This multidisciplinary program builds on a strong tradition of coastal research at ECU, proximity to the Albemarle-Pamlico estuarine system and the Outer Banks, and the expertise of faculty from some sixteen different academic departments. The program provides a unique, integrated, multidisciplinary approach to coastal studies that emphasizes science and public policy, nurtures skills in the acquisition, interpretation and synthesis of scientific information on coastal environments and populations, fosters pursuit of individual interest in the context of a structured, but flexible, program of classroom instruction, field research, work experience, and a doctoral dissertation, draws on a supportive, collaborative faculty from some sixteen academic departments, plus close ties to marine science faculty at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of North Carolina at Wilmington, North Carolina State University, and Duke University, provides the academic basis for students seeking resource management careers in government agencies, private firms, nonprofit organizations and interdisciplinary educational programs.