The Cooperative Science Center (CSC) awards are made through a national competition to successful eligible, accredited minority serving institutions (MSIs) that confer a doctoral degree in one of the areas of the NOAA mission identified as a Cooperative Science Center (CSC). A CSC may partner with one or more institutions that have demonstrated education and research performance in NOAA mission sciences. The CSCs are institutional awards with each CSC consisting of a lead minority serving institution (MSI) and academic partners that are MSIs and non-MSIs. These Centers train students in core NOAA mission fields of coastal and marine ecosystems, atmospheric sciences & meteorology, earth system sciences and remote sensing technology and living marine resources.