Coastal Science & Policy Graduate Program

UC Santa Cruz

The Coastal Science and Policy Program at UC Santa Cruz aims to educate emerging coastal science and policy leaders to identify critical threats to social and ecological systems, respond to complex problems with effective, practical alternatives, and confront institutions with innovative, interdisciplinary solutions.

Department/Institute/Unit: Coastal Science & Policy Program
Institution: UC Santa Cruz
City: Santa Cruz
Country: United States
State/Province: California
Program Leader(s): Dr. Anne R. Kapuscinski (Director); Sarah Eminhizer (Ast. Director)
Point(s) of Contact: Sarah Eminhizer
Contact Email(s): csp@ucsc.edu
Year Initiated: 2018
Currently Active: Yes
Program Scale: International
Participant Model: Cohort Based
Participant Eligibility: Master’s Student, Ph.D. Student
Time Commiment for Participants: 60+ hours
Requirements for Participation: Must be a UCSC graduate student
Application Frequency: Yearly
Application Process: Apply through the UCSC Graduate Division portal; more information for prospective students here: https://csp.ucsc.edu/prospective-students-how-to-apply-grad-school/.
Program Recruitment Strategies: Social media, word of mouth, posting to range of partner sites, and email.
Cost to Participant: Yes
Funding or Support Available to Participants: Yes
Amount or Types of Support Available to Participants (if applicable): Financial support for incoming students in the Coastal Science and Policy program varies based on need, allowing us to use existing resources to support broad participation in and growth of this exciting program. Fellowships range from full funding (tuition, fees, insurance, and living stipend) to partial or no funding. The program maintains small cohorts so that we continue to provide significant individualized mentorship and support throughout the program.
Mentorship Model: All students receive mentorship from the director, ast. director and faculty. In addition, CSP MS students conduct a practice-based capstone project in their second year with a non-academic partner (NGO, Gov’t, Business, etc.) and receive mentorship from this organization.
Number of Participants in Program: 10-19
How Program is Funded: Internal, Public Grants, Private Grants, Other
Other Program Partners: CSP engages with a wide range of partners including, but not limited to, those listed here: https://csp.ucsc.edu/partners/
Number of Program Staff: 2
Is the Program Credit Bearing or Credentialing: Yes
Is there a Program Evaluation Conducted: Yes
Type(s) of Evaluation(s) Conducted: Annual internal evaluations with students and faculty as well as scheduled 3 and 5 year recurring program evaluations.