PROSPECTIVE STUDENTS
Application period for Fall 2025 Cohort is closed.
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Applications for the Fall 2026 cohort will open October 1, 2025
The Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz is tailored for rising leaders to develop interdisciplinary solutions to global challenges facing coastal communities and ecosystems. The program prepares students to identify, innovate, and implement scalable and socially just solutions to climate, biodiversity, and other sustainability challenges in coastal zones around the world. The program emphasizes collaborations with practitioners, in real-world settings, working to solve some of today’s most wicked social-environmental problems.
The Masters of Science in Coastal Science and Policy is structured differently than many traditional masters of science programs to provide students with exceptional real-world experience to elevate their careers. The program offers two programs of study, a masters of science and a Ph.D. designated emphasis for UCSC Ph.D. students. Coursework emphasizes interdisciplinary scholarship, project-based study, and developing practical solutions to real-world problems.
The CSP program provides exceptional investment in its students including:
- Collaborations with globally recognized faculty and practitioners
- Small cohorts to facilitate personalized mentoring and community cohesion
- Intensive co-mentoring by program faculty and practitioner partners
- Career development staff, resources and network of potential employers
- Need-based financial support for one to two years
Have a Question Not Answered Below? Please email csp@ucsc.edu
Why Apply to CSP?
We are already seeding global coastal sustainability with innovative, entrepreneurial, and diverse leaders who design, test, and implement scalable solutions needed to meet today’s challenges.
The CSP program aims to develop competency in:
- Identifying Needs, Solutions, and Priorities: Recognizing growing needs and problems within the context of coastal sustainability, identifying strategic, high impact solutions to address these needs, and prioritizing these solutions.
- Systems Thinking and Interdisciplinary Scope: Understanding connections among diverse components of physical, ecological, and social systems, and integrating them to address diverse issues.
- Process Integrity: Addressing how to protect and preserve the integrity of physical, ecological, evolutionary, social, and cultural processes.
- Practical Skills and Real World Approaches: Gaining practical skills, including communication, quantitative and qualitative analysis, problem solving, interpersonal relations, critical thinking, teamwork, mediation and consensus building, conflict resolution, leadership, fund-raising and project management. Applying these practical skills with theoretical concepts to solve real coastal issues through engagement of business, governmental and non-governmental partners and practitioners.
In addition, our students and alumni receive a steady stream of competitive national international honors, fellowships, awards, and funding.
Application and Admission Timeline
Apply here for the Fall 2025 Masters Program!
For admission to the Fall 2025 masters cohort:
- Applications open: October 1, 2024
- Applications close: December 13, 2024
- Those selected for an interview will be invited in January for an interview date in February, 2025
- Decision notifications: Last week of February/First week of March 2025
- Decisions will be (1) Accepted into program; (2) Waitlisted for program; or (3) Not accepted at this time
CSP Curriculum
CSP has a solutions-driven curriculum. Our training focuses on impact, diversity, and entrepreneurship to deliver sustainability solutions at a scale needed to meet today’s challenges. Through two years of study, the CSP Program allows students to tailor their experience to meet their learning objectives and career goals. Students engage in interdisciplinary sustainability coursework; gain leadership, communication, and innovation skills; and benefit from intensive collaborations with practitioners in business, government and non-profits.
Year 1: Students take interdisciplinary courses and seminars in natural and social sciences, economics, policy analysis, coastal governance, leadership, innovation, and methods for designing scalable solutions to complex problems.
In the summer following the first year, students work full time with a practitioner partner. This may be a short-term project designed to enhance a student’s skills in a specific area, or the beginning of a student’s year-long individual capstone project to address a specific problem or opportunity.
Year 2: Students engage with partner organizations to design and pursue individual capstone projects that build capacity and develop solutions for real problems. Projects may be based globally.
Map of student Capstone Project locations
What is a CSP Capstone Project?
Capstone Projects are the culmination of the two-year masters program in Coastal Science & Policy at UCSC. Each capstone project tackles unique aspects of a complex problem to advance those aspects along a solutions pathway. Each project is co-developed by the student along with a practitioner partner and a CSP faculty advisor. See examples of student capstone projects here.
- How are Capstone Projects Developed?
Projects are developed during the first year of the masters program through coursework and mentoring. Students conduct a landscpape analysis of the topic they are interested and interview a range of practitioners to develop a focused project with clear deliverables. There is a lot of freedom to explore aspects of a problem and hone in on a pain point where the student can make progress along a solutions pathway.
- How much time does it take to complete a Capstone Project?
Students typically spend 9-12 months implementing their capstone project. A final capstone report and presentation of deliverables is required to graduate. The first year of the masters program is spent developing the capstone project, securing partners, and gaining skills that will help the student implement thier project. Some students begin implementing their projects during the summer after the first year, and some take the summer months to further hone a skill they need. The full second year of the masters program is spent implementing the capstone project, with support from the student’s advisory team (UCSC faculty advisor, practitioner partner, and CSP staff).
How is the CSP Masters Program Different than a Traditional M.S. Program?
CSP is not a traditional thesis program and you are not required to have a faculty adviser already identified prior to entering the program. Students take capstone planning courses in the Fall and Winter quarters where you interview and identify faculty advisors and a practitioner partner to co-design your capstone project that happens in the 2nd year of the program. Click below to see more!
Click to enlarge: CSP Program vs Traditional Masters
Who Should Apply
U.S. and international students are encouraged to apply. Students can pursue a two-year Master of Science in Coastal Science and Policy or a PhD Designated Emphasis (akin to a minor for PhD students already enrolled in a UCSC PhD program. CSP does not admit PhD students directly).
Most students will have some professional work experience in a relevant field and have completed a bachelor’s degree at a four-year university. Relevant fields are diverse and include biology, conservation science, earth sciences, chemistry, oceanography, environmental studies, social sciences, economics, human ecology, political science, sociology, engineering, and interdisciplinary programs such as journalism.
Students from underrepresented and diverse racial, ethnic, cultural, socioeconomic, and disciplinary backgrounds are encouraged to apply. CSP values a diverse, inclusive student body; currently our students:
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- 73% Black, Indigenous or Persons of Color
- 23 Countries Represented
- 50% International 50% Domestic
International applicants can find addional information here!
Financial Support & Fellowships for Masters Students
Financial Support: There are options for financial support. (1) Based on financial need and program resources, CSP offers a limited number of fellowships for incoming Masters of Science students (packages may cover a portion or a combination of tuition, fees, or living stipend). (2) Theme-based fellowships are listed below. Prospective students can indicate an interest in one of the these themed fellowships during the application process.
There is not a separate application specifically for fellowships. Both domestic US students and international students are eligible for these fellowships. When we offer a student a place in the program, we include notification of any financial support we are offering. We also work closely with accepted students to source and apply for additional grant funding to support their education and living expenses.
Theme-based Fellowships Offered for Fall 2025 Incoming Students:
(One) Two-Year Repass-Rodgers Fellowship on Central Valley Salmon Restoration Policies. One of the student funding opportunities available is the Repass-Rodgers Fellowship on California Central Valley Salmon Restoration Policies. The fellowship will support one student for two years to work on advancing policy change to restore salmon populations in the California Central Valley and Sacramento Delta. Our ideal Repass-Rodgers Fellow shows leadership promise, eagerness to focus their capstone project on applying science towards policy change, interest in building public support for salmon restoration, strong capacity to collaborate with diverse partners, and is an effective communicator. This highly competitive fellowship covers two academic years of in-state tuition, student fees (including health insurance), a living stipend (including academic year and modest summer support) and some travel and supplies. Please indicate in your application statement that you are interested in this fellowship.
Packard Coastal Conservation Fellow
One of the student funding opportunities available is the Packard Coastal Conservation Fellowship. This fellowship provides financial support for one year and is tailored to the selected student’s interests. The Fellow has the freedom to co-design a capstone project that helps support one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s conservation, science, and policy initiatives in Pacific Ocean wildlife and ecosystems; global fisheries and aquaculture; plastic pollution; or climate change and ocean acidification. Our ideal Packard Coastal Conservation Fellow shows leadership promise, strong capacity to collaborate with diverse partners, is an effective communicator, and eagerness to focus their capstone project on one of the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s initiatives. Please indicate in your application statement that you are interested in this fellowship.
Monterey Bay Coastal Climate Resilience Fellow
One of the student funding opportunities is the Monterey Bay Coastal Climate Resilience Fellowship. This fellowship funds students for their capstone year (the second year of the masters program.) Fellows co-design a captone project that focuses on coastal climate resilience in the Monterey Bay region. There are several partner organizations and topics that align with this theme that fellows can explore and tailor a capstone project to their interests.
Prerequisites
Prerequisites: CSP welcomes applicants with a BA or BS from many disciplines. Requirements prior to admission include at least one writing course and at least one course in statistics, as well as coursework in at least two of the following three areas: biological sciences, physical sciences, and the social sciences (including policy and economics).
UCSC graduate admission requirements state that students should have, “A cumulative or overall GPA of 3.0 (on a 4 point scale) in the last two years of undergraduate education.”
Prospective Student Virtual Open Houses
Virtual Open House Dates for Fall 2025 will be posted in August 2025.
Careers with a CSP Masters Degree
Graduates of the program secure career-enhancing positions before or within six months of graduation in nonprofit, government, business, and entrepreneurial sectors. They lead and inform actionable solutions to coastal challenges including equitable climate change adaptation, sustainable fisheries, marine pollution, biodiversity conservation, and community driven policy.
Job titles include:
- Sea Grant Knauss Marine Policy Fellow
- Tribal Coastal Stories Project Associate
- Blue Carbon Research Associate
- Director / Founder / CEO of multiple startups
- Co-Founder Ocean Solutions Accelerator
- Manatee Conservation & Program Director
- Co-Founder Kenyan Youth Biodiversity Network
- Marine Program Assistant
- Environmental Planner
- Environmental Scientist
- Program Officer
- Policy Manager
- Director of Data Products
- Senior Advocacy Officer
- Fisheries Analyst
- View the CSP Alumni Portfolio for a selection of alumni highlights.
- Visit the CSP Alumni Page to see where our graduates are working now.
PhD Designated Emphasis in Coastal Science and Policy
Interested in the CSP PhD Designated Emphasis?
Please email csp@ucsc.edu for more information. Note, the PhD Designated Emphasis is akin to a minor for students admitted to a UCSC PhD Degree Granting program.
UCSC Graduate Division: Additional Resources
Prospective graduate students can find additional information about applying to UCSC on the Graduate Division Website, and Graduate Admissions Webpage. International students will find additional information abou the application process HERE.
A Message from CSP Director, Dr. Anne R. Kapuscinski
Anne Kapuscinski, Director of Coastal Science and Policy Program
Sustainability Science
Professor, Environmental Studies
See Bio
“From small island nations to urban cities, it is clear that solutions to address our most pressing coastal challenges will take leaders who are trained in interdisciplinary approaches that benefit coastal communities through science, innovation, sustainability, and equity.
The Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz is designed to train emerging leaders through mentorship, interdisciplinary coursework and an individual, year-long capstone project that each student co-designs with a practitioner addressing a complex coastal issue. This approach provides our alumni with the skills, experience, and support they need to advance solutions.
As the director, but also as someone learning along with our students, I have found the diversity of our cohorts to be one of the most rewarding aspects of the program. I can genuinely say I have learned so much from being in a community of students with a great breadth of cultural, lived and professional experiences at the table.
Our alumni successes have proven that CSP serves as a launching pad for advancing their careers and implementing solutions to complex coastal, ocean, and sustainability challenges. This is what propels us forward.”
The Coastal Science & Policy Program elevated my profile, and my capacity to bring my work to life and to be utilized in meaningful ways by the people that matter the most. I gained knowledge on how to convert theory to practice and concrete actions. The program allowed me to open my mind and see the world and the work from a wider lens, and to focus on big picture efforts and results. It encompassed what I needed for my future.
The education that I received through the Coastal Science & Policy Program has been invaluable to my ability to engage with stakeholders from across sectors and industries and push these partners for transformative change.
Upon graduating from the Coastal Science and Policy Program (CSP), I realized many improvements in my skills including grant writing, effective collaboration, and creative problem-solving. All these skills help me thrive in any professional setting. The CSP faculty are some of the most caring people I encountered who have helped me succeed academically and professionally.
The Coastal Science & Policy Program places students in a project manager role, where they must adapt to changing priorities, monitor progress, and distribute key deliverables to relevant audiences. This experience helped me hone my communication and leadership skills, which l carry with me into the next level of my career.
Through the Coastal Science & Policy Program, I had access to incredible mentors and advisors for my capstone project that challenged me to achieve more than I thought was ever possible.
How To Apply for the Master of Science
Beginning an Application
Go to https://applygrad.ucsc.edu/apply/ and click “Start New Application.” Choose “Coastal Science and Policy MS” Program to begin the application process. Application opens October 1 each year for entry the following Fall.
- For specific instructions for the Coastal Science and Policy Program application package click HERE (please review these instructions).
- For general instructions on how to apply to graduate school at UC Santa Cruz, click HERE and find answers to frequently asked questions HERE.
Your application for graduate study at UC Santa Cruz must be completed, submitted, and paid for through the online application by the deadline.
Timely submission of your application and supplemental materials is critical for the application review cycle; please read the instruction guides provided to you before you begin your application so that you are familiar with the required elements of a complete application for admission. Once your application is submitted, you will receive a confirmation email (please verify receipt of this email).
Applications are due in December each year; specific due date for 2025 will be posted in summer 2025.
If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact us at csp@ucsc.edu.
Application Elements
- Coastal Science & Policy statement of purpose
- Personal history statement
- Statement of Financial need (optional)
- Resume/CV
- College transcripts
- Three letters of recommendation
- Two writing samples or excerpts (no more than five pages in length)
- Instructions for the above sections may be found HERE or download the CSP_Application Instructions_Sept2024
Additional CSP Application Instructions
- CSP applicants are not required to identify a faculty advisor in order to apply.
- CSP applicants are not required to submit GRE scores. These scores will not be considered as part of your application.
- CSP seeks to provide its students with individual fellowships and thus students are not eligible for other forms of financial support from the university (e.g. Teaching Assistant or Graduate Student Researcher positions). If you would like to be considered for a CSP fellowship, please upload a one page Statement of Financial Need letter.
- Domestic students should also complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA).
- International students are encouraged to complete and upload the Affidavit of Student Support.
- On the Financial Support page, applicants need to identify other fellowships or scholarships for which you have applied or that you have been awarded.
- Where possible, CSP students are supported by individual fellowships and thus are not eligible for diversity fellowships from the university. In the application, select the “section not applicable” link on the Diversity Fellowships page.
- Be sure to use the newest version of an internet browser that meets our campus web browser security standards.
- Only one application may be considered from each applicant within a given admission-processing period (winter through fall of the same calendar year).
- Simultaneous applications to multiple departments are not accepted and any application fee paid for multiple applications will be forfeited.
- Be sure to add three email addresses, csp@ucsc.edu, gradadm@ucsc.edu and graduatedivision-mailings@ucsc.edu to your email address books so our messages don’t get marked as spam by your email provider. You will be notified of your admission decisions from these accounts.
- Application fee payments to the UCSC Graduate Division and your application will only be delivered to UCSC.Graduate students are an integral part of UCSC’s research and learning community and we look forward to the prospect of your joining us.
Fee Waiver Application Instructions
Domestic Applicants:
The Graduate Division offers fee waivers based on a number of factors, please visit their website HERE to learn more about the variety fee waivers and fee exemptions offered. If you are a domestic student and qualify for one of these fee waivers, please follow the directions for requesting a fee waiver described in the application portal. If you do not qualify for one of the Graduate Division’s fee waivers/exemptions, but still have a hardship, please read the “international applicant” section below for directions to request a CSP program fee waiver fellowship.
International Applicants:
The CSP program offers a limited number of fee waiver fellowships. The program considers requests on a case by case basis for international students, and in rare circumstances, domestic students who do not qualify for the Graduate Division’s fee waivers/exemptions. Note, the online application portal states that international students are not eligible for a fee waiver.
To be considered for a fee waiver fellowship, please read the instructions below carefully.
- At minimum, have completed, uploaded, and submitted the following items to your application: statement of purpose, personal history statement, statement of financial need, and your resume.
- Not yet paid for your application to the University.
- Requesting the fee waiver: Contact csp@ucsc.edu stating why you are requesting a fee waiver and attach your financial needs statement. If you are granted a fee waiver, we will provide additional directions for how to complete the fee waiver section in the application portal (NOTE: DO NOT SELECT FEE WAIVER as an international student).
- NOTE: if you have applied, and received, a fee waiver for a past application cycle, we are unlikely to grant a fee waiver for a subsequent application cycle.
ALL applicants are eligible to apply for a fee waiver and we encourage you to submit the request if you have a need.
Letters of Reference Instructions (Please Share With Your Referee)
The Coastal Science & Policy Program is interested in the referee’s professional assessment of the candidate. Please share the following instructions with your letter writers.
Referees should submit their letter in advance of the application deadline to ensure that the prospective student’s application can be evaluated in full. Please review the program website here to gain a stronger understanding about the program.
Recommendation letters should be limited to no more than two pages and should address the following questions:
- How long, and in what capacity, have you known the candidate?
- What is the candidate’s capacity for leadership, in terms of their ability to influence and organize others, achieve positive outcomes, and commitment to their self-development as a leader?
- How will the candidate’s proficiency from their prior education and/or work experience position them to succeed in the Coastal Science and Policy program and to contribute to solving real-world coastal sustainability problems (from land to the sea), especially in the near-term?
- What have you observed about the candidate’s collaboration, engagement and/or communication skills?
- What other characteristics make this candidate stand out for you in terms of their leadership, scientific or policy ability or prior experience?
Where possible, referees should cite specific examples to highlight their personal experience with the candidate. The letter will help the program better understand the prospective student’s strengths and areas of growth.
If a referee is having trouble submitting their recommendation or will not be able to submit by the application deadline, please contact us by email:
- For program-specific questions contact csp@ucsc.edu for help.
- For technical assistance with the online application portal email gradapphelp@ucsc.edu or call: (831) 459-2281
Cost of Attendance/Financial Aid
UCSC graduate tuition, fees and living expenses adjust yearly. To see costs for the 2023-2024 school year, click here.
The Coastal Science & Policy Program offers a limited number of fellowships each year for incoming Masters of Science students. Financial support packages range from no financial support to partial or full support that can be used towards tuition, fees, and living expenses. Support is based on financial need and program resources.
Students seeking financial support from the program should complete the statement of financial need in the application portal.
Statement of Financial Need Instructions:
The optional Statement of Financial Need will help the Coastal Science and Policy Program determine your eligibility for fellowship support and allocation, if any, that can be provided to you for your graduate education at UC Santa Cruz.
The Statement of Financial Need should not exceed one page and should fully explain, in your own words, your need for financial assistance.
Please also address personal resources and other fellowships or grant opportunities that you will pursue to help cover your graduate education expenses.
The CSP program assists each student to seek external support for part or all of their program. If you are accepted into the program, we will work with you to identify potential funding opportunities. We expect each student to actively seek external support for their degree or capstone work.
In addition, domestic students are encouraged to complete the FAFSA.
Additional financial aid resources can be found here. This list is not comprehensive, but can serve as a starting point for applicants who wish to seek additional external support.
Curious about the cost of attendance, a committee of 5 faculty and 2 PhD candidates created a new tool. Click here to use the tool. Note, CSP core courses, seminars and workshops do not typically require purchase of books or other fees. In addition, public transit is free for students with their current student ID and most health care costs are covered by student health insurance.
How To Apply for the PhD Designated Emphasis
Beginning an Application
To apply to the Designated Emphasis (DE), students must be a UCSC PhD student admitted to one of the UCSC PhD degree granting Departments. For information about the DE requirements, please read here and to review the application form see sample here.
After, we recommend that you email us at csp@ucsc.edu to express your interest and set up a time to speak with a representative from the program to discuss your interest, your idea for a practical and solutions-focused discertation chapter research and potential non-academic partner for your your research.
Finally, once your home department PhD Faculty Advisor is in support of you joining the program and you have identified a CSP Designated Emphasis Faculty Advisor, please complete the following docusign-based application form (also found on our forms page here).
We take applications on a rolling basis throughout the year, but recommend students apply before their qualifiying exams.
If you have questions regarding the application process, please contact us at csp@ucsc.edu.
