An Intercampus Graduate School Of Marine Sciences And Technology

Four of the colleges that make up the University of Massachusetts system are working together to establish an Intercampus Graduate School of Marine Sciences and Technology (IGS). The Lowell campus, often considered the technology campus of the UMass system, will provide much of the groundwork for the marine engineering portion of the program. The overall purpose of the IGS program is to offer a course of study in marine sciences integrating the natural and social sciences in a manner not offered by established academic institutions in the New England region, or for that matter, in much of the country. The availability of courses, laboratories, and supervising faculty from four campuses provides students with a greater range of choices than is currently available at a single campus. The organization of the school and the courses to be offered are described. Each of the campuses of the UMass system (Amherst, Boston, Dartmouth, and Lowell) brings individual strengths to the program. The core courses in the program are described together with the areas of specialization available at each campus. A description of how fluid mechanics and ocean engineering courses offered at the Lowell campus will be integrated into the new program are described. The curriculum is currently in the developmental phase and will be in place for the first class of students enrolling in the Fall of 2001. The program fills a need for an offering of this type by a university in the public sector.