Georgia Institute of Technology Ocean Science and Engineering - OSE

In our fast-moving age, nature and society are changing ever more rapidly. A faster than ever population growth and the progressive improvement and development of technologies are changing our planet to an unprecedented extent. The greatest challenges of our time result from growing complexity, interconnectedness and linkages across the globe that exceed traditional disciplinary boundaries. The scientific knowledge, too, has grown apace. It has become more diverse and multifaceted. This applies especially to the ocean – the largest environmental resource on Earth. Over recent decades, we have recognized that chemical, biological and physical processes in the marine environment influence and feedback on each other. These processes cannot be viewed in isolation, requiring a more integrated approach to our interpretation of scientific data and to the development of effective solutions. A synergistic approach at the frontiers of science and engineering will advance scientific knowledge and problem solving in transdisciplinary areas such as those relevant to ocean systems. Georgia Tech (GT) is one of a very few institutions with the engineering and scientific prowess and interdisciplinary culture to effectively address these critical challenges of sustainability that threaten all of us. 

The goal of the Ph.D. Program in Ocean Science & Engineering (OSE) is to educate the next generation of transdisciplinary ocean scientists and engineers by combining the basic and applied sciences with innovative ocean technologies, and to advance interdisciplinary research at the frontiers of the physical, biological, chemical and human dimensions of ocean systems. 

The OSE program is a partnership between the College of Sciences (CoS) and the College of Engineering (CoE) and involve three academic units, the School of Earth & Atmospheric Sciences (EAS), School Civil and Environmental Engineering (CEE), and School Biological Sciences (BIOL). Faculty from these schools provide distinct and complementary expertise leveraged by the OSE Ph.D. program, both in terms of coursework and research specialization.  Additional program faculty include members of Mechanical, Aerospace and Electrical & Computer Engineering. An interdisciplinary cooperation and input is ensured by the diversity of faculty in the program. 

The OSE training is organized around Research Themes

Students will learn how to identify cutting-edge questions in the ocean sciences and technologies, and will develop broadly relevant quantitative, computational and laboratory skill-sets to address problems ranging from ocean energy, ocean & climate change, ocean prediction systems, coastal ocean hazards, ocean observing technology, marine ecosystem dynamics & services, marine chemical ecology, global and regional ocean biogeochemistry.

The program is designed to provide much flexibility to the students as they tailor their curriculum to their individual career objectives in academia, private industry, government, NGO and others.

The PhD in OSE is designed to be completed over 4.5 – 6 years (fall, spring and summer), with an expected duration of 5 years, with a total of 32-credit hours required for each student. The program will not grant undergraduate or master degrees.