New undergraduate major in Ocean Science

The Department of Marine Sciences announces a new University of Georgia undergraduate major, available to UGA students beginning in fall 2020, the bachelor of science in Ocean Science.

The Ocean Science B.S. program provides undergraduates with the opportunity to study marine systems from an interdisciplinary perspective, and will prepare students for careers in Marine Sciences and other environmental fields.

OCEAN SCIENCE MAJOR

Overview

The Ocean Science major provides students with a deep, interdisciplinary understanding of the structure and function of marine systems, from global oceans to local estuarine environments, and their interactions with the earth/atmosphere system. The major will equip students with the critical thinking skills and analytical tools needed to design, carry out, and interpret scientific studies in a broad range of environmental fields. Faculty on the Athens campus and at the Skidaway Institute of Oceanography are engaged in leading-edge research into the biological, chemical, geological, and physical aspects of marine systems on the Georgia coast and around the globe. This wealth of experience and expertise provides students with a diverse range of learning and research opportunities. Many Ocean Science majors will spend a semester on the coast at the Skidaway Institute, taking courses and participating in research.

Careers

An Ocean Science degree provides students with the knowledge and quantitative skills necessary to participate in a range of environment- and marine-related fields:

• Natural resources
• Aquaculture
• Public policy
• Water quality monitoring programs
• Environmental engineering technicians
• Zoologists and wildlife biologists
• Conservation scientists
• Geoscientists
• Geological and petroleum technicians
• Private consulting
• Field/Lab technicians
• Educators
• Resource managers
• Environmental consultants
• Federal/State agencies
• Non-governmental organizations
• Wildlife and nature centers
• Advanced degrees in Oceanography or related fields
• Peace Corps
•  

Advising

Franklin College of Arts and Sciences Office of Student Academic Services is advising incoming transfer students throughout May and incoming freshmen throughout June and July. Current/continuing students will be able to select Ocean Science as an option in Athena after July 8.

Image: Students and faculty aboard the RV Savannah with CTD equipment, fifty miles off the Georgia coast in November 2019.