# Oceanography and Marine Sciences (Associate in Arts in University Studies (25 Unit Emphasis))

Shasta College · 2026-2027 Catalog · Department: Earth Sciences

Source: https://scmainweb.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/files/resources/catalog-2026-2027-compressed.pdf#page=78

Oceanography is a holistic science involving the intersection of all sciences, many applied sciences, technology and often engineering. The core courses in this degree present that diversity while fulfilling the base requirements for entry into a bachelor’s program. Degree elective courses have the flexibility to explore oceanographic connections to the atmosphere (weather and climate), regional and global environmental quality, marine environment sciences including ethics, policy and natural resource management, marine biology, ecology, and archaeology, paleoceanography, and fisheries while introducing habitat sampling as supported by data collection techniques and technology. An interested student can forge a degree plan in preparation for transfer into any of these areas while gaining a general oceanography foundation that is typically required to move into a specialized program.

### Program learning outcomes

Upon successful completion of this degree, the student should be able to:

1. Explain the role of plate tectonics on ocean basin formation and destruction, inclusive of processes that operate at mid ocean ridges and deep sea trenches.
2. Describe the chemical qualities of the marine environment (seawater) ranging from salinity and pH to available gases, noting the controls on such qualities as they span physical and biologic interactions.
3. Illustrate and explain the origin of coastal landforms and how they define nearshore and shoreline habitats inclusive of currents, sediment transport and deposition, and tidal influences.
4. Using environmental and taxonomic categorizations, classify different types of marine life with descriptive qualities of organisms and their habitats.
5. Explain the role of the oceans on a planetary scale, starting with their role within the hydrosphere and as they interact with the geosphere, atmosphere and biosphere.
6. Apply ecologic principles to marine environments, noting physical, chemical and biologic interactions that define a given ecosystem.

| Course | Title | Units |
| --- | --- | --- |
| **Core courses** | |  |
| ESCI-1 | The Active Earth | 4 |
| ESCI-15 | Oceanography | 4 |
| **Choose 4 units of a Lec/Lab combination below** | |  |
| ESCI-16 | Coastal Marine Sciences | 3 |
| ESCI-16L | Coastal Marine Sciences Laboratory | 1 |
| or ESCI-37 | The Northern California Coast | 1.5 |
| ESCI-37L | The Northern California Coast Lab/ Fld Stud (.5) |  |
| ESCI-38 | Point Reyes National Seashore | 1.5 |
| ESCI-38L | Point Reyes National Seashore Lab/ Fld Stud (.5) |  |
| **RESTRICTED ELECTIVES (LIFE SCIENCES) (Choose 4 units from options below that include a laboratory or field component)** | |  |
| BIOL-1 | Principles of Biology | 4 |
| BOT-1 | General Botany | 4 |
| ESCI-6 | Ancient Life | 4 |
| ZOOL-1 | General Zoology | 4 |
| BIOL-12 | Field Biology | 3 |
| BIOL-12L | Field Biology Laboratory | 1 |
| NHIS-5 | Natural History of the Neotropics | 3 |
| NHIS-5L | Natural History of the Neotropics Laboratory | 1 |
| NHIS-15 | Natural History of California | 3 |
| NHIS-65 | Natural History of the Redwood Coast | 1 |
| AGNR-60 | Environmental Science | 3 |
| AGNR-61 | Environmental Science Laboratory | 1 |
| **ELECTIVE COURSES (Choose at least 9 units from the following)** | |  |
| AGNR-1 | Introduction to Natural Resources |  |
| AGNR-60 | Environmental Science |  |
| AGNR-61 | Environmental Science Laboratory |  |
| AGPS-25 | California Water |  |
| ARCH-4A | Beginning Field Archaeology |  |
| ARCH-5A | Beginning Archaeology Laboratory |  |
| BIOL-1 | Principles of Biology |  |
| BIOL-12 | Field Biology |  |
| BIOL-12L | Field Biology Laboratory |  |
| BOT-1 | General Botany |  |
| CHEM-1A | General Chemistry |  |
| CHEM-1B | General Chemistry |  |
| CHEM-2A | Introduction to Chemistry |  |
| ESCI-2 | Earth: the History of Our Planet |  |
| ESCI-6 | Ancient Life |  |
| ESCI-7 | California Through Time, a Geologic Journey |  |
| ESCI-10 | Environmental Geology |  |
| ESCI-14 | Meteorology |  |
| ESCI-14L | Meteorology Laboratory |  |
| ESCI-18 | Global Climate Change: Past, Present and Future |  |
| ESCI-37 | The Northern California Coast |  |
| ESCI-37L | Northern California Coast Lab and Field Studies |  |
| ESCI-38 | Point Reyes National Seashore |  |
| ESCI-38L | Point Reyes National Seashore Lab and Field Studies |  |
| GEOG-9 | Map and Geospatial Principles |  |
| GEOG-10 | Introduction to Geographic Information Systems |  |
| GEOG-15 | Introduction to Remote Sensing |  |
| NHIS-5 | Natural History of the Neotropics |  |
| NHIS-5L | Natural History of the Neotropics Laboratory |  |
| NHIS-15 | Natural History of California |  |
| NHIS-65 | Natural History of the Redwood Coast |  |
| PHYS-2A | General College Physics |  |
| PHYS-2B | General College Physics |  |
| ZOOL-1 | General Zoology |  |
| **SPECIALIZATIONS for Marine Sciences Transfer** | |  |

In addition to the degree core, there are many specific GE course combinations in the Humanities and Social Sciences, as well as specific Science courses among the electives list above, that can support transfer into marine science specializations for the transfer student, including Oceanography, Coastal Marine Conservation, Marine Biology/Marine Ecology, Marine Resources Management/Fisheries, Marine Archaeology, Paleoceanography, and Ocean-Atmosphere interdisciplinary programs. See Earth Science Department faculty or a counselor.