Program Description

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.

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.

Requirements for the Program

M.S. Degree Requirements

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

Course List
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

Student Learning Outcomes

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.

Application Requirements & Deadlines

Apply now

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 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 upload an official copy of your transcript in the application form. International transcripts must be translated into English.

If admitted, you must 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:

Reasons you wish to do graduate work in this field, including your immediate and long-range objectives.
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

Some academic departments recommend that international applicants, living outside of the United States, and planning on pursuing a research based degree, submit our extended inquiry form before submitting a full application. The extended inquiry form will be reviewed by the academic faculty and a department representative will reach out if your background and qualifications are a good fit for the program.

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.

Oceanography (M.S.)

Oceanography (M.S.)

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