Summer Field Program
Summer Field Program
Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Gulf Coast Research Laboratory was established in Ocean Springs, Mississippi in 1947 and is home to the Summer Field Program. The Summer Field Program has held classes each year since the summer of 1947 despite two major hurricanes making landfall in Mississippi (1969 & 2005) and a global pandemic (2020) in its over 75 year history.
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Attend the Summer Field Program at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory and gain the education experience of a lifetime!
The Summer Field Program is offered through the School of Ocean Science and Engineering and provides undergraduate and graduate students an opportunity to learn about coastal environments in an intensive field-based setting. Located at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory (GCRL), student have access to on-site amenities including dormitory, dining hall, research vessels, research labs, library, and specimen museum. Classes immerse students in the subject matter over a five-week term, with most class sessions occurring in a focused laboratory or field setting. Courses that include heavy field work utilize the GCRL fleet of research vessels to explore the Mississippi Sound and Mississippi’s unique barrier islands. In addition to local boat and field trips, some classes venture on overnight trips to rich coastal areas in neighboring states of Louisiana and Florida. The program allows students to fully embrace the beauty of Mississippi’s coastal habitats, local wildlife species, and unique ecosystems along the Northern Gulf of Mexico.
2025 Dates
- Session I: May 27 – June 25
- Session II: June 26 – July 30
Summer Session I:
- Barrier Island Ecology
- Cetacean Behavior
- Elasmobranch Biology
- Marine Science I: Oceanography
- Marine Invertebrate Zoology
- Marine Mammals (online)
- Research Study Program
Summer Session II :
- Marine Conservation
- Marine Ichthyology
- Marine Science II: Marine Biology
- Marine Toxicology (online)
- Research Study Program
Undergraduate Students
4 things are needed to complete your application to SFP:
- Send Immunization Record to sfpFREEMississippi
- Send Official Transcript to Â鶹´«Ã½ Undergraduate Â鶹´«Ã½ or sfpFREEMississippi
- Current Â鶹´«Ã½ students submit application only.
- Graduate Students – To apply, email sfpFREEMississippi or call 228.818.8812
The Gulf Coast Research Laboratory's air-conditioned dormitory houses two students per room. Suites consist of four rooms and a common bathroom facility. Requests for housing are filled as received. Married couples must make their own arrangements for off-site housing. All rooms have Internet access via WiFi. For more housing information please contact sfpFREEMississippi.
The dining hall serves three meals daily. Students should bring linens, towels, and clothing suitable for field work, such as shorts, bathing suits, hat, long-sleeved shirt and light-weight pants, washable athletic shoes, polarized sunglasses as well as a good sunblock. Laundry facilities are available on-site.
Dormitory stays typically provide excellent opportunities to meet other students, as well as to engage in study groups, water sports, fishing, golf, tennis, biking, weight lifting, aerobics, and hiking that form some of the many summer pastimes on the Mississippi Gulf Coast.
The community of , as well as the neighboring cities of , , , and provide ample opportunities for shopping, banking, dining, and recreation. New Orleans is less than two hours away by car. Mobile, Alabama is about an hour drive.
Summers are hot on the Mississippi Gulf Coast and students should be prepared to protect themselves from intense sunshine. Bring a good sunblock, hat, sunglasses and a reusable waterbottle.
If a student has a disability that qualifies under the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) and requires accommodations, he/she should contact the Office for Disability Accommodations (ODA) for information on appropriate policies and procedures.
POSSESSION OF ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES ON LABORATORY GROUNDS IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
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MISSISSIPPI – Mississippi College, Clinton
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ARKANSAS – Arkansas Tech University, Russellville; Southern Arkansas University, Magnolia; University of Arkansas at Little Rock; University of Arkansas at Monticello; University of the Ozarks, Clarksville
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FLORIDA – University of Tampa, Tampa
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GEORGIA – Berry College, Rome
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ILLINOIS – Southern Illinois University, Carbondale
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IOWA – Drake University, Des Moines
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KENTUCKY – Morehead State University, Morehead
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LOUISIANA – Southeastern Louisiana University, Hammond
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MISSOURI – Northwest Missouri State University, Maryville; Southeast Missouri State University, Cape Girardeau
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NEW YORK – State University of New York, Potsdam
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OHIO – Bowling Green State University, Bowling Green
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OKLAHOMA – Southwestern Oklahoma State University, Weatherford
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SOUTH CAROLINA – Presbyterian College, Clinton
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TENNESSEE – Belmont University, Nashville; Carson-Newman College, Jefferson City; Christian Brothers University, Memphis; Rhodes College, Memphis; Tennessee Technological University, Cookeville; Tennessee Wesleyan College, Athens; University of Tennessee at Chattanooga; University of Tennessee at Martin
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WISCONSIN – University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire
Summer Field Program Coordinator
Dr. Laura Blackmon
228.818.8852
sfpFREEMississippi
Summer Field Program Specialist
Sarah Faruque
228.818.8812
sfpFREEMississippi
GCRL Housing Conferences Service Manager
Martha Brown
228.818.8824
Martha.BrownFREEMississippi
on the Mississippi Gulf Coast
Program Celebrates 75 Years