Sustainable Marine Aquaculture Certificate (online)
About the Program I Credit-Bearing Certificate I Non-Credit Bearing Certificate I Experience the Program I Faculty I Contact Us I Curriculum & Enrollment Information
About the Program
UMass Boston’s Sustainable Marine Aquaculture Certificate focuses on preparing you to successfully address key issues and challenges facing the aquaculture industry to ensure sustained growth. It’s designed for professionals already working in the field, students who are looking to gain additional industry expertise, and individuals trying to break into the aquaculture industry who want to hone their skills and add a certification to their résumé. Learn the business of aquaculture — the breeding, rearing, and harvesting of fish, shellfish, plants, algae, and other organisms in all aquatic environments — and explore ways to make this growing and rapidly expanding industry more sustainable. With an Aquaculture Certificate, you can work in both the private and commercial sectors as an oyster farmer, seaweed cultivator, or processor, or you could work on a fish farm as a technician, general worker, scientist, engineer, or manager. You could also work for a regulatory agency working towards maintaining healthy sustainable practices. If you’re trying to break into the growing and rapidly expanding aquaculture industry, you’re already working in the field, or you are a student looking to add additional expertise to your résumé, sign up to take a course or to declare the certificate program. We offer courses and certificates for academic credit and for continuing education credits. Taking an aquaculture class could also help you secure an internship working outdoors and on the oceans. All courses in UMass Boston’s Sustainable Marine Aquaculture program are open to the UMass Boston community, as well as students from other universities and the public. Our goal is to provide a flexible and accessible introduction to this emerging field and so offer a variety of options to suit your individual needs.
Non credit Fall 2022 Aquaculture classes USEA-NC 114 and USEA-NC 124
Sustainable Aquaculture Courses
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Credit-Bearing Certificate
The for-credit online Sustainable Marine Aquaculture undergraduate certificate is primarily for current UMass Boston students, students enrolled at other U.S. colleges and universities, and international students who want a U.S. education. Students take 4 courses (12 credits) that provide opportunities to explore many aspects of the field.
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Non-Credit Bearing Certificate
The non-credit certificate in Sustainable Marine Aquaculture enables individuals to quickly gain basic knowledge for entry into the workforce. It also provides professional development options for individuals looking to change positions, retrain for a new career, and, especially for international workforce development, to obtain U.S. institution credentials in a rapidly growing sector of the global economy.
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Experience the Program
UMass Boston’s Sustainable Marine Aquaculture curriculum with "SFE Aquaculture" Zoom recordings. If you would like access to view any of these recordings, please email jolanda.omari@umb.edu.
Rowan Jacobson Lecture, 4.2.20
Lecture on Scalability, 4.23.20
Brian Peterson Lecture, 7.23.20
Alyson Myers, Fierce Fund Seaweed and Carbon Mitigation Sargassum, 7.30.20
John Brawley Lecture, 10.1.20
Spring Tide Seaweed Lecture, 10.15.20
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Faculty
• Jennifer Bender
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Contact Us
If you have any questions about the program, or would like more information, please contact:
Jennifer Bender, Aquaculture Program Coordinator
1.617.287.7440
jennifer.bender@umb.edu
Current students and non-students may also register for the non-credit bearing certificate by contacting Jennifer Bender via email or phone.
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Curriculum & Enrollment Information
Credit Bearing Certificate - Curriculum
Required Courses
- Introduction to Sustainable Marine Aquaculture (ENVSCI 114) Get an introductory overview of marine aquaculture with a specific focus on the principles of sustainability in the production and distribution of marine-sourced foods. Explore the culturing and rearing of marine invertebrates and plants. Building on a general overview of marine aquaculture, you’ll study the physical and chemical properties of the aquatic environment; site selection; aquatic engineering; bivalve culture; crustacean culture; seaweed culture; health and pathology; growth and nutrition; genetics and reproduction; and legal, economic, social and environmental considerations. These topics will be covered with both a local and global perspective. You’ll also be familiarized with the multidisciplinary nature of sustainable marine aquaculture as a field. The course will conclude with a brief overview of the legal, economic, and social considerations and you’ll look at some of the controversies surrounding marine aquaculture and environmental sustainability.
- Aquaculture Production (ENVSCI 124)
Get an overview of animal production and associated environmental and regulatory aspects of the industry. You’ll study aspects of business and market development for cultured products with special focus on marine aquaculture and shellfish.
- The Business of Marine Aquaculture (ENVSCI 134)
Examine the elements of working in and managing a successful aquaculture operation. Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing segment of the food industry, with about half of what we eat from the ocean coming from aquaculture. This is an increasingly competitive space that suffers from a tradition of malpractice and misunderstanding, as well as a regulatory culture that lags far behind an innovative rate. Site selection, gear, seed and feed procurement, marketing, and supply chain dynamics are all important elements of a successful aquaculture operation that demand an understanding of regulatory, financial, and marketing and entrepreneurial principles. You’ll get an introduction to these challenges and will gain the tools needed to engage within the industry on a sophisticated, successful level.
Electives (Choose one)
- Introduction to Environmental Policy & Management (ENVSCI 122)
- The Nature of Environmental Problems (ENVSTY 101)
- Sustainability: It’s Not Easy Being Green (ENVSCI 105)
Credit Bearing Certificate - Cost
- The credit bearing program consists of three 3-credit courses, or 9 credits.
- Online tuition is $410 per credit for the credit bearing program.
- Total estimated cost to complete the credit bearing program is $3,690.
- Estimate is based on completing program by minimum duration. Other fees may apply. Request Info to connect with a program representative for further details.
Non-Credit Bearing Certificate - Curriculum
Required Courses
- Introduction to Sustainable Marine Aquaculture (USEA-NC 114)
Get an introductory overview of marine aquaculture with a specific focus on the principles of sustainability in the production and distribution of marine-sourced foods. Explore the culturing and rearing of marine invertebrates and plants. Building on a general overview of marine aquaculture, you’ll study the physical and chemical properties of the aquatic environment; site selection; aquatic engineering; bivalve culture; crustacean culture; seaweed culture; health and pathology; growth and nutrition; genetics and reproduction; and legal, economic, social and environmental considerations. These topics will be covered with both a local and global perspective. You’ll also be familiarized with the multidisciplinary nature of sustainable marine aquaculture as a field. The course will conclude with a brief overview of the legal, economic, and social considerations and you’ll look at some of the controversies surrounding marine aquaculture and environmental sustainability.
- Aquaculture Production (USEA-NC 124)
Get an overview of animal production and associated environmental and regulatory aspects of the industry. You’ll study aspects of business and market development for cultured products with special focus on marine aquaculture and shellfish.
- The Business of Marine Aquaculture (USEA-NC 134) Examine the elements of working in and managing a successful aquaculture operation. Aquaculture is currently the fastest growing segment of the food industry, with about half of what we eat from the ocean coming from aquaculture. This is an increasingly competitive space that suffers from a tradition of malpractice and misunderstanding, as well as a regulatory culture that lags far behind an innovative rate. Site selection, gear, seed and feed procurement, marketing, and supply chain dynamics are all important elements of a successful aquaculture operation that demand an understanding of regulatory, financial, and marketing and entrepreneurial principles. You’ll get an introduction to these challenges and will gain the tools needed to engage within the industry on a sophisticated, successful level.
Non-Credit Bearing Certificate - Cost
- The non-credit bearing program consists of three courses.
- Online tuition is $500 per course for the non-credit bearing program
- Total estimated cost to complete the non-credit bearing program is $1,500.
- Estimate is based on completing program by minimum duration. Other fees may apply. Request Info to connect with a program representative for further details.
