Graduate Degrees

Courses of Instruction

Allan Hancock Foundation 107B
(213) 740-7766
FAX: (213) 740-8123
E-mail: trusten@usc.edu

Acting Director: Frances Wilkerson, 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).

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.

Graduate Degrees

Degree Requirements

Advanced degrees are under the jurisdiction of the Graduate School. Refer to Requirements for Graduation and the Graduate School for general regulations. All courses applied toward the degrees must be courses accepted by the Graduate School.

Master of Science in Ocean Sciences

Research Tool Requirements

None required.

Course Requirements

The M.S. degree in ocean sciences requires at least 24 units of course work, including two core courses (OS 512 and 582). Four thesis units (OS 594) are also required. At least 16 units of course work must be at the 500-level or higher; no more than six units can be directed research (OS 590); a maximum of four units with superior grades in approved course work may be transferred from an accredited graduate school. Students are required to maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in all graduate work.

Thesis

Students should arrange for the appointment of a thesis advisor and committee after the first semester, or at the latest, after the first year of graduate work. The thesis committee should consist of the advisor plus two other faculty members, all of whom are generally selected from GPOS faculty. Once the committee is arranged, the student may make formal application to the Graduate School for the M.S. degree.

Doctor of Philosophy in Ocean Sciences

Research Tool Requirement

To be determined by guidance committee.

Course Requirements

The Ph.D. degree in Ocean Sciences requires at least 27 units of formal course work (including seminars) of the 60 total units needed. Two core courses are required (OS 512, OS 582). No more than 15 units of 400-level course work may be applied. A maximum of 30 units may be transferred from an accredited graduate school.

Students are required to maintain an overall GPA of 3.0 in all graduate work.

Students may request permission to take the Ph.D. qualifying examination on completion of 18 units of course work, including two core courses in Ocean Sciences.

Screening Procedure

Students in the Ph.D. program must pass the screening procedure before their 25th unit of graduate credit. Screening consists of a review of the student's progress and is usually done by the GPOS Review Committee following a written recommendation by the student's advisor(s). Screening occurs at the end of each semester.

Guidance Committee

The doctoral guidance committee is formed after the student has passed the screening procedure. The committee is appointed by the department with the advice of the student's research advisor. The five-member committee consists of the advisor, a minimum of three other members from the GPOS faculty, and one additional tenure-track faculty member. The committee must include faculty members from more than one academic department. A tenure-track faculty member must serve as research advisor or co-advisor. The committee consults with the student, recommends an appropriate program of study and administers written and oral qualifying examinations.

Qualifying Examination

The student may request permission to take the Ph.D. qualifying examination upon completion of 18 units of course work, including two core courses in ocean sciences. The qualifying examination consists of a written and an oral part, both parts prepared, conducted and evaluated by the student's examination committee. The written examination will consist of a number of questions given on two consecutive days. Questions will be comprehensive in scope with respect to the student's chosen area of specialization and will be designed to test the student's conceptual, analytical and integrative ability and preparation.

The written part of the qualifying examination must be taken before the oral examination. The oral examination will be in the area of the student's intended research and will be based on a research project selected and developed by the student into a written proposition. The oral examination will be conducted and evaluated by the student's examination committee. The oral examination must be taken within one month of the written examination.

Defense of the Dissertation

After the student has passed the qualifying examination, the guidance committee recommends to the Graduate School that the student be admitted to candidacy for the Ph.D. degree. Following admission to candidacy the student must register for OS 794 Dissertation every semester, except summers, until the degree is awarded.

The guidance committee will be known as the dissertation committee after the qualifying examination has been passed. A student must undertake an original investigation of a problem in ocean sciences. The topic must be approved by the student's dissertation committee and will usually be based on the written proposition presented in the qualifying examination.

A dissertation based on the student's research must be approved by the student's dissertation committee. The student must then defend the dissertation. The final typed copy of the dissertation must be presented to the Graduate School at least three weeks prior to the end of the semester in which the degree is to be granted, and the student must allow adequate time after the defense for final copy preparation.

The dissertation must conform to the general regulations described in Regulations for Format and Presentation of Theses and Dissertations, available from the Graduate School, Grace Ford Salvatori Hall 315. Additional regulations and information on the organization and preparation of the dissertation are provided in Directions for Preparation of Dissertations and Research Reports as Required by the Graduate Program in Ocean Sciences/University of Southern California, available in the GPOS office.

Interdisciplinary Programs

The Graduate Program in Ocean Sciences is designed to be interdisciplinary, reflecting the nature of the field which combines principles of physical, chemical, geological and biological oceanography to solve relevant problems in the ocean environment.

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