Skip to main content

Major in Coastal & Marine Sciences

2026 Stravitz Scholars at VIMS & Batten School Gloucester Point campus.

Do you love the water, coasts, and aquatic wildlife? At William & Mary's VIMS & Batten School of Coastal & Marine Sciences, you can learn about the ocean's biodiversity, its varied habitats, and the complex physical, biological, and socioeconomic processes that shape coastal and marine systems.

The Batten School's bachelor's degree program for Coastal & Marine Sciences launched in fall 2025 as the first undergraduate major in coastal and marine sciences at a Virginia public university. Beyond marine biology, the program provides a foundational education in coastal and marine sciences across its many domains with an emphasis on experiential learning and research. 

Program Highlights

  • Major Curriculum

    Core coursework educates students in the natural sciences subfields of geology, biology, chemistry, and physics as they relate to the interdisciplinary field of coastal and marine sciences.

  • Immersion Semester

    All coastal & marine science majors will complete a full "immersion" semester of coursework at the Virginia Institute of Marine Science, including a premier field and research methods course.

  • Admissions

    Accepted coastal & marine sciences majors will receive a scholarship covering four semesters of tuition through the R. Todd Stravitz Scholars program.

Stravitz Scholar Caitlin Murphy feeding crabs in her lab.

Meet the Stravitz Scholars

Known as Stravitz Scholars, students accepted into the undergraduate major benefit from full tuition support thanks to the transformative gift of Dr. R Todd Stravitz ‘82 and the Brunckhorst Foundations. Additionally, they each receive a $5,000 stipend to fund independent research, internships or related study abroad opportunities thanks to Jane Batten’s HON ‘ 17, L.H.D. ‘19 historic philanthropy. Stravitz Scholars also benefit from formal mentorship from Batten School & VIMS graduate students as well as unparalleled immersive research and experiential learning opportunities in the field and lab.

View Student Profiles