Oceanography (M.S.)

Oceanography (M.S.)

rocky ocean shoreline with crabs

Why get a Master of Science in oceanography?

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.

Why choose UNH’s oceanography program?

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.

Potential career areas

  • Academic teaching
  • Business
  • Consulting firms
  • Government research (NOAA/NRL/USGS/USACE)
  • Research
  • State regulatory agencies

Contact

Thomas Lippmann

Oceanography Graduate Coordinator & Ocean Engineering Undergraduate Coordinator
Professor
Office: Earth Sciences, Chase Hall Room 121B, Durham, NH 03824
Department of Earth Sciences
56 College Road
214 James Hall
Durham, NH 03824

P: (603) 862-1718
E: earth.sciences@unh.edu

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  • Jennifer_Johnson_oceanography
    ceps-dei
    Jennifer Johnson '20
    Changing Physical Oceanography in the Bering Sea
    Jennifer Johnson graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science in biology before enrolling in the oceanography master’s program in the fall of 2018. The Hampton Roads, Virginia native aims to work in the science field with a government or non-profit agency. Her research focus is in...
    Learn More
    ceps-dei
    Jennifer Johnson '20
    Changing Physical Oceanography in the Bering Sea
    Jennifer Johnson graduated from Virginia Tech with a bachelor of science in biology before enrolling in the oceanography master’s program in the fall of 2018. The Hampton Roads, Virginia native aims to work in the science field with a government or non-profit agency. Her research focus is in...
    Learn More

View All Oceanography (M.S.) Spotlights

Curriculum & Requirements

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.S. 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.

Research and Facilities

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.

Admission Requirements

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. 

Degree Requirements

Students must complete a minimum of 30 credits for the thesis option or 34 credits for the non-thesis option.

Required Courses
ESCI 997Seminar in Earth Sciences1
ESCI 998Proposal Development1
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 Courses16-22
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 Credits30-34

This graduate program is approved to be taken on an accelerated basis in articulation with certain undergraduate degree programs.

General Accelerated Master's policy, note that some programs have additional requirements (e.g. higher grade expectations) compared to the policy.

Please see the Graduate School website and contact the department directly for more information.

Students graduating with a MS in Oceanography should achieve the following learning outcomes:

Core Knowledge

  • Demonstrate a foundation of knowledge in at least 2 of the main branches of oceanography: Geological, Biological, Physical, or Chemical.
  • Geological Oceanography: An understanding marine geology and geophysics, including major geological features and history of the world’s oceans, processes of the ocean floor, composition and structure of the Earth, plate tectonic theory, marine sedimentology, and paleoceanography.
  • Biological Oceanography: An understanding of marine ecosystems, primary and secondary productivity, trophodynamics, plankton diversity, zooplankton ecology, global ocean dynamics, and the physical and chemical processes that govern nutrient and light availability, the concept of food webs, role of microbes, and fisheries and anthropogenic interactions with fish stocks.
  • Physical Oceanography: An understanding of the physics of the ocean, including general wind-driven and thermohaline circulation, geostrophic flow, upwelling, waves and tides, continental and nearshore processes. the effect of the earth’s rotation on large scale global ocean circulation, and instrumentation and methods used in obtaining observations.
  • Chemical Oceanography: An understanding of the physical and biogeochemical process that determine the composition of seawater, including biological effects on chemistry, ocean nutrient cycles, air-sea gas exchange, radiogenic and stable isotopes as tracers of ocean properties, sediment and trace metal chemistry.
  • Demonstrate basic knowledge of how the processes within the main branches of oceanography interact with each other.
  • Demonstrate specialized knowledge of a field within oceanography sufficient to conduct substantive supervised research.

Research Methods and Analysis

  • Identify and demonstrate knowledge of a range of qualitative and quantitative methodologies typically used in geochemistry research.
  • Discover and critically read published research in the Earth sciences and related fields of mathematics, statistics, physics, chemistry, and biology.
  • Frame empirical research and/or theory guided by prior knowledge.
  • Implement a rigorous study using appropriate methods, measures and techniques.
  • Critically evaluate and systematically analyze data to reach appropriate findings and interpretations.

Scholarly Communication

  • Structure a coherent argument that rigorously presents and evaluates evidence to support claims.
  • Review and cogently synthesize relevant literature.
  • Write at a level and in a style of English consistent with that found in leading academic journals.
  • Understand and properly use styles of citing, referencing, and formatting found in leading academic journals.
  • Clearly convey research findings through oral presentation supported by appropriate digital media.
  • Cogently summarize research and its significance to non-specialist audiences.

Professionalism and Pedagogy

  • Prepare manuscripts that meet the standards of academic and research journals and respond appropriately to recommendations for revision.
  • Demonstrate collaboration, leadership and teamwork.
  • Create a welcoming environment that is supportive, inclusive and equitable.
  • Make effective contributions to university, community and professional service.
  • Communicate effectively to groups in a lecture format.

Deadlines

Applications must be completed by the following deadlines in order to be reviewed for admission:

  • Fall: Jan. 15 (for funding); April 1 (final)
  • Spring: Dec. 1
  • Summer: N/A
  • Special: N/A

Application fee: $65

Campus: Durham

New England Regional: VT

Accelerated Masters: Yes (for more details see the accelerated masters information page)

New Hampshire Residents

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.

Transcripts

If you attended UNH or Granite State College (GSC) after September 1, 1991, and have indicated so on your online application, we will retrieve your transcript internally; this includes UNH-Durham, UNH-Manchester, UNH Non-Degree work and GSC. 

If you did not attend UNH, or attended prior to September 1, 1991, then you must upload a copy (PDF) of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must then request an official transcript be sent directly to our office from the Registrar's Office of each college/university attended. We accept transcripts both electronically and in hard copy:

  • Electronic Transcripts: Please have your institution send the transcript directly to grad.school@unh.edu. Please note that we can only accept copies sent directly from the institution.
  • Paper Transcripts: Please send hard copies of transcripts to: UNH Graduate School, Thompson Hall- 105 Main Street, Durham, NH 03824. You may request transcripts be sent to us directly from the institution or you may send them yourself as long as they remain sealed in the original university envelope.

Transcripts from all previous post-secondary institutions must be submitted and applicants must disclose any previous academic or disciplinary sanctions that resulted in their temporary or permanent separation from a previous post-secondary institution. If it is found that previous academic or disciplinary separations were not disclosed, applicants may face denial and admitted students may face dismissal from their academic program.

Letters of recommendation: 3 required

Recommendation letters submitted by relatives or friends, as well as letters older than one year, will not be accepted.

Personal Statement/Essay Questions

Prepare a brief but careful statement regarding:

  1. Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
  2. Your specific research or professional interest and experiences in this field.

Important Notes

All applicants are encouraged to contact programs directly to discuss program-specific application questions.

International Applicants

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.

Explore Program Details

An applicant to the M.S. program is expected to have completed one year of calculus and at least four semesters of college chemistry, physics, and/or biology; and to have an undergraduate degree or equivalent in geology, chemistry, physics, mathematics, engineering, or the biological sciences. Students lacking some background in a particular area may be admitted provided they are prepared to complete courses, without graduate credit, in which they may be deficient. The program of study a student wishes to follow and the student's undergraduate major determine the level of preparation necessary. The preparation of each student is determined before the beginning of the first semester in residence in order to plan the course of study. Each entering student is assigned an academic adviser to assist in planning a program of study.

Admission decisions will be based on:

  • Alignment with and advocacy from a potential advisor. Prospective students should reach out directly to faculty with relevant research interests to ensure that the faculty member is actively recruiting students and that a relevant research project can be identified.
  • Academic preparation, as documented by relevant academic courses and grades, relevant work experience, standardized test scores (if submitted), and successful completion of relevant degree programs. Students lacking some background in a particular area may be admitted provided they are prepared to complete courses, without graduate credit, in which they may be deficient.
  • Scholarly potential (research, technical, oral communication, and written communication skills, acquired both from academic and non-academic settings), as documented by recommendation letters and personal statement.
  • Persistence, motivation, and realistic self-appraisal, as documented by their personal statement and recommendation letters.
  • Potential to capitalize on their  unique experiences, perspectives or talents to contribute to the scholarly community at UNH, as documented by recommendation letters and their personal statement.

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