Fall 2026 Courses

August 24 -  December 14, 2026

DUML Immerse

This program, which includes travel, is open to all undergraduate and MEM students who are enrolled full time for the fall semester at DUML – learn more on the DUML Immerse information page.

Course Registration

Fall registration opens in DukeHub on April 1, 2026. 

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ENVIRON 593 INDEPENDENT STUDIES AND PROJECTS

  • Instructor: Staff. Variable credit. 
  • Consent of instructor required. Units to be arranged.

Directed readings or research at the graduate level to meet the needs of individual students.

ENVIRON 719A AQUACULTURE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The major environmental, social and economic drivers of increasing global aquaculture, with a focus on marine systems. Quantitative evaluation and comparison of the range of species for aquaculture, locations where operations occur, operational aspects including environmental impacts and management considerations.  Investigation of alternative approaches and potential future areas for aquaculture expansion as well as social, economic and technical barriers to implementation.

ENVIRON 729A OCEANS IN HUMAN AND ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH

  • Instructor: Dana Hunt
  • Credit: 3 units
  • Course Travel: No

Focus on the concept of 'One Health' that the health of the environment and the people who live in it are linked. The basis (from a biological perspective) of threats facing the marine environment and interactions between environmental and human health and their role in global health disparities. For example, in discussing fisheries and aquaculture, the course will cover environmental impacts of these extractive industries and their importance in human and societal well-being. This course will embrace immersive field experiences in North Carolina that will contextualize classroom learning and develop connections with practitioners and residents. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 773LA MARINE ECOLOGY

  • Instructor:sh Osterberg
  • Credit: 4 credit hours
  • Course Travel?: No
  • DukeHub Listing: ENVIRON 773LA,  BIOLOGY 773LA

Ecology from a basic science perspective. Laboratories target a science-oriented graduate audience. Lecture topics include factors that influence the distribution, abundance, and diversity of marine organisms, characteristics of marine habitats, adaptation to environment, species interactions, biogeography, larval recruitment, and communities found in rocky shores, tidal flats, beaches, mangrove, coral reefs, and subtidal areas. Laboratories and field trips cover ecological principles from a basic science perspective. 

ENVIRON 776A MARINE MAMMALS 

  • Instructor: Will Cioffi
  • Credit: 3 credit hours
  • Course Travel?: No

Ecology, social organization, behavior, acoustic communication, and management issues. Focused on marine mammals in the southeastern United States (for example, bottlenose dolphin, right whale, West Indian manatee).

ENVIRON 785A CONSERVATION BIOLOGY & SERVICE LEARNING: COASTAL ECOSYSTEMS, RESTORATION AND COMMUNITIES

Marine conservation emphasizing community outreach at local schools focusing on issues in marine conservation and how they are addressed. Lectures cover principles of conservation, biodiversity, extinction risks, genetic tools, fishery by-catch, over-exploitation, habitat degradation, invasive species, climate change, marine protected areas. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½s will develop and teach activities that address conservation topics for local school students. Graduate students will undertake an additional project evaluation component which will include the development of an evaluation rubric, conducting an evaluation, and assessing the results of the evaluation. Taught in Beaufort at the Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 786A MARINE POLICY ANALYSIS

  • Instructor: Grant Murray
  • Credit: 3 credit hours
  • Course Travel?: No
  • DukeHub Listing: ENVIRON 786A, POLSCI 707A, PUBPOL 849A
  • Prerequisites: None

Formal study of policy and policy-making concerning the coastal marine environment. History of specific marine-related organizations, legislation, and issues and their effects on local, regional, national, and international arenas. Topics explored through use of theoretical and methodological perspectives, including political science, sociology, and economics.

ENVIRON 788LA BIODIVERSITY OF MARINE INVERTEBRATES 

  • Instructor: Juliet Wong
  • Credit: 4 units  
  • DukeHub Listing: ENVIRON 788LA, BIOLOGY 777LA

An introduction to the biodiversity represented by major marine invertebrate groups, with emphasis on the diversity of body forms and behaviors and on anatomical structures and functions. Field trips primarily by boat allow students to explore invertebrates characteristic of a variety of coastal habitats in North Carolina, including mud flats, sandy beaches, salt marshes, oyster reefs, piers and docks, and the water column. Live invertebrates maintained in the laboratory serve as models for detailed study of form and function. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

NEW! ENVIRON 790A EVIDENCE SYNTHESIS FOR ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT AND POLICY

  • Instructor: David Gill 
  • Credit: 3 units
  • Course Travel: No
  • Eligibility: Grad only course (MEM and PhD students)
  • MEM Concentration areas: EAM and CaMS

This course introduces students to evidence synthesis—the systematic integration of existing data and literature to inform science and policy. Course topics include document review, database creation, comparative policy analysis, thematic coding, modeling, and visualization. Through seminars, guest lectures, and applied labs, students collaborate with researchers and practitioners on a global initiative, applying reproducible methods to advance equitable and effective marine conservation. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½s develop skills in evaluating evidence, integrating social and ecological data, and communicating findings for decision-making. Taught in Beaufort at the ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½ Marine Lab. 

ENVIRON 859A ADVANCED GEOSPATIAL ANALYSIS - video connected to DUML 

  • Instructor: John P. Fay
  • Credit: 4 credit hours
  • Course Travel?: No
  • Prerequisites: Environment 559 and Environment 564
  • Consent of instructor required

Provide training in more advanced skills such as: GIS database programming, modeling applications, spatial decision support systems and Internet map server technologies. The course requires a fundamental knowledge of geospatial analysis theory, analysis tools, and applications. Taught in Durham.

ENVIRON 860SA POLITICAL ECOLOGY

 Seminar to examine concept of political ecology as means of conceptualizing conservation and development conflicts and solutions. Intended to engage students with political ecology to strengthen usefulness, enrich possibilities, and improve participants ongoing research, collaborations and critical inquiries. Enrollment limited to graduate students. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab. Instructor: Campbell. 3 units.

ENVIRON 886A CURRENT TOPICS IN MARINE CONSERVATION (2nd YEAR PHD STUDENTS)

  • Instructor: TBA
  • Credit: 2 units 
  • Course Travel?: No
  • Eligibility: DUML PhD students only

PhD-level reading seminar to review current literature in marine biology focusing on basic ecological principles. Course will satisfy the "Current Topics" requirement in the Marine Biology track of the Marine Science and Conservation Ph.D. degree. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½s will rotate presenting primary literature on current week's topic. Although based on current primary literature, relevant classic articles will be included. Discussion will place articles in the broader context of evolution, ecology and biogeochemistry.

ENVIRON 898A-01 SEMINAR IN COASTAL ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT

Required symposium in each program area. ÌÇÐÄ´«Ã½s present master's project research. Pass/fail grading only. Taught in Beaufort at Duke Marine Lab.

ENVIRON 899 MASTER'S PROJECTS

  • Instructor: Staff
  • Variable credit

 

 

Questions?

For help with graduate course registration, email katie.wood@duke.edu.