Marine Natural Resources Technician
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Marine Natural Resources Technician
The Occupational Endorsement Certificate (OEC) in Marine Natural Resource Technician provides students with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful employment at the technician level in marine natural resources and marine science through hands-on training and coursework.
Occupational Endorsement Certificate in Marine Natural Resources Technician
Students can complete this OEC in 1 semester
The Occupational Endorsement Certificate (OEC) in Marine Natural Resources Technician prepares students with the skills and knowledge necessary for successful employment at the technician level in marine natural resources and marine science through hands-on training and coursework. Students will learn technical skills from content experts, as well as communicative and social skills required for success in this growing field. They will also interact directly with natural resource management organizations that are in need of skilled technician level employees, facilitating a transition from the program to employment.
Requirements
- 16 Credit Hours
- Minimum 2.0 GPA
Please view the current catalog for a list of all required classes for this program.
Program Quick Facts
Cost Per Credit: $234 (for both in-state and out-of-state students). Students (16 years or older) may be eligible to attend this program for free* for the fall semesters through 2026 thanks to grant funding! *Tuition, academic fees, and housing are free for a limited amount of students per semester.
Location: Valdez
For more information about this program and to enroll you can contact PWSC Student Services:
email: pwsc.student.services@alaska.edu
call: 907-834-1600 (Mondays-Friday, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. AKST)
Grant Applications Open for Spring 2025!
The Spring 2025 Grant Funding Application is OPEN! The grant application has been extended to 11:59 PM AKST Thursday, October 17, 2024! PWSC Student Services will notify students of their grant application status on October 31, 2024. There are limited grant-funded spots available.
- How to Apply for Grant Funding
- Apply for admission to the Marine Natural Resources Technician, OEC, for the Spring 2025 semester. You will need to send your official transcripts to our pwsc.admissions@alaska.edu email.
- Write an essay response to the following prompt:
- Essay prompt: In approximately 750 to 1000 words, describe why you want to participate in this program, why you are interested in the program, what interests you about mariculture and/or marine science, and how you see this program helping you in the future.
- Upload your essay response, two letters of recommendation (at least one letter should be from someone who can speak to your academic abilities) and your most recent unofficial transcripts with your unweighted GPA in our Google
Form below.
- If your reference prefers to send the letter of recommendation directly to us, please have them email their letter to pwsc.registration@alaska.edu.
- Complete your ALEKS Math Placement. Students must complete their ALEKS math placement by the grant application deadline to be considered for grant funding. If you have questions about the math placement testing or whether your previous UAA math prerequisites or math transfer credits count towards MATH A104 or STAT A200, please get in touch with your Academic Advisor, Bernie Irish.
- Students will be notified of their grant application status on October 31, 2024.
Apply for Spring 2025 Grant Funding for the Marine Natural Resources Technician Program
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Important Grant Information:
PWSC has limited grant funding available to cover the tuition, fees, and housing for the Marine Natural Resources Technician Occupational Endorsement Certificate. Please be thoughtful in your response to the grant application essay prompt, as this is how we determine who will receive grant funding.
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Grant funding is available through 2026, and is limited per semester. Students may have additional opportunities to apply again if denied or waitlisted.
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Grant funding will only pay for grades C or higher in the program. Failing grades (F), Ds, withdrawals (W), incompletes (I), or remedial courses will not be covered by the grant. Students will be responsible for the cost of these courses.
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Students must be in at least 12 PWSC-credits in the MNRT program (full-time student status) to receive funding for PWSC on-campus housing.
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Grant funding will cover only program-specific math courses. If you are unable to test into MATH A104 Technical Mathematics or STAT A200 Elementary Statistics, you must take additional Math courses to meet the Occupational Endorsement Certificate graduation requirements.
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Please note that it may take more than one semester to complete the OEC program. Course-specific grant funding may be available in future semesters for those who do not place into the core MATH or STAT courses.
- If necessary, you can retake the ALEKS math placement test up to 5 times to improve your placement and qualify for grant funding.
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This program has been designed to prepare students for seasonal positions as:
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- Entry-level with National Parks Service, NOAA, Chugach Regional Resources Commission and other Alaska Native Organizations
- Entry-level on a kelp or oyster farm
- Entry-level marine research technician
Students enrolled in this program may want to continue their studies to advance their career. Possible pathways for majors to transfer into upon completion include:
- Associate of Arts in General Studies at Prince William Sound College
- Associate of Applied Science in Technology at Prince William Sound College
- Bachelor's degree in biological sciences or natural sciences at the University of Alaska Anchorage
- Bachelor's degree in fisheries and marine science at the University of Alaska Fairbanks
- Bachelor's degree in marine biology or environmental resources at the University of Alaska Southeast
For specific guidance on a transfer path it is best to make an advising appointment with an academic advisor. Contact PWSC's academic advisor to set up an appointment.
This program is the spring semester of PWSC's Semester on the Sound program. Students who attend the spring semester often choose to attend the fall semester Semester on the Sound program, which is the Natural Resources Technician OEC.
Meet The Professor
Dr. Amanda Glazier
Amanda came to PWSC from Haverford College outside of Philadelphia. There she was
a visiting assistant professor, teaching marine ecology, population genetics, advanced
genetic analyses, and superlab. Prior to that she was a research assistant professor
and postdoctoral Fellow at Temple University in Philadelphia. Her research has focused
on population genetics, phylogenetics, and transcriptomics of deep-sea invertebrates,
and she is broadly interested in using genetic tools to address evolutionary and ecological
questions. Her research has spanned lab work, field work with five deep-sea research
cruises, and bioinformatics and computational work. While all of these are important
aspects of research and learning, in teaching, she deeply believes that experiential
and field-based techniques are the best way for students to learn and develop a passion
for environmental sciences and ecology. Her courses are developed as much in this
context as possible, getting students outside and physically working with the topics
instead of just sitting in a classroom. This may include part of the day in the field
and part in the lab or working with an online database to experience different aspects
of the subject. She is very excited to be in Alaska, developing courses in this context
in such a unique, incredible environment.
Follow her Instagram account where she posts about teaching environmental studies at PWSC! environ_sciences_pwsc
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