Doctor of Marine Histories Degree: (no longer offered)

Requirements for this degree were set at a minimum of nine years of involvement in marine work or marine related research, as well as some significant contribution to the furthering of marine archeology or other marine related art or history, or the satisfactory completion of all course work normally required for a Doctor of Philosophy, with at least one year of intensive research in one of the marine related arts or histories, over and beyond that done meeting the course requirements for a Ph.D.

The creation and awarding of this degree was initially done by a written vote of Sea Research Society's Board of Directors and Board of Advisors. Person's voting for this degree included: the late Frederick Dumas (French underwater archeologist famed for his work with Jaques Yves Cousteau); Luis Marden (then Chief, Foreign Editorial Staff, National Geographic Magazine, and at that time National Geographic Society's resident shipwreck expert); the late Ron A. Gibbs (Ron was then Registrar, Division of Museums, National Parks Service, and had previously worked on the federal government's Dry Tortugas Shipwreck Project and other shipwreck projects); Edwin C. Bearss (historian for the National Park Service, author of numerous books including several on shipwrecks); Robert C. Wheeler (then Associate Director of the Minnesota Historical Society); Don Pablo Bush Romero (then president of the Club de Exploraciones Mexico, Mexican underwater archeological society); Sir Anders Franzen (discoverer of the wreck of the Swedish warship Vasa); Paul J. Tzimoulis (editor/publisher of Skin Diver magazine); and others of similar note.

At present the degree of Doctor of Marine Histories remains a non-traditional degree, but its validity and high caliber should be recognized in light of the above facts. To date all of the recipients (there have only been five) have been persons with international reputations for their work in the field of underwater archeology and/or historical shipwreck research.

One example of who received this degree was the late Peter Throckmorton. Throckmorton was best known for his 1960 discovery of what was then the oldest known shipwreck in the world (it was from the Bronze Age). An account of that discovery was carried in National Geographic Magazine. Throckmorton published numerous articles and books on shipwrecks and underwater archeology, and was a professor at Nova University in Florida when he died.

Dr. Spence's degree is a Doctor of Marine Histories.