Are you interested in the environment around you, and does a job or career in marine science appeal to you? Do your interests lie in the aquatic realm, specifically the marine system that includes oceans, estuaries and the atmosphere? Then you’re in luck! Students in the oceanography graduate program are trained in the broad sub disciplines (physical, biological, chemical and geological oceanography) and in their specialty field, and conduct research in topics including – but not limited to – coastal and estuarine processes, sedimentation and transport, ocean modeling, ocean acidification, climate change, ocean mapping, paleoceanography and climatology, primary productivity and microbial ecology of marine systems.
Oceanography students at UNH can choose from a variety of research projects leading to post-graduate employment opportunities. Our faculty span the major disciplines of oceanography. Marine facilities at UNH include the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory, Coastal Marine Facility (and vessels), Shoals Marine Lab on Appledore Island, and a variety of research space in the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory, Ocean Processes Analysis Laboratory, Earth Sciences and Biological Sciences Departments, and the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping, a Joint Hydrographic Center with NOAA. Our graduates are well-suited to jobs that require knowledge of coastal and ocean processes, field data collection analysis, at-sea experience, modeling and laboratory techniques.
P: (603) 862-1718
E: earth.sciences@unh.edu
The Oceanography (OCE) graduate program has a diverse set of faculty, staff, and students who examine ocean processes in broad fields of physical, biological, chemical, and geological oceanography and geophysics. Basic and applied research of an experimental, numerical, and analytical nature is conducted in oceanic settings that range from shallow nearshore and estuarine waters to the deep ocean and span all ocean basins on earth including the Arctic.
OCE offers programs leading to M.Sc. and Ph.D. degrees. These interdisciplinary programs prepare students for professional careers in ocean-relate fields. In addition, students can also pursue an ocean mapping option within the Department of Earth Sciences and carried out within the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping.
The oceanography graduate program within the Department of Earth Sciences and the School of Marine Science and Ocean Engineering (SMSOE) is enhanced by the ocean engineering and marine biology graduate programs, and by other departments and institutes at UNH, including the civil and mechanical engineering and biology departments; the Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space (EOS); the Center for Coastal and Ocean Mapping (CCOM); and the Ocean Processes Laboratory (OPAL). Other related programs include the N.H. Sea Grant Program, the Center for Collaborative Science, and the Atlantic Marine Aquaculture Center, Coastal Response Research Center (CRRC), Northeast Consortium (NEC), and the Piscataqua Region Estuaries Partnership (PREP). Oceanographic laboratories at UNH include the Shoals Marine Laboratory (SML) on Appledore Island, the Coastal Marine Laboratory (CML) in Newcastle, the Jackson Estuarine Laboratory (JEL) at Adams Point on the Great Bay, and the Chase Ocean Engineering Laboratory (COEL) on the main UNH campus. Additional laboratories for the oceanography faculty are located on campus in James, Morse, Rudman, and Spaulding Halls. The SMSOE operates a marine support facility and two UNH research vessels moored in Portsmouth Harbor at the UNH pier, the R/V Gulf Challenger and the R/V Gulf Surveyor, as well as a number of small boats. The SMSOE also supports the UNH Diving Program and oversees a shared use Instrumentation Pool for student and faculty use.
Applicants should have completed an undergraduate major related to one of the oceanography disciplines, including biology, chemistry, engineering, geology, physics, or mathematics, or an appropriate array of science and engineering courses within their major field. Applicants are expected to have completed one year each of calculus and chemistry and two semesters of physics and/or biology. It is not necessary to have had previous coursework in oceanography.
M.S. Degree Requirements
Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits for the thesis option or 34 credits for the non-thesis option.
| Code | Title | Credits |
|---|---|---|
| Required Courses | ||
| ESCI 997 | Seminar in Earth Sciences | 1 |
| ESCI 998 | Proposal Development | 1 |
| Select two of the following core courses: | 6-8 | |
BIOL 855 | Biological Oceanography | |
ESCI 852 | Chemical Oceanography | |
ESCI 858 | Introduction to Physical Oceanography | |
ESCI 859 | Geological Oceanography | |
| Select one of the following: | 6 or 2 | |
| Thesis Option: | ||
OCE 899 | Master's Thesis (acceptable to the thesis-examining committee and must pass a thesis defense) | |
| Non-Thesis Option: | ||
ESCI 898 | Directed Research | |
or OCE 898 | Directed Research | |
| Other Relevant Graduate Courses | 16-22 | |
BIOL 828 | Marine Bioacoustics | |
CEE 822 | Introduction to Marine Pollution and Control | |
ESCI 801 | Quantitative Methods in Earth Sciences | |
ESCI 820 | Ocean Measurements Lab | |
ESCI #834 | Geophysics | |
ESCI 841 | Geochemistry | |
ESCI 845 | Isotope Geochemistry | |
ESCI 847 | Aqueous Geochemistry | |
ESCI 854 | Sedimentology | |
ESCI 856 | Geotectonics | |
ESCI 860 | Paleoceanography | |
ESCI 862 | Glacial Geology | |
ESCI 864 | Spectral Analysis of Geophysical Time Series Data | |
ESCI 865 | Paleoclimatology | |
ESCI 871 | Geodesy and Positioning for Ocean Mapping | |
ESCI 874 | Integrated Seabed Mapping Systems | |
ESCI 875 | Advanced Topics in Ocean Mapping | |
ESCI 895 | Topics (Ocean Biogeochemistry) | |
ESCI 896 | Topics (Nearshore Processes) | |
ESCI 972 | Hydrographic Field Course | |
ESCI 995 | Advanced Topics (Geophysical Fluid Dynamics) | |
ESCI 996 | Advanced Topics (Ocean Modeling) | |
ESCI 996 | Advanced Topics (Nearshore Hydrodynamics) | |
IAM 940 | Asymptotic and Perturbation Methods | |
MATH 835 | Statistical Methods for Research | |
MATH 839 | Applied Regression Analysis | |
MATH 845 | Foundations of Applied Mathematics I | |
MATH 846 | Foundations of Applied Mathematics II | |
MATH 853 | Introduction to Numerical Methods | |
ME 807 | Analytical Fluid Dynamics | |
ME 910 | Turbulence | |
ME 812 | Waves in Fluids | |
MEFB 825 | Marine Ecology | |
MEFB 872 | Fisheries Biology: Conservation and Management | |
NR 844 | Biogeochemistry (or ESCI 896 Topics (Biogeochemistry)) | |
OE 853 | Ocean Hydrodynamics | |
OE 854 | Ocean Waves and Tides | |
OE 857 | Coastal Engineering and Processes | |
OE 865 | Underwater Acoustics | |
OE 995 | Graduate Special Topics (Coastal Sediment Transport) | |
ZOOL 810 | Sharks and Bony Fishes | |
| Total Credits | 30-34 | |
Students graduating with a MS in Oceanography should be able to:
Core Knowledge
Research Methods and Analysis
Research Independence
Scholarly Communication
Professionalism and Pedagogy
Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:
Application fee: $65
Campus: Durham
New England Regional: VT
Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)
Students claiming in-state residency must also submit a Proof of Residence form. This form is not required to complete your application, but you will need to submit it after you are offered admission or you will not be able to register for classes.
If you attended UNH after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester and UNH Non-Degree work.
If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must request one official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. International transcripts must be translated into English. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:
Transcripts are required for any school you earned a degree from, attended for at least one year, or attended for 2 or more semesters. Exceptions to this rule may be approved at the discretion of the program you are applying to and the UNH Graduate School Admission’s office.
Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.
Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:
All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program specific application questions.
The University of New Hampshire recommends that international applicants who are living outside of the United States, and are planning on pursuing a research based degree, submit a preapplication form before submitting a full application. Your preapplication request will be carefully reviewed and a decision usually provided within 3 weeks. If your preapplication is approved then it is recommended you then submit a full application. If you are currently living in the United States (on a H1B visa, etc.), or you plan on pursuing a professional master’s degree, then you do not need to submit a preapplication.
Prospective international students are required to submit TOEFL, IELTS, or equivalent examination scores. English Language Exams may be waived if English is your first language. If you wish to request a waiver, then please visit our Test Scores webpage for more information.
