Master of Science in Fisheries and Mariculture

Texas A&M University - Corpus Christi - International Study Center (StudyGroup)

The Fisheries and Mariculture Program offers an M.S. degree with a choice of emphasis in either fisheries or mariculture. Our students enjoy a low student-faculty ratio and opportunities to study ecologically and commercially important Gulf of Mexico and Texas species. Students entering the program have the opportunity to receive financial support from assistantships, fellowships, or scholarships awarded by the university and by private and public agencies. Returning Peace Corps volunteers who have completed their assignment are eligible for the Paul D. Coverdell Fellowship. Faculty members supervise student research on topics such as fisheries ecology, larval physiology, habitat restoration, aquatic animal culture, diseases, and nutrition. Students may conduct their research at university facilities and in the surrounding aquatic environments, as well as nearby partner institutions, including the Texas A&M AgriLife Mariculture Research Facility, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Marine Development Center fish hatchery, and Texas State Aquarium. Our students acquire the cutting edge science and technological skills necessary for positions in public and private sectors of the fisheries and mariculture industries, as well as undertaking reserach allowing them to pursue further studies at the Ph.D level. Student research topics are as varied as FAMA faculty expertise and have included fish culture for stock enhancment, ocean acidification, algae biofuels, use of biofloc in the culture of Pacific white shrimp, disease, and relative value of estuarine habitats for finfish and crustaceans. Faculty and student researchers use an array of quantitative research tools including molecular techniques, statistical analysis and GIS, as well as traditional field sampling methods.