Academics

Graduate Certificate

The NSU Oceanographic Center offers two four-course graduate certificates, with courses available in a convenient and flexible online or evening (in-house) format. Students may take either a Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies, or in Marine and Coastal Climate Change. Applicants with any undergraduate major will be considered for admission. All of NSU's programs are fully accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and students accepted into the program may be eligible for financial aid.

The Graduate Certificates aim to provide:

Students can enroll in courses in any semester (Summer, Fall 1 or 2, or Winter 1 or 2). Students studying towards a Marine and Coastal Climate Change certificate must complete two core online courses, MCCC 5300 Climate Change: The Scientific Basis and MCCC 5350 Climate Change: The Societal Perspective. There are no required core courses for the Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies program. Elective courses may be chosen from any course offered with a CZMT, MCCC or MA prefix. While the majority of courses are offered in an online format, students accepted into the Graduate Certificate program may apply to fulfill one or more of the required elective courses from in-house or field-based offerings, pending instructor's acceptance.

For the Graduate Certificate program, courses do not have to be taken over consecutive semesters; students can enroll according to the schedule most convenient for them as long as all course work is completed within five years of initial registration. The Certificates are awarded upon successful completion (C grade or higher) of four appropriate courses.

Click on the following link for more information about jobs related to this program: Marine Sciences
Cost

How much will the total program cost?

Tuition and fees:

12 credits x $970/credit hour: $11,640

Registration fees: $25/term

Annual Student Services fee: $750 maximum

Books and supplies: approximately $500

Total: approximately $12,890

Room and Board

The Graduate Certificates room and board expenses are estimated as follows:

Off Campus: $20,218

With Parent: $3,360

On Campus: $19,297
Financing

What are my financing options to pay for the program?

In addition to any grant and scholarship aid for which they are eligible, students have taken loans to finance their education. A list of sources is available through the Office of Financial Aid.

In addition to any grant and scholarship aid for which they are eligible, 78.6 percent of graduates used federal loans. The median federal loan debt for Coastal Studies certificate graduates was $20,500. There were no private loans taken for this certificate.

Institutional Debt: 0
Success

The Graduate Certificates are designed to be completed in 1 year. Expected amount of time to complete is an average of 1.5 years.

For the Graduate Certificate in Coastal Studies:

71 percent of graduates completed the program in this time

For the Graduate Certificate in Marine and Coastal Climate Change:

There were less than ten completers of this degree program in academic year 2011-2012. Therefore, percent completing within time is not reported for privacy concerns.