Marine and Environmental Sciences, PhD—Advanced Entry

The PhD in Marine and Environmental Sciences (MES) program provides students with advanced course work and training in the concentration areas of marine science, geoscience, sustainability, and ecology and evolution. 

Students must pass three examinations during the course of their graduate studies:

1. An oral examination by the student’s dissertation committee.
2. A proposal defense presented to the student's dissertation committee that explains the research areas that the student proposes to work in.
3. A defense of the student's written dissertation consisting of a public seminar, public question-and-answer period, and private defense of their work to their dissertation committee. Dissertation committees consist of at least four Northeastern faculty and one external faculty member.

A cumulative GPA of 3.000 is required for graduation. All PhD students are required to have at least two first-authored publications submitted to or accepted in a peer-reviewed journal prior to their defense. The PhD will be awarded following submission of a dissertation, approved by the candidate’s dissertation committee, to the College of Science.