Marine Science Education Consortium

Duke University Marine Laboratory

The College of Arts & Sciences of Stetson University is a member of the Marine Science Education Consortium (MSEC) developed by the Duke University Marine Laboratory in Beaufort, North Carolina as a cooperative program to provide a formal coastal and marine science curriculum for students at liberal arts colleges and universities. The Duke Marine Lab offers laboratory and field oriented programs including supervised independent research and seminars. Small classroom size, daily access to specialized faculty, modern scientific equipment and the surrounding natural beauty of the marine environment combine with an integrated classroom, laboratory, and field experience to create “The Beaufort Experience.” The Duke Marine Lab is located in a small, historic coastal town on the Intracoastal Waterway near the Outer Banks and Cape Lookout where the Labrador Current and the Gulf Stream meet. Its biodiversity is one of the greatest to be found on the east coast. This unique location provides easy access for studies of chemical, geological, biological, and ecological aspects of the coastal and marine environment and for studies concerning policy and management of those environments.

Students with junior standing (at least two years at Stetson University) and adequate preparation in foundational courses (BIOL 141P, BIOL 142P, BIOL 243Q and  BIOL 244) may be selected by Stetson University to attend the Duke Marine Lab during a fall, or spring, or summer session. Consulting with advisors here and at MSEC, students may select courses such as those found at the following website: http://www.nicholas.duke.edu/marinelab/. Many of the classes count as upper-level electives toward Stetson’s majors and minors in Environmental Science, Aquatic & Marine Biology, or Biology. Tuition and fees for programs at the Duke Marine Lab are set by Duke University and are due upon acceptance to the program. Interested students should contact the MSEC program coordinator, Professor Melissa Gibbs, in the Biology Department, for more information.