Master of Science in Marine Mammal Science

Master of Science in Marine Mammal Science

New College offers a Master’s of Marine Mammal Science, under the Classification of Instructional Programs (CIP) code 45.0102. The degree requires 30 credit hours of graduate work. Students complete 5 courses at 3 credit hours each, a Laboratory in Field of Study and Seminar in Marine Mammal Science each semester and two Independent Study Projects (ISP) in the month of January, at 1.5 credit hours each.   

MIMMS Mission Statement: An interdisciplinary academic center providing research and graduate/undergraduate education of the highest quality in marine mammal science through the collaboration of experts and students dedicated to scientific excellence, marine mammal conservation, and outreach. 

Contact Us
Marine Mammal Science Program
(941) 487-4930
marmamsci@ncf.edu

Application Requirements

1. Graduate Application for the Master of Science in Marine Mammal Science program

2. Academic record (all post-secondary transcripts), with documentation of a bachelor’s degree (or a documented forth-coming degree) from an accredited US college of university (or the foreign equivalent, as determined by a NACES-member transcript evaluation service).  Students with academic records from a non-US colleges or universities should arrange for a professional evaluation (and translation, if necessary) of their transcripts by a NACES-member service.

3. Personal Statement.  Please describe any research in which you have been engaged, and your central research interests, however narrow or broad.

4. Letters of recommendation (2) from persons well situated to evaluate your qualifications for graduate study, with at least one from a faculty member who can address your research/academic abilities.  The online application will ask you to enter your recommender's email addresses for the recommendation letter form to be sent to them.

5. GRE or GRE Subject score (NCF’s GRE code is: 5506)

Preferred, but not required

1. Recent employment and/or academic experience (including fellowships, internships, research positions)

2. Students who are not US citizens or US permanent Resident Aliens, and whose first language is not English, must provide proof of English proficiency.  Typically, recent scores (within the past two years) will be required, as follows:

1.  Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL): score of 83 or better on the TOEFL IbT, or 560 on the Paper-Based TOEFL; or 

2.  International English Language Testing System (IELTS): score of 6.5 or better; or 

3.  Recent records (within the past two years) of successful academic or professional work in a setting where English is the primary language in use may be considered as a substitute for the testing requirement. 

The following are prerequisite undergraduate courses:

• Introduction to Statistics
• Introduction to Biology or Ecology or Psychology & lab in at least one of these areas.
• 2 upper-level Biology, Ecology, Psychology, or Statistics
• Intro to Chemistry (preferred)

*Note: Students entering in AY 2025-26 receive tuition waivers for their first year in the program.

Master of Science in Marine Mammal Science

May-mester: Visiting Scholar Series (2-week, intensive electives taught by visiting experts)

• Successful completion of all credit courses in the first and second year: 30 credit hours 
• A minimum of 3.00 cumulative grade point average (GPA) by the end of the program 
• Successful oral defense of the thesis to a committee of at least 2 core MIMMS faculty and 1-2 approved affiliates 
• Successful completion of a master’s thesis

Gordon Bauer, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Manoa; Affiliated Faculty/Professor of Psychology (Emeritus)
Interests: Biological Psychology, Animal Cognition & Behavior

Peter Cook, Ph.D., University of California, Santa Cruz; Associate Professor, Marine Mammal Science & Psychology
Interests: Animal Cognition, Comparative Neuroscience, Ecologically Valid Experimental Design, Memory and Structural and Functional Brain Connectivity

Heidi Harley, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Manoa; Director/Faculty Chair, MIMMS / Peg Scripps Buzzeli Endowed Professor of Psychology
Interests: Dolphin Cognition, Cognitive Psychology, Comparative Cognition

Athena Rycyk, Ph.D., Florida State University; Associate Professor, Marine Mammal Science & Biology
Interests: Sirenian Biology, including manatee-boat interactions, vocal communication and acoustic ecology

Amber Whittle, Ph.D., University of Hawaii, Manoa; Affiliated Faculty, MIMMS
Interests: Conservation, Research Science Administration, Grant Engagement