Scripps Institution of Oceanography

Type of degree: Ph.D.

Brief overview of program: A graduate department of the University of California at San Diego, Scripps is one of the oldest and largest centers for global science research and graduate training in the world. More than 300 research programs are now conducted at Scripps, aimed at gaining comprehensive understanding of the oceans, atmosphere and structure of the Earth. Scripps scientists, pioneered exploration of the world's marine environments. They are leaders in studies of climate change, plate tectonics, ocean circulation, marine biology and ecology, marine pharmaceuticals, seafloor mapping, seismology, coastal processes, the El Niño phenomenon, biodiversity and conservation, and atmospheric sciences. Graduate students play an integral role in the Scripps missions of teaching and research. Scripps offers excellent graduate instruction and students perform a significant part of Scripps research activities. The stature of the institution is manifested both in the quality of students it attracts to the program and the scientists it graduates. Graduate Programs: A graduate student's work normally will be concentrated in one of eight curricular programs within the Department: Applied Ocean Science, an interdepartmental program concerned with man's exploration of the sea. Biological Oceanography, a program concerned with the interactions of populations of marine organisms with one another and with their physical and chemical environment. Climate Sciences, a program that studies the Earth's climate system with emphasis on the physical, dynamical, and chemical interactions of the atmosphere, ocean, land, ice, and the terrestrial and marine biospheres. Geosciences, a program that applies the observational, experimental, and theoretical methods of the basic sciences to understanding the processes that alter Earth's crust, and to determining the long-term history of the lithosphere, hydrosphere, atmosphere, and biosphere. Geophysics, a program that applies the principles of mathematics and experimenal and theoretical physics to understanding the nature of Earth's interior processes. Marine Biology, the observational and experimental study of all aspects of the physiology, genetics, behavior, ecology and evolution of marine organisms. Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry, a program studying the chemical and geochemical processes operating in a broad range of areas: the oceans, the solid earth, the atmosphere, marine organisms, polar ice sheets, lakes, meteorites, and the solar system. And, Physical Oceanography, a program dealing with observations of the properties and movement of ocean water and the understanding and modeling of these natural phenomena using fundamental concepts of fluid mechanics, applied physics, and mathematics. The interdisciplinary nature of research in marine and earth sciences is emphasized. Students are encouraged to take courses from various UC San Diego departments, and to pursue interdisciplinary research projects. A full list of courses can be found at http://www.ucsd.edu/catalog/0506/courses/SIO.html. The graduate program normally takes five to six years to complete and consists of coursework the first year or two, a departmental and qualifying examination, submission of a dissertation based on original research and a final exam where the thesis is publicly defended. Undergraduate Programs: Faculty and researchers at Scripps Institution of Oceanography teach over 45 undergraduate courses covering a wide breadth of earth and marine sciences including several introductory classes for non majors, and upper-division courses intended for a wide range of students in natural science majors. For students interested in careers in earth sciences, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography offers a bachelor of science degree and a contiguous bachelor of science and a master of science in Earth Sciences. The Earth Sciences major embraces a wide range of topics, including the physical and chemical evolution of the planet, the evolution of life, the causes of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions, earth-surface processes, the origin and behavior of oceans and atmosphere, and the impact of humans on the environment. The Earth Sciences curriculum takes advantage of the unique opportunities offered by Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Classes beyond introductory level are usually small, permitting personalized instruction. Field trips are an important part of the instructional program. Earth sciences students are encouraged to consult with their instructors about incorporating appropriate courses and research opportunities at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography into their undergraduate curriculum. The integrated program leading to a bachelor of science and a master of science degree in earth sciences is offered to UCSD undergraduate students who are enrolled in the earth sciences major. The program entails participation in research in an area of the earth sciences to be determined jointly by the student and a committee of earth sciences faculty members from the Scripps Institution of Oceanography. Starting in Fall, 2007 Scripps Institution of Oceanography will also offer an undergraduate minor program in Marine Science. The minor curriculum is designed to complement the strong disciplinary training of UCSD basic science majors by providing a broad interdisciplinary perspective with an environmental focus. Ocean-related science is relevant to many contemporary environmental issues and problems and central to understanding earth-system evolution, dynamics, climate and sustainability. The minor consists of courses and research opportunities offered primarily through faculty and researchers at Scripps. The mix of these components can be tailored to reflect students’ career interests through an “all courses” track or a “research” track. The “all courses” track offers a very flexible curriculum that serves students with a broad range of educational and career interests including environmental management and regulation, teaching, environmental law, economics and policy and a wide variety of graduate programs. The “research” track is designed for students interested in an undergraduate research experience at Scripps and serves as excellent preparation for graduate research studies.

Website: Click here for program website

Number of students enrolled in 2007: 240

Description of Facilities: The research vessels and facilities at Scripps and its associated laboratories are available to Scripps students, many of whom participate in oceaongraphic research at sea. Scripps operates four ships for local and global seagoing expeditions. In addition, Scripps operates the unique research platform FLIP (FLoating Instrument Platform) for conducting stable research operations at sea. The Scripps Library, one of the largest oceanographic libraries in the world, contains more than 217,000 volumes, 1,200 print periodicals and 10,000 electronic journals. The 1,090-foot-long Scripps Pier houses apparatus for a number of serial oceanographic observations and is used as a platform from which to deploy and retrieve small boats. Other resources include a saltwater system, which provides clean seawater to the biological laboratories and the aquarium; access to underwater areas in which to conduct research and collect marine specimens; several thousand deep-sea sediment cores from diverse localities; original echograms and underway geophysical data from several hundred thousand miles of ship tracks; an oceanographic data archive of half a million bathythermograph observations; several thousand seawater samples from the world’s oceans; the Scripps Marine Vertebrates Collection with more than 2.5 million specimens and 5,700 cataloged species of marine fish; the Scripps Benthic Marine Invertebrates Collection containing 40,000 lots of 750,000 specimens and many identified species; the Scripps Pelagic Invertebrates Collection with over 114,000 zooplankton samples; and large oceanographic collections of benthic invertebrates, dredged rocks, and cores. Additional resources include the Scripps Analytical Facility, providing training and access to state-of-the-art research instrumentation.

Program Faculty: There are more than 95 full-time faculty members in the Department and an additional 46 adjunct professors and lecturers who are also actively involved in the instruction activities of the Department. Each member of the instructional staff belongs to one or more of several curricular programs. The interdisciplinary nature of research in marine, earth and atmospheric sciences yields a great diversity of instruction.

Student Support: Graduate student support is available in the form of Research and Teaching Assistantships, fellowships and other awards through the Department.

Email: siodept@sio.ucsd.edu

Institution address: Scripps Institution of Oceanography 9500 Gilman Drive, Mail Code 0208
                             La Jolla,CA 92093-0208

Phone: 858-534-3206