Shippensburg University and its faculty are proud to offer our students a number of opportunities to enhance their learning through field studies in a range of science disciplines.

A unique cooperative agreement between Shippensburg University and ~12 other academic institutions allows Ship to offer experiences through the Marine Science Consortium as a part of our regular curriculum. The Marine Science Consortium, Inc., is a nonprofit corporation created by the member institutions in order to pool resources including: facilities, instructors, and equipment. The consortium facilities, located adjacent to Chincoteague Bay, the Chincoteague National Wildlife Refuge, the Assateague National Sheashore, and NASA's Wallops Island Flight Facility in Accomack County, VA , provide opportunities for research and study of geological, physical, chemical, and biological components of terrestrial, estuarine, salt marsh and normal marine environments - all within a short distance of the MSC facilities.

Image taken by J. Saienni, M.S. '08 during ESS 220: Oceanography Cruise, April 2007

You can make use of this amazing resource in one of three ways.

• 1) You can take courses here at Ship that include field experiences at Wallops Island and the Marine Science Consortium (contact Dr. Delis and Dr. Stewart in the Biology Department or Prof. Sean Cornell, in the Department of Geography and Earth Sciences).

• 2) You can take part by designing a faculty-student research project that encompasses use of these facilities.

• 3) You can take summer courses at MSC, enroll through Shippensburg and receive credit on your Shippensburg University Transcript. see below>

For courses offered at the Marine Science Consortium

Registration occurs in 4 steps.

Step 1: Consult with Shippensburg Co-Coordinators (Baer-Lehman or Cornell) to discuss interest, eligibility, course offerings, and to obtain registration forms.

Step 2: Send registration forms, along with the deposit, to the Wallops Island Marine Science Consortium - the earlier the better!

Step 3: Once you have been confirmed a spot in a WIMSC course, provide a copy of your registration acceptatnce letter to Ship Co-Directors and we will forward your registration information to the Registrar's Office to enroll you for the credit.

Step 4: You will need to pay 2 bills:

      one to the Marine Science Consortium (for food, housing, etc.), and

      one to Shippensburg University (for tuition and related fees).

To register at the Marine Science Consortium:

1. Look through the course offerings, course schedule, and course descriptions for the current year on the MSC website available here.
2. Fill out the Marine Science Consortium Registration Application (available here as a pdf). Be certain to follow the instructions at the top of the registration form. Bring the Marine Science Consortium Registration Form directly to the Shippensburg Coordinators for the Marine Science Consortium (Prof. Sean Cornell, Shearer Hall 101, or Dr. Marcie Baer-Lehman, Franklin Science Center, 237) so that we may review your application and provide approval. You will then forward the form, along with a self-addressed stamped envelope, and your deposit to the Marine Science Consortium. It is imperative that you do this as early as possible and as soon as course offerings are available. Most courses will fill quickly!!!! Make sure you provide an alternative course option preference, in the event that your first choice is booked.
3. Confirmation of your enrollment, along with information on the courses for which you have enrolled, necessary information on the Marine Science Consortium, and a bill for the remainder of the MSC fee (for food, housing, etc.) will be mailed to you in the self-addressed, stamped envelope you provide.

To register at Shippensburg University:

1. Once you have received CONFIRMATION OF ENROLLMENT from the MSC, bring a copy of the form to one of the MSC Coordinators here at Ship, and they will authorize the Registrar to enroll you in the appropriate course. Often most courses fill and close at the MSC - so in order to insure your registration at Ship goes smoothly the MSC coordinators will need to authorize the enrollment for tuition credit.
2. Students will need to make payment in full for summer courses once billed before registration for summer courses through Shippensburg University is confirmed.
3. Tuition and fees for summer '07 3-credit courses at MSC are: $630.00 - Tuition, $60 Ed. Services Fees, and $31 Tech. Fee, for a total of $721 to be paid to Shippensburg University.
4. Be certain to check with the financial aid office as soon as possible if you are receiving financial aid to see if it can apply toward summer courses.

If you have any problems, please feel free to contact us:

Prof. Sean Cornell
Marine Science Consortium Coordinator
Department of Geography and Earth Science
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA 17257
Telephone: 717-477-1310
E-mail: srcornell@ship.edu

- or -

Dr. Marcie Baer-Lehman
Marine Science Consortium Coordinator
Department of Biology
Shippensburg University of Pennsylvania
Shippensburg, PA 17257
Telephone: 717-477-1589
E-mail: mllehm@ship.edu

Site Maintained by: S. Cornell, Department of Geography & Earth Science, srcornell@email.ship.edu