About

The Stony Brook University School of Marine and Atmospheric Sciences (SoMAS) Summer Courses offer high school students (age 16 and older) the chance to earn genuine college credit at one of the most respected marine science programs in the country, set on the Southampton campus at the eastern end of Long Island — steps from the Atlantic Ocean and Shinnecock Bay. The flagship offering is MAR 104: Introduction to Oceanography, an intensive two-week course running each July that covers the chemistry, geology, physics, and biology of the world ocean alongside a close examination of human interactions with the marine environment.

MAR 104 is built around fieldwork, not just lectures. Students take two boat trips aboard the RV Peconic on Shinnecock Bay, using professional oceanographic sampling equipment to measure water column characteristics and collect marine organisms. A live plankton lab brings microscopic ocean life into the classroom. Course meetings run 4–5.5 hours each weekday. Students earn 3 transferable Stony Brook University credits — the same credits required for SBU's own marine science majors — that should transfer to any college or university. Optional residential housing is available in Southampton dorms for students 17 and older at approximately $800 for 13 days; students prepare their own meals in suite kitchens. Tuition is approximately $1,100 for New York State residents and $3,300 for out-of-state students. A Total Immersion Scholarship of up to $2,000 is available for high school students from backgrounds historically underrepresented in the marine sciences, covering both tuition and housing costs. The course fills quickly and operates a waitlist annually.

Additional summer courses in marine and environmental sciences are offered on the same enrollment pathway, though MAR 104 is the most established and structured for high school participants.

For a student seriously interested in marine biology, oceanography, environmental science, or the coastal ecology of the Northeast, SoMAS at Southampton offers a college-level research experience with genuine boat-based fieldwork in a setting that few comparable programs can match.