Oregon State University

Program Information

Degree Offered

,

Program Description:

Oceanic circulation and the interactions between the ocean, the atmosphere, and solid Earth influence the Earth’s climate and directly affect people. COAS physical oceanographic researchers develop and use in-situ and remote-sensing instruments to better understand ocean dynamics and thermodynamics. Observations and models are used to investigate the interaction between air and sea, physical oceanography and ocean biology, and chemistry and geology.


Faculty study coastal-ocean processes, small-scale ocean physics and mixing, remote sensing and upper-ocean circulation, air–sea interaction, and ocean modeling and prediction. Major contributions are made in the fields of ocean optics, turbulence, coastal and mesoscale dynamics, polar processes, and open-ocean observations and theory.


Applicants to the Physical Oceanography program should have an undergraduate degree in physics, mathematics, or engineering, or a related field with a strong background in mathematics.


Physical oceanography concerns the physical processes in the sea, emphasizing water motions important in transporting heat and mass throughout the world oceans. The conceptual tools used to understand ocean physics include the basic principles of fluid dynamics and physics: conservation of mass and momentum, the laws of thermodynamics, and radiative transfer. These principles govern motions that range from centimeter-scale turbulence to currents and gyres that extend over entire ocean basins.

Tuition & Financial Aid

Financial Aid Offered: No

Format: Both

Classification: Doctoral/Research Universities - Extensive

Institution Sector: Public

Locale: Small City

Size & Settings: 20,000 and above