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Graduate Programs
Ph.D Program in Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography (MBBO)
Recently ranked one of the top five marine graduate programs in the nation (Chronicle of Higher Education 2007 Vol LIII Number 19), the Marine Biology and Biological Oceanography program focuses on the study of marine organisms and their interactions with each other and the physical environment, as well as the nature, functions and properties of complex marine ecosystems. Key research areas include microbial ecology, biogeochemistry, environmental genomics and population genetics.
Graduate study in marine biology and biological oceanography is administered through the Department of Biological Sciences and leads to the Ph.D. in Biological Sciences. The program includes formal courses, a selection of topical seminars, opportunities to teach undergraduates, and practical experience working with faculty on their ongoing research projects — culminating in individual research topics leading toward a degree.
Upon admission, students are assigned an initial faculty advisor who, in collaboration with the faculty guidance committee, ensures that each student has an adequate background to study in his/her chosen area. Early in the program of study, students begin working with one or more faculty members to develop a topic of independent research. Ph.D. candidates take written and oral Qualifying Examinations, typically in their fourth or fifth semester. Following this examination, doctoral students devote most of their academic time to their research. The final defense of the dissertation is typically taken in the fifth or sixth year.
MS Program in Marine and Environmental Biology
The goal of the Marine and Environmental Biology (MEB) masters program is to provide a rigorous, quantitative and focused introduction to the burgeoning fields and breadth of topics in marine environmental biology/chemistry, geobiology, oceanography, conservation biology and population dynamics (depending upon the concentration selected). Additionally, MEB provides students independent research experiences that satisfy their own specific interests. The program is intended to position and stimulate students for possible advanced study leading to a Ph.D. in one of the areas stated above, and/or provides a unique facet to ones background as a prospective medical student. The program will also provide fundamental tools and expertise for entry into a master’s level position in academic, government, or private sector research laboratories. It will prepare students interested in the governmental and non-government (NGO) environmental regulatory science, and forge career pathways into private sector positions in environmental consulting and business.
For a detailed description of the program of study, please refer to the current USC Catalogue.