The Marine-Estuarine-Environmental Sciences (MEES) Program is a graduate program leading to M.S. and Ph.D. degrees. The mission of the MEES Program is to train graduate students in the environmental sciences. There is a clear need for scientists with training in this area, given the multitude of environmental problems faced by society today.

The title of the program emphasizes our strengths in marine and estuarine sciences, although the program spans environmental science as a whole, irrespective of habitat. The interests of students in the program are diverse, but generally center on some aspect of the interaction between biological and physical or chemical systems. The analysis of this interaction may be anything from a study of molecular mechanisms to an assessment of the economics of an environmental impact. To ensure that all students in the program have some understanding of the breadth of information in the field of environmental sciences, each student is required to have course work in a variety of areas.

The MEES Program is interdisciplinary; its faculty consists of members from numerous units within the University System of Maryland (USM). In most cases, students within the MEES Program work in the laboratory of their research advisor in the department or unit to which the advisor belongs. This may be a department of the Baltimore City or Baltimore County Campuses, the College Park Campus, the Eastern Shore Campus, one of the biotechnology centers of the Maryland Biotechnology Institute (MBI), or at laboratories of the University of MD Center for Environmental Science (UMCES) - the Horn Point Laboratory, the Chesapeake Biological Laboratory, or the Appalachian Laboratory.

Courses taken by MEES students are taught on all campuses of USM and at the research laboratories. In general, basic or fundamental courses are offered on the campuses, whereas more advanced and specialized courses are offered at both the campuses and research laboratories. A course taught anywhere within USM is available to any graduate student registered at any campus through intercampus enrollment.

The interests of faculty and students within the MEES Program have led to six formally defined Areas of Specialization (AOSs), from which a student may choose. The AOSs are: Ecology, Environmental Chemistry, Environmental Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, Environmental Science, Fisheries Science, and Oceanography. Each student will choose an AOS when applying, and both admission and program requirements will depend on the AOS and the student's background and interests.

The final section of this guide lists USM faculty who are affiliated with the MEES Program and indicates their research interests. Given that students will be admitted to the program only if a research advisor can be identified for them, applicants are urged to contact potential advisors early in the application process so they can determine the possibility of working with him or her.