The Marine Sciences Education Consortium (MSEC) was developed to provide a formal curriculum in the marine sciences, including supervised research, to member institutions. Such institutions are liberal arts colleges or universities attended by students who are preparing for careers in the marine sciences or who have a strong liberal arts interest in the oceans, but for whom no specialized programs in marine sciences are available. MSEC students have access to the Duke Marine Laboratory's fall semester, spring semester, and two five-week summer terms.

Currently, member institutions include Albright College, Allegheny College, Assumption College, Augustana College, Brown University, Bucknell University, Davidson College, Denison University, the Five Colleges Coastal and Marine Sciences Program (Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College and the University of Massachusetts), Furman University, Gettysburg College, Hampden-Sydney College, Hood College, Ithaca College, Kenyon College, Macalester College, Marquette University, Miami University, New College of Florida, North Carolina State University, University of North Carolina - Greensboro, University of Notre Dame, Oberlin College, Presbyterian College, Rollins College, University of Richmond, Stetson University, Trinity College, Washington and Lee University, Wittenberg University, and the College of Wooster.

Members join upon invitation and mutual agreement. Inquiries from interested institutions are welcome and requests to join MSEC will be considered. Such inquiries should be addressed to the Director, Duke University Marine Laboratory, 135 Duke Marine Lab Road, Beaufort, NC 28516-9721, (252/504-7508).