Ocean Food Systems

The Ocean Food Systems (OFS) P.S.M. envisions a future where a diversified, innovative, and sustainable ocean food system is developed across the Maine-North Atlantic-Arctic region with the participation of all stakeholders including communities, producers, engineers, manufacturers, and consumers. Industry-academic partnerships are paramount to actualizing this vision. OFS partners have direct access to project planning, development, and implementation and are vital to setting “up-to-the-minute” relevant foci of study for OFS program cohorts.

The Professional Master’s in Ocean Food Systems, through the School of Marine and Environmental Programs, offers post-baccalaureate training to students interested in an in-depth study of how where you will holistically examine ocean foods value chains in fisheries and aquaculture, seafood trade, and interactions with marine governance, law, management, and policy.

The 12-month program, along with coursework, will include a customized master’s project catered to each individual student. The master’s project will be designed and extensively researched by each student with the guidance of a mixed committee of faculty and industry stakeholders.

Program Goals

• Provide a knowledge base in Ocean Food Systems that is deeper than the typical undergraduate experience.
• Foster the participation of new knowledge and thoroughly communicate that to the public.
• Instill outstanding critical thinking skills paired with in-depth scientific knowledge to inform science, business, and/or policy in Ocean Food Systems.
• Develop outstanding scientific communication skills through written and oral presentations.

Graduation Requirements

Students must successfully complete all required courses with a minimum graduate GPA of 3.0 and successfully pursue, complete, and defend publicly an approved research thesis.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

To remain in the P.S.M. in Ocean Food Systems Program: Marine Sciences program, the student's cumulative graduate GPA must be a minimum of 3.0. A student whose GPA falls below 3.0 or who receives a grade below B- in any course taken for graduate credit will be placed on academic probation.

Program Completion Timeline

Students have a maximum of three years to complete the graduation requirements. After one academic year (summer, fall and spring terms), students who have completed their coursework but are still completing their projects are required to enroll in a project continuation credit per semester to remain in the program.

Probation/Dismissal

A graduate student whose grade point average (GPA) for any semester falls below 3.0, or whose cumulative grade point average is below 3.0, or who receives a class grade below a B- for any class taken for graduate credit is automatically placed on probation. A student placed on academic probation will be granted one fall or spring semester to raise his/her cumulative GPA to 3.0 or above, will be required to achieve a minimum GPA of 3.0 for the semester, and cannot receive a second class grade below B-. UNE North, The School of Marine and Environmental Programs, and the dean of the College of Arts and Sciences will consider for dismissal any student who fails to meet these criteria.

Course Withdrawal

In normal length semesters, a matriculated student may withdraw from a course without academic penalty (a grade of W is assigned) at any time during the first two-thirds of the semester. If withdrawal occurs after that date, the grade of WP (withdrew passing) or WF (withdrew failing) will be entered, subject to determination by the instructor. The grade of WF is computed in the grade point average.

Incomplete Grades

A student who believes she/he is unable to complete the work for a given course by the end of the term may apply for an extension by discussion with the instructor. At the time of this meeting, a plan must be agreed upon for completion of the course work, including a date of completion, not to exceed six weeks following the end date of the course. This agreement must be completed by the last day of class for the given course. Any student who does not follow the above guidelines will receive an F for the course. In exceptional circumstances (such as death in family, significant illness, accident), an additional extension may be requested. Any such request must be made in writing, reviewed, and signed by the instructor and the student’s advisor.

1. To describe and analyze the international to local issues, problems and opportunities, sustainability challenges, and natural and social-ecological foundations of transdisciplinary work in ocean food systems.
2. To engage in the processes of project formulation, design, team-building, and writing in ocean food systems.
3. To develop the ability to conduct independent investigations under supervision in order to build leadership skills in ocean food systems.
4. To formulate, develop, and deliver a project comprising transdisciplinary, social, and natural science and other technical information; collect data and information, and summarize results, findings, and recommendations, both orally and in writing, to international, national, and local audiences.

• No transfer credit granted

Advanced Standing

• No advanced standing placement available

Experiential Learning

• No credit awarded for experiential learning

Program Update

Thank you for your interest in the University of New England and our graduate Professional Science Masters (P.S.M.) program in Ocean Food Systems. We appreciate and applaud your ongoing interest in the important field of sustainable ocean food systems.

Due to unanticipated internal leadership changes, the P.S.M. in Ocean Food Systems has made the difficult decision to refrain from admitting a class for the 2022–2023 academic year. Therefore, we will not be accepting applications for admission this cycle.

We sincerely apologize for the inconvenience this development may cause. We expect to resume admissions to the program in 2023 and would welcome your application at that time. If you have questions or would like to speak with someone directly regarding this update, please reach out via email to gradadmissions@une.edu and we will route your message to the appropriate contact for follow-up.

Tuition and Fees

Tuition and fees for subsequent years may vary. Other expenses include books and housing. For more information regarding tuition and fees, please consult the Financial Information section of this catalog.

Continued Enrollment

After one academic year, a student who has completed all coursework except their project will be required to pay for a minimum of one project credit hour plus mandatory fees each semester to remain in the program. 

Other Expenses

Housing is arranged by and financed at the expense of the student. Currently, there is no on-campus housing available for graduate students.

Financial Aid

Detailed information and applications are available on request from the Financial Aid Office at the Biddeford Campus. Call (207) 602-2342 or by visiting the Financial Aid website.