Admission Requirements

Applicants are expected to have an undergraduate degree in either mathematics, science or engineering. In addition, they shall have completed prerequisite courses as listed. Students must show proficiency in English, if they are foreign students. GRE scores are required. Students may be accepted subject to the requirement that additional courses are taken to make up deficiencies in their background. Admission to the program also depends on other factors such as work experience, letters of recommendation, and the suitability of background.

The minimum requirements for entry into the Program are:

• one year of calculus
• one year of physics
• one year of chemistry.
  

Students wishing to pursue a degree with an emphasis in physical oceanography will typically have additional mathematics including differential equations and computer programming. Students who wish to emphasize chemical oceanography or geochemistry will typically have had one year of organic chemistry and one year of physical chemistry. To study biological oceanography, it is recommended that students have at least one year of organic chemistry and adequate preparation in the biological sciences. Decisions on admissions to the Program, and interpretation of these requirements, is the responsibility of the Admissions Committee, as provided in the Program Bylaws.

Requirements for the Master of Science Degree with Thesis

A Master's student will have an advisor upon entry into the program. This advisor will also be the student's thesis committee chair unless the student requests a change of advisor before the end of his/her first academic year.

In consultation with his/her committee chair, the student will form his/her thesis committee before the middle of his/her second academic year. The thesis committee will have at least three members (including the chair) and at least two of the members (including the chair) will be members of the GPO faculty. One committee member may be appointed from outside of the GPO. The membership of the thesis committee must be approved by the director of the GPO and reported to the GPO faculty. Any subsequent changes must be approved by the Director of the GPO.

Each student should prepare a program of study in consultation with his/her committee chair.The program of study will require the program's core requirements (see below) and other courses pertinent to the student's research area. The student's thesis committee may require remedial courses, even if such courses must be taken without degree credit.

Course Requirements
The minimum requirement for completion of the M.S. with thesis is 24 credits of course work and 6 credits of research. The minimally acceptable GPA is 3.0. No more than 12 credits can be selected from undergraduate courses at the 300 or 400 level, and only 6 of those 12 can be at the 300 level. Only one course with a grade of "C" will be counted toward degree requirements.

A minimum of 9 credits must be earned by taking PHYSICAL OCEANOGRPHY [16:712:501] and two of the other core courses of the GPO:
CHEMICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 16:712:540
BIOLOGICAL OCEANOGRAPHY 16:712:522
MARINE GEOLOGY 16:460:541
or by transferring credit from equivalent courses taken at other institutions. These core requirements should be completed within the first two academic years.

The M.S. student should submit to his/her thesis committee a progress report at the termination of each academic year following the formation of the thesis committee. The purpose of this progress report is to summarize the student's course of study and thesis research plans and progress.

All requirements for the M.S. degree must be completed within three consecutive calendar years. Any extension must be through written petition and permission by the GPO Director after review by the Scholastic Review Committee.

M.S. Thesis
The thesis will be written in accordance with the guidelines and requirements of the Graduate School and will ordinarily follow the style of a manuscript submitted for publication in a scientific journal. A draft of the thesis must be submitted to committee members at least three weeks before the final thesis examination. Three final copies of the thesis are required. The original and one copy, approved by the thesis committee, are filed with the Graduate School after the oral thesis defense. One copy is filed with the student's thesis advisor.

Final Examination
Each M.S. student must pass a final examination at least three weeks prior to commencement. The examination will be in the form of an open oral thesis presentation and defense followed by a closed oral examination administered by the student's thesis committee. Material covered in the examination may include the content of required program courses as well as the student's specific research subject. A student will pass upon approval of all members of his/her committee or upon approval of all but one member.

Continuation to the Ph.D.
A student who completes a Master of Science Degree with a thesis may elect to continue in the Ph.D. program. To expedite the process, the student is encouraged to convey in writing to the GPO Director and his/her M.S. thesis committee his/her disire to continue on for the Ph.D., before the student's final examination. After the final examination, the thesis committee will recommend to the Scholastic Review Committee whether or not the student should be encouraged to continue. The Scholastic Review Committee will review the recommendation and advise the GPO Director, who will decide if permission to continue will be granted.