Current Students

This is a list of required Core Courses, Foundational Course options, and departmental Advanced Seminars. Additional courses may be used to fulfill the Advanced Seminar requirement. For current course offerings and coursework guidance, please check with your faculty advisor and/or Eric Webb, Director of Graduate Studies.

Core courses

• BISC 580 Readings in Marine and Environmental Biology (Y1 fall)
• BISC 584: Faculty Lecture Series (Y1 spring)
• BISC 585: Scientific Writing and Reviewing (Y2 spring)
• BISC 529: Marine Environmental Biology Seminar
  • Four semesters required

Foundational Course Options:

• BISC 582: Advanced Biological Oceanography
• OS 512 – Introduction to Chemical and Physical Oceanography
• BISC 473 – Biological Oceanography
• BISC 543: Adaptation and Evolution
• BISC 404 – Ecology and Biodiversity

Advanced Seminars (4 required)

• BISC 586: Biological Oceanographic Instrumentation
• BISC 530: Plankton Biology
• BISC 531: Physiology of Marine Organisms
• BISC 532: Molecular and Microbial Ecology
• BISC 533: Remote Sensing and Modeling
• BISC 534: Population Genetics of Marine Organisms
• BISC 538: Metals and Biology in Oceanic Regimes
• BISC 536: Marine Biogeochemistry and Microbial Ecology
• BISC 539: Race and Racism in Evolutionary Biology
• BISC 540 Symbiosis
• BISC 541 Scientific Writing
• BISC 545: Modeling and Numerical Techniques for Marine Scientists 
• BISC 587: Communicating Ocean Science
• BISC 588: Introduction to Bioinformatics
• BISC 599 Organic Matter

An approved course in Statistics

• BISC 589 Statistics (recommended)
• BISC 305 Introduction to Statistics for Biologists
• BISC 444 Practical Analysis of Biological Data in R
• PSYC 501 Classic and Modern Statistical Methods
• PSYC 502L Analysis of Variance and Experimental Design
• PSYC 503L Regression and the General Linear Model
• PM 340L Health Behavior Statistical Methods
• PM 510L Principles of Biostatistics
• PM 511abL Data Analysis

Graduate students are required to serve as a teaching assistant for a minimum of two semesters. Ideally, the student should serve in at least two different courses. Students must enroll in BISC 593 (Practicum in Teaching the Biological Sciences, 2 units) either before or concurrent with their first semester as a Teaching Assistant.

Graduate students have the option to be supported by Teaching Assistantship. Calls for assistantships are made in mid-summer, mid-fall, and mid-spring for the Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, respectively. Students request courses for which they would like to be TAs from a list distributed by Doug Burleson. All enrolled students are eligible for TA positions up to and including year five of enrollment in the MEB program, beyond year five students are eligible for TAs based upon availability.

Course MEB students commonly TA:

• BISC102: Humans and Their Environment
• BISC120: General Biology: Organismal Biology and Evolution
• BISC220: General Biology: Cell Biology and Physiology

• Eric Webb, Director of Graduate Studies, MEBP Graduate Program: program-specific inquiries

Internal (USC & MEB) Funding

• The Department of Marine and Environmental Biology (MEB) supports student engagement at national and international conferences and workshops. To apply for travel support, email Eric Webb, Director of Graduate Studies, with details of the intended travel. Current students are eligible for up to $500 annually.
• Graduate Student Government Travel Grant (https://gsg.usc.edu/student-funding/travel-grants/)
• Women in Science and Engineering Travel Grant (https://wise.usc.edu/programs/grants-and-awards/postdocs-and-phd/travel-grants/)
• USC Endowed, Research Enhancement, and Final Year Fellowships (https://graduateschool.usc.edu/fellowships/current-PhD-students/#endowed-phd)

External Funding & Searchable Databases

• National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship Program (https://www.nsfgrfp.org/)
• NDSEG
• Dr. Nancy Foster Scholarship Program – NOAA
• Ford Foundation Fellowship
• USC’s Searchable Awards Database (http://awardsdatabase.usc.edu/)
• JHU List of Graduate Student Funding Opportunities (https://research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-opportunities/graduate/)
• JHU list of Underrepresented Minority and Low-income Graduate Student Funding Opportunities (https://research.jhu.edu/rdt/funding-opportunities/underrepresented/)

MEB graduate students participate in student-led leadership, service, and community activities. For current information about the MEB graduate student government, elected leadership, committees, or governing documents, please contact Eric Webb, Director of Graduate Studies.

MEB Service Awards recognize graduate students for meaningful service to the MEB community. For current information about eligibility, nomination procedures, award criteria, timelines, or award amounts, please contact Eric Webb, Director of Graduate Studies.