The PhD program in coastal resources management (CRM) seeks to meet the need for scientifically trained specialists able to move effectively between the worlds of academia, research, policy, and management through an interdisciplinary program of study, experience, and research.
Each student focuses in one of the four areas of concentration (coastal and estuarine ecology, coastal geosciences, coastal human dimensions and policy, and coastal and marine economics and policy), while developing a fundamental understanding of basic theory and methodology in one of the three other areas. The program provides specialized knowledge in one of these areas; general knowledge of theory and methodology in one related area; an introduction to the structures, processes, and implementation of coastal/marine policy and management; and understanding of the mechanisms by which scientific information is used in the formulation of public policy.