Introduction
Students in the University of California, Santa Cruz's Coastal Science and Policy Program (CSP) are early career leaders in sustainability from across the globe. The program gives students hands-on training, strengthens their networks, and helps them redeploy where they are needed most. Students in this program develop a range of skills, interdisciplinary knowledge, and pragmatic approaches to become more effective leaders at developing practical solutions to coastal sustainability challenges, from watersheds to the open ocean. Small cohorts of students hailing from California, additional U.S. states and other nations experience in-depth interaction with faculty members, professionals and practitioners. The curriculum and composition of student cohorts aim to advance justice, equity, diversity and inclusion in coastal sustainability.
In year one of the two-year master's degree program, students take courses on concepts and approaches from the natural and social sciences, including biophysical, ecological, social, economic, policy, leadership, and communication dimensions. The first year also entails a guided, strategic process for each student to co-design their own second-year capstone project and identify a capstone partner organization from the non-governmental, government or private sectors. Students additionally participate in workshops to strengthen communication, technical, and leadership skills and in seminars with diverse leaders to build their professional networks. In the second year, each student works full-time alongside their selected partner organization to conduct the solutions-focused capstone project and participates weekly in a virtual capstone seminar. Students also use the summer between years one and two to gain training in specific skills or to start their capstone project. At the end of the second year, students present on their capstone work and how it advances a solution to a challenging coastal issue in writing and via an oral public presentation. With the combination of focused courses, skill set development, and practical experience, graduates are well prepared and highly competitive for diverse job opportunities in the growing fields of coastal science and policy. Although the focus of most material is coastal or marine, the principles and practices learned by the students are applicable across geographies and sectors.
The program focuses on practical training to provide integrated, scalable solutions to social and ecological challenges under five interconnected themes that leverage UCSC’s existing leadership in coastal sustainability:
- Coastal Resilience and Climate Change
- Conserving Biodiversity and Sustaining Ecosystem Processes
- Fisheries and Aquaculture
- Coastal Policy
- Justice, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion
- Innovation for Coastal Solutions
Preparation for Graduate Work in Coastal Science and Policy
Students admitted to the Master of Science (M.S.) in Coastal Science and Policy Program will have completed a bachelor’s degree at a four-year university in a field relevant to coastal sustainability. Relevant fields are diverse and include the natural sciences (e.g., biology, earth sciences, chemistry, oceanography), social sciences (e.g., economics or business, human ecology, political science, sociology), interdisciplinary programs (e.g., environmental studies and sciences) and engineering. Regardless of undergraduate major and/or minors, specific additional requirements prior to admission include at least one course in writing and one course in statistics; as well as coursework in at least two of the following three areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, and the social sciences (including policy and economics). Students are not expected to have identified a faculty adviser prior to joining the program. Students from underrepresented and diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply. We anticipate that competitive applicants to the program will have additional experience from either post-baccalaureate professional jobs or a combination of coursework, internships, professional jobs and research, in relevant fields.
Requirements
Course Requirements
The Master's of Science in Coastal Science and Policy is a Plan II (capstone project) degree.
Core Courses
The M.S. program will include a core set of three foundational and seven developmental courses.
Foundational Courses
| CSP 200 | Natural Sciences for Coastal Sustainability | 5 |
| CSP 210 | Social Sciences for Coastal Sustainability | 5 |
| CSP 220 | Economics for Coastal Sustainability | 5 |
Developmental Courses
These courses cut across multiple disciplines and will be taught by core faculty, partner practitioner-scientists, and specialist trainers.
| CSP 230 | Integrated Problem-Based Discussion | 0 |
| CSP 231A | CSP Year 1 Capstone Planning & Design Fall | 2 |
| CSP 231B | CSP Year 1 Capstone Planning & Design Winter | 2 |
| ENVS 240
/CSP 242
| Public Policy and Conservation | 5 |
| ENVS 250
/CSP 243
| Coastal Governance | 5 |
| CSP 244 | Adaptation and Planning | 5 |
| BIOE 262
/CSP 245
| Facilitating Change in Coastal Science Policy | 5 |
The core sequence serves many objectives, including creating and maintaining a strong program community, teaching core skills and topics, preparing for and building on the summer experience, linking new and returning students, and generating a lively, ongoing set of intellectual conversations to explore, define, and pursue transformative contributions to conservation and sustainability science. In order to assure a strong interdisciplinary approach, courses are taught by natural and social science faculty. In addition, all coursework will strengthen practical knowledge and solution-based thinking.
Methods and Elective Courses
M.S. students are also required to take one 5-credit methods course and one 5-credit elective course in their first year. The methods and elective courses can be drawn from courses currently offered across the UCSC campus. The methods course should provide training in quantitative or qualitative research design, tools, and analysis; and help prepare the student for methods used in their capstone project. Electives help broaden the student's disciplinary knowledge. For example, incoming students with an undergraduate degree in the natural sciences (e.g., ecology) may be encouraged to take a graduate-level elective course in the social sciences (e.g., politics, economics).
The methods requirement can be met by taking CSP 241/CSP 241L (cross-listed with BIOE 286/BIOE 286L), another course from the list of approved methods courses found here, or by approval of the program director. The selection of the methods and elective courses will be made in consultation with the student’s faculty adviser and program, with final approval from the program director.
| CSP 281A | Hacking for Oceans—Lean Design Methods | 5 |
| CSP 292 | Special Topics in Coastal Science and Policy | 2 |
| CSP 297 | Independent Study in Coastal Science and Policy | 5 |
| BIOE 286
/CSP 241
| Experimental Design and Data Analysis | 5 |
| BIOE 286L
/CSP 241L
| Experimental Design and Data Analysis Lab | 2 |
Additional Electives
Other Requirements
Summer Training
During the summer after their first year, M.S. students either begin work on their capstone, engage in a short-term summer placement, or participate in training to build specific skills relevant to their capstone or career. If choosing a summer placement, this will consist of working with a non-academic partner to gain practical experience in a field relevant to the student’s capstone or career interest and give them firsthand immersion in the processes involved in domestic or international coastal sustainability projects. Placement projects will be required to include: 1) a real concern of the institutional partner, 2) research and/or solutions development and implementation, and 3) strong interdisciplinary elements. A faculty adviser will oversee the summer work. The intent is that, in collaboration with institutional partners and CSP advisers, the summer experience strengthens students’ skills to conduct their capstone project or otherwise advances the student’s career trajectory.
Capstone Project
In the second year, students implement a capstone project by enrolling in and fulfilling the requirements for CSP 290, Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Project (10 credits/quarter). This project is typically developed during Year 1 of the program in collaboration with a practitioner partner and a CSP faculty adviser, and with oversight from the program. The project should: a) address a real concern of the institutional partner; and b) include research, solutions development, and implementation, and be strongly interdisciplinary in nature. A program team consisting of the student’s CSP faculty adviser and practitioner partner mentor will advise on the capstone project, with programmatic guidance from CSP staff. In the final quarter (spring, Year 2), students will provide a final written report and oral presentation of the capstone project to CSP students, faculty, institutional partners and the public. The final presentations will be required to address the importance and impact of the project on the field, social science and natural science elements of the selected project, project outcomes and relevant next steps.
| CSP 290A | Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Project | 10 |
| CSP 290B | Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Project | 10 |
| CSP 290C | Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Project | 10 |
Capstone Project Seminar
Each quarter of the second year, students will enroll in CSP 291, Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Seminar (2 credits/quarter). This seminar is offered in an interactive workshop format, in which students share and get feedback on dimensions of their capstone projects. Topics by quarter include, but are not limited to:
- Fall–project progress and challenges; midterm capstone report preparation (due winter term).
- Winter–sharpen capstone’s theory of change, refine outcomes and project communications.
- Spring–prepare capstone deliverables, final written report, and oral presentation; rehearse public-facing presentation.
Additional topics across all terms may include career and networking skill-building and support, as well as exposure to real-world collaborative initiatives on coastal sustainability issues.
| CSP 291 | Coastal Science and Policy Capstone Seminar | 2 |
Planners
* Taught in winter quarter for 2024-25.
**Taught in fall quarter for 2024-25.