Constitution of the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences
Last June, the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences was established. The organization gathers the coordinators of the degree in Marine Sciences at the different Spanish universities that offer it. Dr Miquel Canals, professor of Stratigraphy, Palaeontology and Marine Geosciences and president of the committee that has created the degree at the UB, participated in the constituent session which took place at the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cadiz.
Last June, the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences was established. The organization gathers the coordinators of the degree in Marine Sciences at the different Spanish universities that offer it. Dr Miquel Canals, professor of Stratigraphy, Palaeontology and Marine Geosciences and president of the committee that has created the degree at the UB, participated in the constituent session which took place at the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cadiz.
Currently, the degree in Marine Sciences can be studied at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, the University of Cadiz, the University of Vigo, the Catholic University of Valencia and the University of Alacant. Among its academic novelties, the University of Barcelona sets up the degree in the academic year 2015-2016, in collaboration with the Universitat Politècnica de Cataluna (UPC). In this way, marine studies are consolidated in Catalonia, thirty years after the development of the PhD Programme in Marine Sciences, and eight years after the implementation of the master's degree in Oceanography and Marine Environmental Management. The new degree in Marine Sciences of the UB has been promoted by the Faculty of Biology and the Faculty of Geology.
The main objectives of the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences are to regularize the institutional collaboration developed for the last years and to join efforts in order to offer these university studies. The Council also aims at promoting the professional career of graduates in Marine Sciences. Dr Melchor González, dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, chairs the organization, accompanied by Dr Belén Rubio, dean of the Faculty of Marine Sciences at the University of Vigo, who has been appointed secretary. Dr José María Quiroga, dean of the Faculty of Marine and Environmental Sciences of the University of Cadiz, has been named treasurer.
Professor Miquel Canals explains that “considering the weight and social importance of marine-related activities in our country as well as our expert knowledge and high training capability on this field of knowledge, it is absolutely logical the implementation of the new degree in Marine Sciences in the Catalan university system”. Professor Canals emphasizes that “it is particularly appropriate that the creation of the degree coincides with the constitution of the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences. The UB, supported by the UPC and other collaborating institutions, is committed to train excellent marine sciences professionals. Our goal is that graduates, besides enjoying sea knowledge, become prestigious professionals with a good position in global labour market”.
The degree in Marine Sciences has been taught in Spain since 1982. It has turned into a challenge for the future as it is an excellent interdisciplinary approach to marine and environmental management issues. Therefore, the constitution of the Council of Deans of Marine Sciences is an outstanding step towards the consolidation of the degree in Marine Sciences among oceanography university studies in Spain. The new Council of Deans of Marine Sciences aims at coordinating initiatives like inter-university masterʼs degrees in marine issues and the collaboration with the Spanish Federation of Oceanographers.