The Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz is designed for the next generation of leaders tackling global challenges facing coastal communities and ecosystems. Through interdisciplinary coursework, project-based learning, and collaboration with real-world partners, the program prepares students to create scalable, socially just solutions to issues of climate change, biodiversity loss, and sustainability in coastal regions around the world.
Offering both a Master of Science and a Ph.D. designated emphasis, the program equips students with the tools to identify needs, design innovative strategies, and implement high-impact solutions. Students develop expertise in systems thinking, process integrity, and practical skills—from communication and data analysis to leadership, mediation, and project management—while applying these abilities to real-world coastal challenges.
Coastal Science and Policy students and researchers focus on advancing resilience, conservation, sustainable fisheries and aquaculture, environmental justice, and innovation for coastal solutions. Their work reflects the belief that coasts are vital to both human and ecological well-being—rich in biodiversity, culture, and opportunity, yet increasingly vulnerable to the pressures of climate change and human activity.
Through partnerships across sectors and regions, the program fosters collaboration and action that protect the natural and social systems that sustain life along our coasts. In Monterey Bay and beyond, UC Santa Cruz’s Coastal Science and Policy community is leading the way toward a more resilient, equitable, and sustainable coastal future.
