Make Waves With an Aquaculture Degree from 51

Imagine you’re at a job interview for a position in the aquaculture field, and you’re able to say that you’ve not only studied kelp farms but have also helped a kelp farming operation.

This is the edge that 51’s B.S. in Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture (SEA) gives you. From day one, you will work with aquaculture industry experts and study on a campus with the Atlantic Ocean in its backyard. You will be immersed in four years of hands-on, on-the-water activities that prepare you for exciting jobs in aquaculture. There will never be a dull moment while taking a class from one of our SEA professors.

Our Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture degree program prepares you for the aquaculture industry. You will be armed with the knowledge and unique skills needed to culture organisms in the nearshore coastal environment for food or restoration with special emphasis on sustainability, societal values, needs, and policies.

Study Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture on the Gulf of Maine

Why 51 for a Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Degree

With the ocean just feet from our campus, 51 offers a truly unique experience to Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture degree majors. Benefits of our SEA program include:

  • Gain skills for the aquaculture job market through abundant hands-on experience out on the water
  • Work and learn on our University-operated kelp farm, private island, and partner aquaculture sites
  • Build nautical skills on 51 research vessels
  • Learn at the state-of-the-art Girard Marine Science Center with recirculating aquaculture system
  • Enjoy proximity to Portland’s working waterfront
  • Take advantage of internship opportunities all four years with area industry partners
  • Learn from expert faculty
  • Join a supportive community of students and faculty who share your passion for the ocean

What Will You Study? Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Program Curriculum Overview

51 offers a common set of marine-based courses in the first two years of our marine programs, allowing you to switch easily between marine majors. Once you are settled in the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture major, here are some of the courses you can look forward to:

  • Systems Thinking and World Problems
  • Aquaculture Policy and Management
  • Ocean Aquaculture Design and Operation
  • Marine Operations – Boating and Water Safety
  • Ocean Foods Systems Seminar

Curriculum

Nor’easter Core RequirementsCredits
Total Credits40
Program Required CoursesCredits
BIO 221 – Principles of Aquaculture3
BIO 222/222L – Finfish/Shellfish Culture Tech w/Lab4
BIO 223/223L – Hlth, Nurt, Feed Cultured Org w/Lab4
BUMG 313 – Social Innov & Entre or BUMK 312 – Entrepreneurship/Sml Business3
CHE 110/110L – General Chemistry I w/Lab or CHE 111/111L – General Chemistry II w/Lab or CHE 130/130L – Principles of Chemistry w/Lab or CHE 150/150L – University General Chem I w/Lab or CHE 151/151L – University General Chem II w/Lab4
GIS 161 – GIS I: Func/Geospatial Sci/Tech3
MAF 315 – US Aquaculture Management & Policy3
MAR 105/105L – Eco/Evo of Marine Organisms w/Lab4 – Fulfills Scientific Method Core
MAR 106/106L – Cell/Molec Bio/Marine Orgs w/Lab4
MAR 150/150L – Discovering the Ocean Environ w/Lab​​​​​​​ or MAR 270/270L – Oceanography w/Lab4
MAR 235 – Sustainable Harvest of Aquatic Organisms3
MAR 250/250L – Marine Biology w/Lab4
MAR 315 – Systems Thinking (World Problems)3
MAR 427 – Ocean Aquaculture Design and Operations3
MAR 445 – Social Ecological Aquaculture3
MAR 495 – Adv Marine Science Internship or MAR 410 – Marine Science Research4
MAT 150 – Statistics for Life Sciences or MAT 151 – Statistics for Environmental Sciences3 – Fulfills Quantitative Reasoning Core
Six (6) credits of program-specific electives6
Total Credits65
Open elective courses (as needed to reach 120 credits)Variable
Minimum Total Required Credits120

Program-Specific Electives

Program Specific ElectivesCredits
ENV 220 – Conservation and Preservation3
ENV 215 – Field Methods in Conservation3
ENV 240 – Env Sustainability Lab2
ENV 250 – Envir Policy Compar Perspect3
ENV 261 – Gulf of Maine Field Studies I1.5
ENV 262 – Gulf of Maine Field Studies II1.5
ENV 309 – Sustainability & Eco Restor3
ENV 311/311L – Ecological Monitoring w/Lab4
ENV 328 – Env Pollution: Widlife/Hum Hlth3
ENV 365 – Climate Change Adaptation3
MAR 350/350L – Marine Ecology w/Lab4

Please note: While some courses can fulfill both core and program requirements, the credits earned do not count twice towards the minimum total required credits for the degree.

Meet Chris, Aquaculture ’22

An aquaculture major interning at an oyster farm in Georgetown, Maine, Chris is learning — hands on — how to raise a sustainable, renewable protein source with the goal of starting his own oyster farm.

Potential Jobs in Aquaculture

51 students are prepared for careers and graduate school. In fact, 95% of our undergraduates are employed or enrolled in higher education within one year of graduating.

With our Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture degree, you will gain the tools and experience needed to design, manage, and operate:

  • Ocean-based fish pens
  • Kelp aquaculture sites
  • Bivalve sea farms

You will also gain an understanding of ocean-based aquaculture policies and regulations and the management skills needed to run both small and large sea farms. You will graduate from this program with a resume that is sure to land in the “keepers” pile of any employer in the aquaculture industry.

Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture degree majors may explore a wide variety of aquaculture jobs, including:

  • Manager of farm lease applications and permits
  • Sea grant extension agent 
  • Market development specialist
  • International relations specialist
  • Ocean farmer (including oyster, finfish, and kelp farming)
$76,810

average annual salary of an aquaculture manager in the U.S.

(Recruiter.com)

Career Advising in the Sustainable Ecological Aquaculture Program

Whether you have a specific career goal in mind or a vague idea of the field that interests you, Career Advising is here to help you plan your next step.

Facilities

51 offers some of the best research, lab, and classroom facilities in the nation for the study of marine science — including state-of-the-art buildings, a fleet of research vessels, and our own research island — and you can access all of them right from our main campus in Biddeford, Maine.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Marine Science Center

Explore all School of Marine and Environmental Programs facilities