School of Oceanography (BA/BS)

About this programme

Oceanography - the study of the marine environment and its interactions with the earth, the biosphere, and the atmosphere - is prompted both by the intellectual desire to understand how the oceans move and how life develops in a salty, cold environment, and the need to use wisely the ocean's resources for the benefit of humanity. Oceanography integrates the basic principles of biology, chemistry, geology, and physics into scientific research in the marine environment. Applications of high technology to oceanographic instrumentation and vessels, increasingly sophisticated computers, satellite remote sensing, and innovative methodologies are rapidly opening new possibilities for exploration and study. At the undergraduate level, Oceanography is presented as an integrated interdisciplinary science that prepares students for a broad range of careers. At the graduate level, Oceanography is specialized into four areas of emphasis: Biological, Chemical, Geology and Geophysics, and Physical.