UMass Dartmouth Courses

Acoustical Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 560

3 credits.

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Advanced Time Series Analysis of Ocean Data

Dartmouth
MAR 670

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MASMA

Animal Behavior (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
BIO 520

The study of comparative and evolutionary aspects of the behavior of invertebrate and vertebrate animals. Structure and function of nervous systems, simple behavioral patterns including reflexes and other forms of innate behavior as well as more complex patterns including learning and social behavior are stressed.

This course is an elective

3 credits

Option Areas: LMRSM

Biochemistry Laboratory

Dartmouth
CHM 514

Basic biochemical techniques and methods including spectrophotometry, electrophoresis, chromatography, ultracentrifugation and radioisotopic techniques and their application to amino acids and proteins, lipids and membranes, enzymes and nucleic acids.

This course is an elective

3 credits

Option Areas: MBEC

Biological Oceanography

Dartmouth
BIO 545 (Cross-listed at MAR 544)

This course studies the cycle of productivity in the marine environment and the physiological and morphological adaptations of plant, animal, and bacterial populations within various oceanic regions. Interrelationships of the plankton, the nekton, and the benthos are stressed.

This course fulfills the Biological Oceanography core course requirement.

4 credits

Option Areas: CSS|LMRSM|MBEC|MASMA|OHH

Biological Statistics I (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 535

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Biology of Marine Larvae

Dartmouth
BIO 546

An analysis of factors important for animals with complex life cycles, focusing on marine benthic invertebrates. Larval stages are examined from a wide range of perspectives: ecological, evolutionary, oceanographic, behavioral, physiological, and developmental. Students hone verbal skills through presentations on species and topics of interest, and by leading class discussion. The laboratory examines larval types and aquacultural techniques.

This course is an elective.

4 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|OHH

Biology of Fishes (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
BIO 513

Field trips and extensive laboratory work are emphasized in this course. The life histories, ecology and classification of the fishes of the coastal and inland waters of the northeastern states are studied in detail.

This course is an elective.

4 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|OHH

Biology of Sharks (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
BIO 554

The morphology, physiology, behavior and evolutionary history of the most ancient group of living jawed fishes. The most unusual aspects of these fish, such as modes of reproduction, osmotic regulation, feeding mechanisms, and sensory physiology, will be stressed throughout.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: LMRSM

Case Studies in Estuarine Dynamics

Dartmouth
MAR 620

This course is an elective.

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS

Coastal Physical Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 660

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MASMA

Case Studies in Fisheries Science Management

Dartmouth
MAR 622

This course is an elective.

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS

Discrete-Time Signal Processing

Dartmouth
ECE 574

Representation, analysis, and design of discrete signals and systems. Topics include a review of the z-transform and the discrete-time Fourier transform, the fast Fourier transform, digital filter structures, digital filter design techniques, quantization issues and effects of finite word-length arithmetic, sampling and oversampling, decimation and interpolation, linear prediction, the Hilbert transform and the complex cepstrum. Students gain experience in analyzing and designing digital signal processing systems through computer projects.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Permission of Instructor.

Option Areas: MOT

Ecosystem-Based Fisheries Management (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 530

This course will highlight the theory, issues, challenges, methods, and approaches for implementing Ecosystem-based Fisheries Management (EBFM). The course will examine the history and background of fisheries management, leading up to why more holistic considerations are being considered. A series of operational approaches, emphasizing a familiarity with technical efforts and models, will be explored as they are being used to implement EBFM. An examination of institutional structures and considerations will be executed to elucidate those situations where EBFM has been successful. The course will emphasize current literature and case studies as main learning elements.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM

Estuarine Ecology

Dartmouth
BIO 536

An overview of biological, geological, physical, and chemical factors and processes important for organisms in estuarine environments. Emphasis is on contemporary research areas, including human impacts in estuaries. Students design, perform, analyze, and present the results of semester-long field projects characterizing a local salt marsh ecosystem.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM

Fisheries Management (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 527

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|OHH

Fundamentals of Biometrics

Dartmouth
MAR 599

This course introduces the fundamentals of biometric principles and methods as applied to the solution of biological problems. These principles and methods are derived from statistical theory and then applied to biological examples using the statistical software package SAS. Topics will include descriptive and inferential methodology such as issues concerning data collection, measurement, transformations, scaling, numerical aspects, empirical distributions, measures of central tendency and dispersion, probability and expectation theory, discrete and continuous probability distributions, estimation and test theory including estimation of confidence intervals, t tests, one-way and two-way ANOVAs, multiple comparisons, distributional tests, power and sample size calculations, inferences concerning simple and multiple linear and non-linear regression, matrix algebra.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: LMRSM

Fundamentals of Physical Oceanography

Dartmouth
PHY 550

Fundamental physical oceanographical processes important to coastal and open ocean environments. Included in the course are lectures by current researchers in specialized topics such as satellite oceanography and numerical modeling.

This course fulfills the Physical Oceanography core course requirement.

3 credits

Differential and integral calculus or permission of instructor.

Option Areas: CSS|MBEC|MASMA

Geophysical Fluid Dynamics

Dartmouth
MAR 557

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA

Graduate Seminar – Estuarine and Ocean Sciences

Dartmouth
MAR 700-01

Seminar discussions and presentations based on research or detailed literature surveys.

This course partially fulfills the Seminar requirement.

1 credit

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Graduate Seminar – Fisheries Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 700-02

Seminar discussions and presentations based on research or detailed literature surveys.

This course partially fulfills the Seminar requirement.

1 credit

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Introductory Chemical Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 510

A survey of the principal topics in chemical oceanography, starting with the basic chemical and physical properties of seawater and going through the major processes shaping chemical distributions in the ocean. Throughout much of the course, an interdisciplinary approach is taken and pertinent material on the interaction between ocean chemistry and marine physics, biology, and geology is presented. Emphasis is placed on the central role of chemical oceanography in our global environment. A significant segment of the material deals directly with the ocean’s role in controlling atmospheric CO2. Wherever possible, the results of recent studies are incorporated into class material.

This course fulfills the Chemical Oceanography core course requirement. This course is offered via Distance Learning.

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Introductory Fisheries Science

Dartmouth
MAR 540

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|LMRSM|MBEC

Introduction to Biological Statistics (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
BIO 530

Statistical concepts for the planning of experiments and the summarization of numerical data. Lectures emphasize probability, testing of hypothesis and the application of different, statistical concepts and problems.

4 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Introduction to Marine Geological Processes (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 515

Process-oriented geological oceanography starting with the history of ocean floor exploration, theories of ocean basin formation, determination of geologic time and going through the major dynamic processes shaping and characterizing the seafloor – from beaches to basins, reefs to estuaries. Overviews of marine geophysics and plate tectonics, sea level variation and the formation of coastlines and reefs, and the importance of paleoceanography in assessing climate change will be presented and discussed. Throughout the course, an interdisciplinary approach is taken and pertinent material on the interaction between marine geology/sediments/sedimentation processes and marine chemistry, physics, and biology will be presented. Wherever possible, the results of recent studies and special topics will be incorporated into the class material and tailored to the students’ areas of research.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Introductory Physical Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 555

A descriptive treatment of ocean-atmosphere interactions, water properties, general wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, waves and tides; and coastal processes. Simplified conceptual models demonstrate the important principles.

This course fulfills the Physical Oceanography core course requirement. This course is offered via distance learning.

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Laboratory in Oceanography-Data and Methods (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 550

Application of statistical and data analysis methods to estuarine, ocean, and atmospheric sciences. Emphasis is on hands-on application and interpretation of methods to real oceanographic data using packaged software. Intended for students who require a working understanding of basic model/data analysis techniques. Familiarity with basic concepts/dynamics of at least one of the marine or atmospheric science related sub-disciplines is required.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Marine Benthic Ecology

Dartmouth
BIO 526

An advanced overview of the structure and function of marine benthic communities from the intertidal zone to the deep sea, focusing on the power of experimental studies in elucidating ecological processes. Students will improve writing skills via preparation of short research proposals, a term paper, and through peer review of other students’ work. Students will also lead discussions of journal articles, and plan, undertake and present the results of a field biofouling study.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM

Marine Biogeochemical Cycles

Dartmouth
MAR 640

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: LMRSM

Marine Ecosystem Dynamics Modeling

Dartmouth
MAR 650

This course is an elective.

4 credits

Option Areas: MASMA

Marine Ecosystem Modeling (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 524

Provides instruction, demonstration, and exercises in modeling methods for simulating biophysical interactions in marine science. Principals and methods are developed in lecture and applied through homework examples using the software package Matlab. Topics include stability and analysis of population models, zero-dimensional biochemical models, stage-based biochemical models, and individual-based coupled biophysical models (IBMs). Students will devise, implement, and test their own models in class projects.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Marine Microbiology (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
BIO 571

Taxonomy, physiology, and the role of heterotrophic microorganisms in the marine environment. The viruses will also be considered. Emphasis will be placed on the activities of the viruses, bacteria, and the fungi in the marine environment in the laboratory, exercises will be conducted on the methods of enumeration, detection of selected physiological groups, uptake and deputation of microorganisms by shellfish, marine biodeterioration, and the influence of environmental parameters on the growth and activities of marine microorganisms.

This class is an elective.

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|OHH

Marine Resource Economics and Policy (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 572

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|OHH

Numerical Methods in Ocean Sciences

Dartmouth
MAR 513

3 credits.

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Numerical Methods in Ocean Sciences (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 655

The basic concept of finite-difference, finite-element, and finite-volume methods, the various numerical methods used in solving the advection, diffusion, and elliptical equations, numerical instability, open boundary conditions, and numerical solutions of the primitive equations.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Ocean Atmosphere Dynamics

Dartmouth
MAR 656

Ocean atmosphere dynamic interaction processes related to short-term and long-term climate variability. 2-layer models and physics of El Nino/southern oscillation, North Atlantic Oscillation, and monsoon dynamics are discussed with the perspective of global climate change. During the semester the class will conduct a real-time monitoring experiment of the Pacific/Atlantic Ocean using the Internet. Also presented are advanced assimilation techniques of a satellite (GEOSTAT, Topex/Poseidon, SeaWiFS, MODAS) and in-situ data from the World Ocean Circulation Experiment (WOCE) in numerical climate models.

This course fulfills the Physical Oceanography core course requirement.

3 credits

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Ocean Circulation and Modeling

Dartmouth
MAR 645

Theories of ocean circulation, including wind-driven and thermohaline components, and their numerical modeling. The concepts of geostrophy, Sverdrup-to-Strommel dynamics, stratification, rotation, and diffusion processes are discussed for the general circulation features in all three world oceans. Primitive equation-based numerical modeling experiments are discussed for the global-scale, basin-scale, regional-scale, and feature-based models.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Ocean Turbulence

Dartmouth
MAR 610 (Cross-listed at MNE 490)

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MASMA

Physical-Biological Interaction in the Ocean

Dartmouth
MAR 662

Fundamental principles relating physical oceanographic processes to the biology of the ocean on a variety of spatial and temporal scales.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MASMA

Physical Oceanography of the Shallow Seas

Dartmouth
MAR 661

Physical oceanographic processes important to European and U.S. shallow seas, continental shelves and banks and their relationship to nutrients and biology (plankton and fish) in these regions.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MASMA

Physics of Fluids

Dartmouth
MAR 554

Scientific basics of fluid physics. Applications with a bias towards geophysical and astrophysical fluid mechanics. This course will also prepare students in topics in Applied Mathematics including the applications of ODEs and PDEs, by way of many examples from different areas of Fluid Physics.

3 credits

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Pollutant Transport in Environment (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 565

Study of transport processes in the environment. Topics include advection, diffusion, jets, plumes, air-gas transfer, heat transfer, reaction kinetics, sediment-water exchange, sediment erosion/deposition, and groundwater transport.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Quantitative Methods for Multidisciplinary Marine Applications (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 514

Provides instruction, demonstration, and exercises in quantitative methods critical to advanced studies in marine science. A wide range of subjects will be covered to provide an overview and build skills and familiarity with the course material. Content will be based on topics in calculus, function approximation, linear algebra, differential equations, and statistics. The curriculum will emphasize the application of these methods to problems in marine science including biological and oceanographic systems through classroom examples and homework content.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Satellite Oceanography (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 562

This course provides an overview of the use of satellite-based remote sensing for making measurements within the marine environment. Each of the primary satellite sensors used by oceanographers is introduced along with the principles behind their operation, measurement retrieval, data handling, and data interpretation/usage. Emphasis is placed on physical and biogeochemical applications of satellite-based data, along with their analysis and advantages, rather than engineering and physical/optical theory of measurement. This course relies on a textbook and outside readings from the primary oceanographic literature to showcase satellite data analysis and specific applications of these data types.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Physical Oceanography (PHY 550/MAR 555) or equivalent or permission of instructor.

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Special Topics: Biological Statistics II

Dartmouth
MAR 599-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Advanced Population Modeling

Dartmouth
MAR 599-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Marine Hydrodynamics and Propulsion

Dartmouth
MAR 599-03

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Inferential Statistics and Estimation

Dartmouth
MAR 599-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Advising Fisheries Managers: Interdisciplinary Case Studies

Dartmouth
MAR 580-01

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Arctic Ocean Dynamics and Its Role in Climate Changes

Dartmouth
MAR 599-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Climate Change to Carbon Sequestration: Critical Reading and Discussion (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 585-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics: Fish Behavior and Conservation Engineering

Dartmouth
MAR 599-01

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|LMRSM|OHH

Special Topics in Estuarine and Ocean Sciences: Internal Waves, Tides, and Upper Ocean Dynamics (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 585-01

This course is an elective.

2 credits

Option Areas: MOT|MASMA

Special Topics in Fisheries Oceanography: Ecosystem Processes in the Gulf of Maine, Georges Bank, and New England Shelf

Dartmouth
MAR 580-02

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Special Topics in Fisheries Oceanography: Scientific Writing: Primary Publications in Marine Science with an Emphasis on Fisheries Oceanography

Dartmouth
MAR 580-03

This course is an elective.

2 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC

Stock Assessment of Fishery Resources

Dartmouth
MAR 545

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM

Thesis Proposal Development Seminar

Dartmouth
MAR 520

Guides graduate student preparation of an acceptable master’s thesis or PhD dissertation proposal in a series of papers and in-class oral presentations. Students work with a thesis advisor and committee within a framework defined by the instructor to define a thesis problem in terms of relevant literature and design a research plan, including a support budget. In the process, students are expected to improve their skills in literature research, writing, and oral presentations.

This course is an elective.

2 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

US Ocean Policy (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 525

Review of contemporary issues in U.S. Ocean Policy. The course is organized into general topics. Students are largely responsible to lead class discussion, and material will be derived from specific publications including books, papers, and other media. When possible specialists will visit or they will be interviewed via teleconference, and discuss specific topics relating to U.S. National Ocean Policy. Specific class topics will require a brief written analysis. The course concludes with an oral synthesis paper and discussion.

This course fulfills the Marine Policy and/or Management core course requirement.

3 credits

Option Areas: CSS|ICM|LMRSM|MBEC|MOT|MASMA|OHH

Waves and Tides (Graduate Course)

Dartmouth
MAR 558

Analytical study of the physical processes governing waves in the marine environment. Covered topics include surface gravity waves, internal gravity waves, energy flux, group velocity, long waves, linear and nonlinear shallow water waves, and atmospheric forcing. This course will be of interest to any ocean scientist or engineer interested in the physics of waves.

This course is an elective.

3 credits

Option Areas: MBEC|MOT|MASMA