Major in Coastal & Marine Sciences
Receive full tuition support as an R. Todd Stravitz Scholar
The bachelor's degree program in Coastal and Marine Sciences launched in Fall 2025, and provides a foundational education in coastal and marine sciences with an emphasis on experiential learning and research. This is the first undergraduate degree program in coastal and/or marine sciences at any public institution in Virginia.
Degree program students benefit from two major recent gifts to VIMS and the Batten School. Students accepted to the coastal and marine sciences major will receive full tuition support (four semesters) through the R. Todd Stravitz Scholars Program, which was announced in February 2025. Only months earlier, William & Mary received a record $100 million gift from philanthropist Jane Batten, HON '17, L.H.D. '19, naming the school and establishing an endowment designed to sustain and grow its academic and research endeavors. The gift was the largest in the university's history and the largest gift ever given to a school dedicated to coastal and marine sciences. Thanks to Batten's support, undergraduates will benefit from numerous campus improvements, the hiring of new faculty members, and $5,000 for each coastal & marine sciences major to use for independent research, an internship experience, or a study abroad in a marine-related program.
Check out the Curriculum Quick Guide for a shorthand reference to the full Coastal & Marine Sciences major curriculum, including suggestions on courses to take in a student's first two years at W&M, to best set them up for admissions and completion of the degree.