A specialization in marine cultural resource management is offered. This specialization introduces students to techniques of survey, excavation, mapping, and analysis of underwater archeological sites. 

 Marine Affairs and Policy students tailor their course selections to match their individual career objectives. MAF offers the Master of Arts (MA) and Master of Science (MS) degrees. The MA degree requires completion of 27 course credits and 3 internship credits. The MS degree requires completion of 30 course credits and 6 thesis credits.  The Master degree programs are considered  terminal graduate degrees for those wishing to pursue careers in marine policy and management. The M.A. can also lead into Ph.D. specialization in marine policy, environmental law, maritime business, economics, anthropology, or environmental education. The M.S. can lead into Ph.D. in pure sciences. 

 The University of Miami School of Law and the Rosenstiel School of Marine and Atmospheric Science offer a Joint degree program in law and marine affairs and policy. Upon completion of this program, a student earns a Juris Doctor degree from the School of Law and the Master of Arts degree in Marine Affairs and Policy from Rosenstiel. A student may complete requirements of both degrees within three and one-half years in an intensive  program of six semesters and two full summers. This program is geared toward students who want a career in the field of law with a specialization in marine and environmental issues. 

 Students who apply for admission to the MA program must possess a B.S. or B.A. in any relevant academic field. Those who apply for the MS program must possess a B.S. in pure science. Foreign students are encouraged to apply, but must have earned an English TOEFL score of at least 550. 

 The Boating Research Center (BRC) is a research arm of Marine Affairs that conducts a wide variety of research and education related to boat ownership and activities. The BRC has a database of all the registered boats in Florida, that together with the U.S Census data and state and county geographic data, facilitates analysis of human interactions with the marine environment. 
 
 

Courses Offered in Marine Affairs 

• Political Ecology of Resource Management 
• Economics of Natural Resources 
• Fieldwork in Coastal Cultures 
• Environmental Planning and the Environmental Impact Statement
• Techniques of Marine Archaeology
• Marine Cultural Resource Management
• Coastal and Ocean Policy
• Aquaculture Management 
• Aquaculture and the Law
• Environmental Law
• Fisheries Socioeconomics and Management
• Port Operations and Policy
• Coastal Law and Policy 
• International Ocean Law 
• Coastal Zone Management
• Marine Geographic Information Systems
• Special Topics in Marine Affairs: For Fall 2003: MAF 576:Conservation and Management of Large Marine Vertebrates

Personnel and Interests

Daniel Benetti 

Chairperson and Associate Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy (aquaculture management)

Kenny Broad 

Assistant Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy & Adjunct Associate Research Scientist at Columbia University, International Research Institue for Climate Prediction (ecological anthropology, climate and society interaction, environmental policy).

John A. Gifford 

Associate Professor of Marine Affairs (underwater archaeology, geoarchaeology, management of shipwrecks as cultural resources).Principal Investigator of the Little Salt Spring Underwater Archaeological Project. 

David Letson 

Assistant Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy (economics of regulation, fisheries economomics, water quality management)

Liana Talaue McManus 

Associate Professor of Marine Affairs and Policy (marine plankton ecology, coastal resources  management).

Sarah K. Meltzoff 

Associate Professor of Marine Affairs (marine resource management and sustainable development policy, social analyses of fisheries and aquaculture).

Fernando Moreno 

Senior Lecturer in Marine Affairs and RSMAS Academic Committee Chair  (aquaculture and mariculture law and policy; environmental, ocean, and coastal law).

Daniel O. Suman 

Professor Marine Affairs (regulation of marine pollution, coastal zone management, marine and environmental law and policy, creation and management of marine protected areas, science and technology in Latin America).

Maria L. Villanueva 

Lecturer and Academic Advisor in Marine Affairs and Coordinator of the Boating Research Center (management of recreational and commercial fishing, industry economic impact studies, marine resource allocation policy, marine geographic information systems).

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Affiliated Research and Technical Support Groups

• Aquaculture 
• Boating Research Center 
• Little Salt Spring Underwater Archaeological Project 

Student Papers 

• An Analyis of Survey Design and Economic Embedding for Key Biscayne Beach Valuation. 
• Cultural Differences in a Contingent Valuation Survey of Turtle Protection. (Accompanying Graphs.) 
• An Evaluation of the Bill Baggs Beach Preference Survey by Erica Van Coverden. (Accompanying Figures.)
• Stromatolites Webpage, Ana Patricia Gaspar
• Exploratory Analysis of How Trust Influences WTP for Beach Renourishment on 

Hobie Beach , (Accompanying Figures )

Maria Luisa E. Villanueva
RSMAS - University of Miami 
4600 Rickenbacker Causeway 
Miami, FL 33149 

 tel: 305/421-4085 
fax: 305/421-4675 
maf@rsmas.miami.edu