Bachelor of Science - Ocean Sciences

Ocean sciences, or oceanography, is a field that encompasses the study of the global marine environment from broad geographic and disciplinary perspectives. It essentially looks at the interaction between marine life and oceanic processes, covering such diverse topics as coastal and deep-sea food webs, marine animal ecology, physiology and behaviour, plankton dynamics, the effects of pollution or climate change on ocean life and ecosystems, the management and conservation of aquatic resources, and much more.

The major in Ocean sciences is an interdisciplinary program administered by the Department of Ocean Sciences, providing a solid foundation in ocean studies, including the basic principles of its main sub-disciplines (physical, chemical, geological, and biological oceanography).

The Department of Ocean Sciences (DOS) is housed at the Ocean Sciences Centre (OSC) in Logy Bay, which is located approximately 10 kilometers (10 min) from the main St. John’s campus of Memorial University. The OSC is a major facility for marine research on the Atlantic coast and is one of Canada’s largest marine laboratories. By virtue of its location, the department provides scientists and students access to the flora and fauna of the northwest Atlantic Ocean and is uniquely situated for shore-based studies of cold-ocean processes and subarctic, Arctic and deep-sea organisms.

Education and training is one of the Department’s principal mandates, and is achieved by providing a stimulating, research-intensive environment in which students can develop and thrive. The Department offers graduate and undergraduate programs, as well as hands-on field and laboratory research experience through part-time and summer research positions for undergraduates.