![Coastal engineering hero — dune restoration site — Program imagery, coastal engineering cluster.](/sites/default/files/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering.png?alternateWidths=/sites/default/files/styles/canvas_parametrized_width--%7Bwidth%7D/public/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering.png.avif%3Fitok%3Du1DLP8_P) Case Study # Oceanography The physics, chemistry and geology of the ocean, taught by a department that operates its own research vessel. Every student in this program goes to sea. [ Start an application ](/standard-page/how-to-apply) [ Download the handbook ](/standard-page/admissions) Oceanography at Northmoor is a quantitative science degree. It is about how the ocean works as a physical and chemical system: why water moves where it does, what it carries, and how the whole thing couples to climate. Every student in this program goes to sea aboard R/V *Cascadia Strait*. First-year students get a day trip. By the third year you may be running your own sampling station on a multi-day cruise, and by the fourth some students are writing their own science into a cruise plan. ## What you study The first year covers introductory oceanography and earth systems alongside the mathematics and physics core. The second year splits into the sub-disciplines — physical oceanography, chemical oceanography — and the third adds ocean observing systems and circulation and climate. The program requires a data analysis course, and that requirement was argued for by the faculty on the grounds that a student who cannot handle a messy time series cannot do the science. Ocean data are gappy, noisy and unevenly sampled. Learning to work with them honestly is half the training. ## Where it leads Graduate study, agency and laboratory science, offshore and environmental consulting, instrument and survey work, and a steady stream into data-heavy roles outside the field entirely — the analysis training transfers further than students expect. The department's own PhD program takes a small number of students each year, and several have come up through this degree. ## What to expect Mathematics, and more of it than students who chose the ocean for romantic reasons sometimes anticipate. Also genuine sea time: fourteen-day endurance, watch-standing, and weather that decides the schedule. Departures are never convenient. ## Curriculum OCEA 110 [Introduction to Oceanography](/course/introduction-to-oceanography)The ocean as a physical, chemical, geological and biological system. Taken by students across every program here. 1 GEOL 150 [Earth Systems](/course/earth-systems)Plate tectonics, the rock cycle, surface processes and deep time — the physical foundation the marine geoscience sequence builds on. 1 OCEA 220 [Physical Oceanography](/course/physical-oceanography)Ocean physics: the momentum balance, geostrophy, Ekman dynamics, and why water goes where it does. 1.5 OCEA 230 [Chemical Oceanography](/course/chemical-oceanography)Seawater chemistry, nutrient cycling and the carbonate system, with coastal variability treated as the main event rather than as noise. 1 OCEA 360 [Ocean Observing Systems](/course/ocean-observing-systems)How ocean measurements are actually made: sensors, moorings, autonomous platforms, and the failure modes of each. 1 OCEA 340 [Ocean Circulation and Climate](/course/ocean-circulation-and-climate)The ocean's role in the climate system: heat and carbon transport, variability, and how projections are built and where they are weakest. 1 OCEA 450 [Data Analysis for Ocean Science](/course/data-analysis-for-ocean-science)Working with real ocean data: gappy, noisy, unevenly sampled, and nothing like a textbook dataset. 1.5 ## Common questions ### Click to expand accordion Is housing guaranteed for first-year students? Yes, for all students entering directly from high school. Transfer students are housed as space allows, and the waitlist usually clears by mid-July. [Housing and residence life](#) ### Click to expand accordion How do I get between campuses? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What is the weather actually like? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What if I get seasick? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### At a glance Credential awardedBS Degree levelundergraduate Program length4 years Start termsfall ## Program Lead ![Department head portrait, seminar room background — Person `person_portrait`.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Department_head_portrait_seminar_room.png.avif?itok=KqjMDuis) ### Dr. Elena Reyes Professor of Physical Oceanography Related ## Other programs ![Coastal engineering hero — sea wall inspection at low tide — Program imagery, coastal engineering cluster.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering_Sea_Wall_Inspection.png.avif?itok=Xkh4zyIx) MS / Certificate ### Coastal Resilience A professional master's for people who will make decisions about a shoreline that is moving. Taught jointly by the policy and ocean science departments. - 2 years - Graduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/coastal-resilience) ![Boardwalk toward the field station, wide — Landing page imagery, coastal hero.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Boardwalk_to_Field_Station_Wide.png.avif?itok=E9HdTBKg) BS ### Environmental Science The applied environmental degree, built around estuaries, water quality and the coast. It is the most interdisciplinary program we run. - 4 years - Undergraduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/environmental-science) ![Coastal bluff overlook, wide — Landing page imagery, aspirational hero.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Coastal_Bluff_Overlook_Wide.png.avif?itok=53dN0E2S) BS ### Marine Geoscience The geology of the ocean and the coast — sediment, structure, and the climate record held in both. The smallest of the undergraduate science programs and the one with the most field time. - 4 years - Undergraduate Starts Fall [](/program/marine-geoscience) ## Come and see the tidal flats for yourself Open days run four times a year, and the Wrightsville tour always includes the field station. [ Book an open day ](/standard-page/visit-campus) [ Contact the department ](/standard-page/contact-us)