![Coastal geoscience hero — eroding cliff face survey — Program imagery, oceanography/geoscience cluster.](/sites/default/files/2026-01/Coastal_Geoscience_Eroding_Cliff_Face_Survey.png?alternateWidths=/sites/default/files/styles/canvas_parametrized_width--%7Bwidth%7D/public/2026-01/Coastal_Geoscience_Eroding_Cliff_Face_Survey.png.avif%3Fitok%3DAItmaiKv) Case Study # Marine Resource Management A professional master's in managing fisheries and other marine resources, built on the assessment science and the economics together. [ Start an application ](/standard-page/how-to-apply) [ Download the handbook ](/standard-page/admissions) Marine Resource Management is for people who will be in the room when a decision is made about how much of something can be taken, and by whom. The degree is built on the conviction that the decision cannot be made well by someone who understands only the biology or only the economics. ## What you study Fisheries policy and management, stock assessment, and marine resource economics. The assessment course is the same one the fisheries science students take — this is not a simplified version, and graduates report that being able to work through an assessment themselves is what distinguishes them in the job market. The economics half addresses the parts economics handles badly as well as the parts it handles well. Adjustment costs are the recurring case: when a fishery declines, the barrier to a household moving out of it is usually licensing, debt and vessel capital rather than skills or willingness. Most transition programs are designed the other way, and understanding why is a large part of the degree. Valuation is taught with its limits attached. Putting a number on a coastal wetland is useful in a process that would otherwise value it at zero, and that is not the same as the number being right. ## Where it leads State and federal fishery management, regional management councils, seafood industry and certification bodies, consulting, and international resource organizations. Several graduates have gone into the co-management arrangements the department studies. ## What to expect Quantitative work throughout, and case material drawn from real management decisions with all of their compromises intact. Students who want clean answers find the first semester uncomfortable. ## Curriculum MPOL 330 [Fisheries Policy and Management](/course/fisheries-policy-and-management)Fisheries management taught with the assessment science inside it, because a fisheries policy course without one is a course about opinions. 1.5 AQUA 350 [Fisheries Stock Assessment](/course/fisheries-stock-assessment)Turning catch records, survey data and biological sampling into a defensible number for how much can be taken. 1.5 MPOL 540 [Marine Resource Economics](/course/marine-resource-economics)The economics of marine resource use, taught with its limits attached — including the parts the discipline handles badly. 2 ## Common questions ### Click to expand accordion Is housing guaranteed for first-year students? Yes, for all students entering directly from high school. Transfer students are housed as space allows, and the waitlist usually clears by mid-July. [Housing and residence life](#) ### Click to expand accordion How do I get between campuses? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What is the weather actually like? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What if I get seasick? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### At a glance Credential awardedMS Degree levelgraduate Program length2 years Start termsfall ## Program Lead ![Librarian portrait, reading-room window seat — Person `person_portrait`.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Librarian_portrait_reading_room_window_seat.png.avif?itok=yto8boIB) ### Dr. Grace Adeyemi Professor of Marine Economics Related ## Other programs ![Coastal engineering hero — sea wall inspection at low tide — Program imagery, coastal engineering cluster.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering_Sea_Wall_Inspection.png.avif?itok=jXv8806u) MS / Certificate ### Coastal Resilience A professional master's for people who will make decisions about a shoreline that is moving. Taught jointly by the policy and ocean science departments. - 2 years - Graduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/coastal-resilience) ![Aerial-style view of the coastal campus cluster — Landing page imagery, establishing hero.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Aerial_Style_Coastline_Campus_Cluster.png.avif?itok=f9qC3k94) BA ### Marine Policy Ocean governance taught inside a science faculty, so that the policy arguments rest on the evidence rather than gesturing at it. Includes the policy clinic. - 4 years - Undergraduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/marine-policy) ## Come and see the tidal flats for yourself Open days run four times a year, and the Wrightsville tour always includes the field station. [ Book an open day ](/standard-page/visit-campus) [ Contact the department ](/standard-page/contact-us)