Connect to the Planet and Your Peers
Join us for a month filled with once-in-a-lifetime, immersive learning experiences centered on urban oceans!
Courses focus on understanding and solving issues in the San Pedro Channel, a unique ocean environment off the coast of one of the world’s busiest port cities. Everything takes place at the Wrigley Marine Science Center, our incredible living laboratory on Santa Catalina Island.
Applications for Maymester 2026 are now closed. Fill out the interest form below for more information about Maymester 2027.
Maymester 2026 dates: May 18 – June 12, 2026
How it Works
All Wrigley Institute Maymester students spend the full four weeks on Catalina Island. In addition to participating in their core classes, students engage in a variety of interdisciplinary activities designed for the whole group.
Covering the social and natural sciences and the humanities, opportunities include problem-solving sessions, field research, recreation, and special events designed to train students in environmental leadership.
Applications for Maymester 2026 are now closed. Some financial support is available to help cover the cost of room and board. For more information about Maymester generally, watch the video below, and read our FAQ/Info Session page. For information about course offerings, see the Maymester 2026 course list at the bottom of this page.
A Learning Experience Like No Other
Five classes. More than 50 students. One incredible island. The USC Wrigley Institute Maymester is a learning experience like no other. Hear directly from students and faculty why our Catalina Residential College is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to immerse yourself in environmental and sustainability education.
Dive into Maymester
Maymester Courses
See the course descriptions below for information on the types of learning opportunities usually available through this program. Most courses repeat each year, and each course carries a full semester of credit for one month of study.
Maymester 2026 Program Dates
May 18 – June 12, 2026
Key Application Dates
- Priority deadline for Maymester and related financial aid: Monday, November 10 at 11:59 p.m.
- Decision Notifications Sent: Monday, November 24
- Commitment Deadline: Monday, December 8 at 11:59 p.m.
- Final deadline for Maymester Applications: Monday, January 5 at 11:59 p.m.
Cost: Maymester is included in the spring semester course load and tuition, but this experience has an out-of-pocket cost of $2,398 associated with room and board on Catalina Island. Some financial support is available. Read the FAQ for more information.
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Instructors: John Heidelberg (jheidelb@usc.edu) and Eric Webb (eawebb@usc.edu)
Discover how microbes affect not only your health but also the health of our planet, and how anthropogenic influences affect them in return. Aquatic microbiology brings together many different fields of science, including microbial biology, ecology, biochemistry, genomics, bioinformatics, and molecular biology. This deep-immersion course cross-trains students to work and think in many fields, and to apply their knowledge toward an understanding of natural cycles and human impacts along our coastlines. Due to WMSC’s unique setting, students will spend plenty of time in the field getting up-close and personal with the microbial world.
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Instructors: Karla Heidelberg (kheidelb@usc.edu) and Noelle Held (nheld@usc.edu)
This course is designed to introduce students to the study of coastal marine environments and to guided, independent research in marine ecosystems. During the class, students will learn how to use scientific methodology to evaluate global environmental issues, including topics related to human impacts on coastal environments, watershed interactions, and ecosystem function. Students will use authentic research sampling equipment, sampling methodology, and analysis methods for sites on and around the Wrigley Marine Science Center on Catalina Island. One of the highlights of this class will be an oceanographic training cruise where students will conduct field sampling aboard a working research vessel.
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Instructor: David Ginsburg (dginsbur@usc.edu) and Ryan Freedman (ryanfree@usc.edu)
The purpose of this course is to introduce students to field skills and ecosystem management tools used to investigate complex human-environmental problems in coastal areas. Students will be provided with active learning opportunities to work and learn in coastal environments (both above and below the water), and to gain a better understanding of the interdisciplinary complexities of implementing ecosystem management strategies in a real landscape. At the end of the course, students will present a summary of their active learning projects to gain feedback on their results and outcomes.
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Instructor: Sean Fraga (sfraga@usc.edu)
In this class, we will use Pimu Catalina Island to explore humanity’s long history with coastal environments. Key themes in our course will include ancient human migration, European exploration and imperialism, environmental colonialism, labor, leisure and tourism, and technology and the environment. Students will engage in original historical research, using narratives, charts, newspapers, photographs, and other archival sources to uncover, understand, interpret, and communicate key stories about the island’s past. In doing so, students will both gain experience with archival research methods and develop insight into how environmental conditions shape and are shaped by human societies over time.