these other majors.

The University of New Hampshire Department of Occupational Therapy offers a combined Bachelor's Degree/Master's Degree program. Students in the Bachelor of Science (BS) program smoothly enter the Occupational Therapy: Advanced Standing MS Program by completing professional level OT courses as part of their BS degree. Both the BS and MS degree programs are completed in five and half years. Students may enter the BS program as first-year students or apply to transfer within UNH into the BS program during their sophomore year, space permitting. Students interested in transferring into this program should contact the Department of Occupational Therapy for information about transfer requirements, the application process and deadlines.

Created for students with a passion for acting and/or directing, this option is designed to develop the actor and the director as an interpretive, creative and self-sufficient artist. Award-winning faculty working in the profession challenge students to strive for excellence in the art and craft of acting and directing through highly challenging coursework, performance projects and productions, as well as special workshops with acclaimed guest artists.

The Department of Natural Resources and the Environment offers a Master of Science program that provides advanced, research-based study in the ecology, biogeochemistry, economics, policy, and management of vital natural resources, including water, soil, forests, wildlife, and agricultural crops. Students take an interdisciplinary approach to their research and use the tools of the natural and social sciences, including geospatial methods, to make fundamental and significant contributions toward local, regional, and global sustainability.

Students are supported by a highly productive and internationally recognized faculty, outstanding laboratory facilities, and a diversity of accessible terrestrial, marine, and freshwater field sites. Research conducted by faculty and graduate students has resulted in UNH being ranked second of 316 North American institutions in scholarly contributions to the field of ecology.

The purpose of the communication major is to prepare students to engage more knowingly with the communicative patterns, problems and practices that they will encounter in their personal, professional and civic lives. This purpose requires that students learn to move beyond commonplace and conventional understandings of "communication" and acquire sophisticated perspectives — workable orientations — for describing, analyzing, reflecting upon and engaging with those patterns, problems and practices. Accordingly, the major not only acquaints students with a variety of empirical, critical, historical, theoretical and pragmatic perspectives on communication phenomena, but encourages them to formulate workable orientations of their own for engaging with communication issues and questions. Students who graduate with a communication major are prepared to become thoughtful and proficient "communication decision-makers" during their postgraduate lives.

The B.A. in art - studio art option provides a strong fine arts education and solid foundation that prepares students for a life in the arts, whether it be as a professional or commercial artist, a teacher, an architect, a designer or a museum director. We offer courses in painting, drawing, photography (both digital and wet lab techniques), printmaking, sculpture (all media: steel, aluminum, bronze casting, clay, and wood), furniture design and fabrication, ceramics and design.  A degree in studio art provides a foundation for diverse professional achievement.

The Bachelor of Science (B.S.) in Zoology builds from the common background of the biology core curriculum to provide ample time for third- and fourth-year students to concentrate in specialized disciplines such as marine and freshwater biology, behavior, cell and developmental biology, ecology, evolution, fisheries, physiology, and neurobiology while giving students the foundation from which they can specialize in the area of zoology. Undergraduate students are encouraged to conduct field or lab-based research which helps determine advanced education disciplines for graduate studies.  Many students ultimately work in the government, environmental agencies, education as well as agricultural, pharmaceutical, and biotechnology industries, where they conduct advanced research and/or teaching.  Zoology majors had the second highest income and lowest unemployment rate according to data from the 2016  U.S. Census Bureau’s American Community Survey.