Career paths

A degree in marine affairs will prepare you for a career right after college or for a graduate career in numerous fields, including earth sciences and social sciences as they relate to the marine field. This versatile degree will allow you to establish a strong background for a career in private industry, government service, public policy, or academics. Alumni of the marine affairs program have successfully continued their education into graduate and law school, and worked as professionals in all areas of marine and environmental science and policy in both the public and private sectors.

This major provides a strong educational background for continued study in law-especially environmental, fishery, coastal zone, admiralty, and ocean law. Students are prepared to pursue graduate and professional programs in environmental management, public administration, community planning, marine affairs, and related fields.

In the public sector, alumni have attained positions at various levels of government in research, administration, and outreach positions for government agencies concerned with the coastal zone, environmental protection, fisheries management, and marine transportation. In the education field, a marine affairs graduate can work as a faculty member at a university or college, or as a primary- or secondary-school teacher.

In the private sector, graduates find positions in environmental and engineering consulting firms, marine and coastal insurance, public-interest non-governmental and non-profit organizations, fisheries, marinas, ports, and companies involved in shipping.

References from Faculty

Once you have successfully completed the requirements for your degree, the faculty assist students in securing professional employment by informing them of placement opportunities. Through our extensive alumni and ‘friend of the program’ contacts, we try to keep posted on appropriate position openings. We are pleased to provide references when the first draft of a major project or thesis is in the hands of a major professor.

Google Groups

The Department maintains a number of Google Groups for the exchange of information on current developments in the field, professional position and internships, meetings and conferences, and input from faculty, students, and alumni. 

MAF-NET-GROUP@URI.EDU (the Rhode Island Marine Affairs Network) — students, graduates, and alumni. All messages are archived for reference.

MAF-UNDERGRADS-GROUP@URI.EDU — current undergraduate students

MAF-GRADS-GROUP@URI.EDU — current graduate students

MAF-PHD-GROUP@URI.EDU — Marine Affairs PhD students and alumni

To join any of the lists, students and alumni should visit Google Groups and do a search for the group name.

Job postings

  1. DCMC: Comprised primarily of Washington D.C. based organizations interested in marine issues. This is a listserve that has many career postings on a weekly basis. Join by emailing dcmc@iucn.org.
  2. DISsertations initiative for the advancement of Climate Change ReSearch (DISCCRS): DISCCRS (pronounced “discourse”) is built on the premise that successful interdisciplinary scholarship begins with a core area of expertise and grows with the development of broader knowledge and through a network of collegial connections across disciplines. The aim of DISCCRS is to foster such interdisciplinary work by connecting new researchers who are striving to create and integrate knowledge across multiple disciplines and to develop creative solutions to problems relating to climate change.
  3. Association for Environmental Studies and Sciences: Another great listserve for job posting.
  4. The Coastal Society: You have to join The Coastal Society (inexpensive for students), but they have THE goto list for coastal/ocean jobs.
  5. Science Journal Job Listing: Browse the journal’s many job postings organized by country, state, category, and company.
  6. Stopdodo.Com – Global Portal for Environmental Jobs and Resumes : Extensive international jobs and consultancies and opportunity to post your resume.
  7. Stanford Career Development Center (CDC) Job and Internship Database : Diverse job postings on this site are updated frequently!
  8. Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies Environmental Job and Internship Sites : Highly comprehensive listing of environmental jobs related to climate change and energy, conservation and ecology, sustainable development, policy, environmental consulting, forestry, water, and more.
  9. The Association of Collegiate Schools of Planning Current Job Listing: This listing of open faculty positions is updated frequently.
  10. Higher Ed Jobs: Huge database of academic positions to which you can subscribe based on interest, type of position, and geographic location.
  11. Chesapeake Network: For jobs in the Chesapeake Bay area.
  12. BradTraverse.com: In DC specifically DCMC is a useful resource, however, not specific to maritime jobs; they post almost all jobs that get listed in the DC area.
  13. Society for Conservation Biology job board.
  14. Consortium for Ocean Leadership job postings
  15. Job openings in the floodplain management field: http://www.floods.org/n-jobpost/index.asp#712