Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Oceanography

Gain hands-on experience and customize your doctoral degree to align with your research interests and career goals.

Program Details

The Doctor of Philosophy (Ph.D.) in Oceanography program allows students to work closely with our faculty advisors to develop a program of coursework that is tailored to their interests.

We offer courses in several specialties, including:

Nearly all students accepted into our program receive a graduate assistantship, which includes a tuition waiver, stipend, and optional medical benefits. Find more information on our Financial Aid page. Students not supported on graduate assistantships are accepted with other funding sources (e.g., NSF-GFRP and GI Bill).

Graduate Student Projects Available

Are you a prospective graduate student? Click here to see a list of faculty and research projects that may be available for students enrolling in 2025. Click here to sign up for the pre-application info session for our graduate program, which will be held Dec 5, 2024 at noon Eastern time.

Application Deadlines

Fall Semester

Priority deadline: Jan. 5.
Applications accepted through July.

Spring Semester

Priority deadline: Oct. 1

Degree Requirements

The Ph.D. in Oceanography requires 30 course credits, 15 credits of GRAD 6950 or 6960, and six related area credits. Students who have already earned a master’s degree in the field of study or a closely related field must earn 15 credits beyond the master’s, 15 credits of GRAD 6950 or 6960, and six related area credits.

Courses

Our academic program is developed around a multi-tiered structure:

  1. Four courses (MARN 5010 Biological Oceanography, MARN 5030 Chemical Oceanography, MARN 5050 Marine Geology, and MARN 5065 Physical Oceanography) are designed to provide a core understanding of the basic sub-disciplines of oceanography.
  2. The seminar course (MARN 5501) at least once, but it can be repeated.
  3. A series of more specialized elective courses are offered to meet the student's individual needs and goals.

We strongly recommend that all students in our program take the core courses, since the field is multidisciplinary and requires a broad knowledge of oceanography.

Graduate Student Projects Available

Are you a prospective graduate student? Click here to see a list of faculty and research projects that may be available for students enrolling in 2025. Click here to sign up for the pre-application info session for our graduate program, which will be held Dec 5, 2024 at 12 PM Eastern time.

Contact Us

While it is recommended that students directly contact our faculty to identify a potential major advisor, the following contact information can be used for general questions about graduate studies:

860-405-9152
marinesciences@uconn.edu