| dc.description.abstract | Coastal and marine environments face increasing challenges from anthropogenic activities and climate change, resulting in an increasing need for professionals to address these complex ocean issues. Marine affairs programs, which play a role in the cultivation of marine affairs professionals, could address this need. The general status of marine affairs programs has not been updated since 1973. Moreover, there is a need for research on the skills/competencies and personal attributes that are desired by alumni’s employment sectors. The main topic of my research is to examine the roles of marine affairs programs in preparing marine affairs professionals. The sub-topic of this research is to investigate the skills/competencies and personal attributes that are desired by employment sectors of marine affairs programs’ alumni. I first conducted a literature review to identify the gaps in the research on higher education in marine affairs. I then conducted a desktop analysis which aimed to answer the main topic. Finally, I analyzed the data from a MAP (Marine Affair Program) alumni survey in Dalhousie University to investigate the answer for the sub-topic. The current roles of marine affairs programs include setting requirements for students to meet in order to graduate, preparing students in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities, providing favorable study environments, and helping students to find jobs or pursue advanced degrees. Researchers can provide suggestions that are adapted to the new conditions based on an updated status of marine affairs programs, which can promote the development of marine affairs programs. The result of the sub-topic could provide data for marine affairs programs for decision-making on how to adapt their education to meet the employment sectors’ needs.
Keywords: marine affairs programs; roles; marine affairs professionals, skills/competencies, personal attributes, employment sectors | en_US |
