Ocean Sciences

Graduate Degrees
Courses of Instruction


Alan Hancock Building 107A
(213) 740-5804
(213) 740-8123 (FAX)

Director: Patricia Kremer, Ph.D.

Participating Faculty: See Biological Sciences, Earth Sciences, Geography and Engineering in this catalogue.

Degree Programs

The Graduate Program in Ocean Sciences (GPOS) provides interdisciplinary education and training to prepare professional ocean scientists for careers in academia, industry, state and federal government. Students develop the ability to identify and solve significant problems in ocean sciences by using their training in several disciplines. They develop the ability to formulate and test hypotheses and integrate information and concepts about how the earth-ocean system is structured and how it functions. Training also is provided to develop skills in oral and written communication of technical and scientific information. Both M.S. and Ph.D. degree programs are offered; both require preparation of a thesis.

Admission Requirements

All rules and regulations described in the Graduate School section of this catalogue, and Graduate Admission, will apply to students in the GPOS.

Official acceptance by the GPOS Admissions Committee depends upon the applicant's undergraduate record (GPA), letters of recommendation, research experience, intended area of research, personal interview (whenever possible), and the availability of a faculty member willing to advise and sponsor the applicant.

Students must conform to standard university policy (see Graduate Admission section of this catalogue). A Bachelor of Science degree in an appropriate field of natural science, engineering or mathematics will be required for admission to graduate work in ocean sciences at the master's and Ph.D. level.

It is expected that the applicants to the GPOS will have attained a scholarship average of at least "B" (3.0 GPA on a 4.0 scale) preferably in the natural sciences or mathematics. Applicants must have taken the GRE aptitude test (verbal and quantitative, analytical). Successful applicants typically score in excess of 600 on both verbal and quantitative parts of the exam.

Applicants should contact the GPOS office by mail or phone for an admission package. The GPOS admits students for both the fall and spring semesters; however, applicants for assistantships are encouraged to apply for the fall semester.

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Produced by the USC Division of Student Affairs, Office of University Publications, May 1, 1995
Joye Day
day@mizar.usc.edu