In their final semester, each MES major takes the following "capstone" courses:

Fisheries Management
This course focuses on the interaction of the social, biological, economic and political aspects of fisheries management and conservation. A combination of lectures, discussion, student presentations and guest speakers, this class exposes students to various perspectives on fishing issues, with speakers ranging from Coast Guard officers to National Marine Fisheries Service scientists, fisheries managers and commercial fishermen.

Format: Class
Typically Taken: Spring, 1/c year

Hazardous Materials
Cadets investigate the behavior of organic chemicals released into the multimedia environment of air, water, soil, dissolved organic matter and living organisms (biota) – developing distribution models and estimating the effects on the environment. A comprehensive final project requires that students behave as professional military scientists to solve a risk assessment problem.

Format: Class
Typically Taken: Spring, 1/c year 

Remote Sensing
This is an introduction to the physics and technology of remotely measuring surface processes, such as examining the Gulf Stream from satellite photographs (the red and orange in the image at right). Lab exercises provide students with hands-on opportunities to display and analyze satellite datasets and to present their results and conclusions through technical papers.

Format: Class/Laboratory