• Biological Oceanography: The study of plants and animals in the ocean and their relationship to the environment.
• Chemical Oceanography: The study of dissolved elements in the ocean and their distributions.
• Geological Oceanography: The study of rocks and minerals in the ocean and the changes of the ocean basin.
• Physical Oceanography: The study seawater properties, waves, tides and the ocean currents.

Located just two hours from the Atlantic ocean, Millersville University features one of the country's best undergraduate oceanography programs. We offer BS degrees in Ocean Sciences and Coastal Studies with emphasis in one of the following four disciplines: Biological, Chemical, Geological, and Physical Oceanography (see definitions above). The curriculum is designed with a dual-major approach. For example, the biological oceanography track offers a strong background both in biology and in oceanography. Our programs are rigorous and demanding, and our graduates have done well in graduate schools and in finding jobs in environmental sciences.

Over the last two decades, we have built up a unique facility in oceanography among universities in Pennsylvania. A dedicated oceanography laboratory is used for teaching various ocean-related courses and our state-of-the-art equipment includes a Conductivity Temperature-Depth probe, General Oceanics self-contained current meter and a Seabird tide/wave gauge. We are also proud to be the founding member of The Marine Science Consortium. The Marine Science Center is located at Wallops Island, Virginia, and is used for weekend field trips and summer courses. The MSC laboratory includes dormitories and cafeteria and three research vessels. One of them, the R/V Parker, is a twin-engine aluminum vessel used for field measurements in coastal ocean.

The department's two oceanographers are both experienced teachers and researchers. They teach most of the major courses, while supporting classes are taught by geology and biology faculty with training in marine sciences. Our faculty are the principal investigators of a recent project funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) to acquire a comprehensive Seabird Sealogger seawater probe. Another recent NSF-funded project features a remote sensing laboratory of computer workstations and software packages used for satellite image analysis. Both these projects support the oceanography curriculum and research.

Department of Earth Science
717-872-3289
Millersville, PA 17551-0302