This program is available at the following location:

• Corvallis

Ocean, Earth and Atmospheric Sciences (OEAS) is an interdisciplinary graduate major that first introduces students to the elements of the Earth system and the processes of mass and energy flow among them through a set of core/breadth courses. Students then pursue focused graduate coursework and research in a concentration area, directed by their program committee.

OEAS is a multi-disciplinary, competitive degree program that values:

• Innovative, comprehensive and broad training and study of the ocean, earth, and atmosphere, including their interconnections
• Engagement with thought leaders and communities to apply research toward meeting the environmental challenges of the 21^st century
• An inclusive and welcoming environment where all individuals, viewpoints, and styles of scholarship are respected
• Opportunities for professional and personal growth including leadership development through shared college governance.   

Students within OEAS focus in one of five concentrations and are expected to produce a high-quality, publication ready research thesis or dissertation. After completing 15 credits of foundational coursework with all OEAS students, students pursue specific courses in their area of concentration. The OEAS program is designed to help forge strong year to year student cohorts across disciplinary boundaries facilitating a strong peer network and ability to collaborate in an increasingly multi-disciplinary world. Depth of training comes through advanced coursework and production of a research thesis or dissertation under supervision of a faculty advisor and graduate committee members. 

Students matriculating in OEAS must pursue one of the following concentrations:

• Atmospheric Sciences
• Marine Geology (Geological Oceanography)
• Geophysics
• Ocean Ecology and Biogeochemistry
• Physical Oceanography

The concentration will depend largely on the research focus of the student, as determined with their faculty advisor. For this and many other reasons, we advise all applicants to initiate conversations with potential faculty advisors well in advance of the application deadline.

Contact Information

Lorenzo Ciannelli, Director
Ocean, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences Program
104 CEOAS Administration Building
Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR 97331
541-737-3142
Email: lorenzo.ciannelli@oregonstate.edu

Major Code: 5001

Upon successful completion of the program, students will meet the following learning outcomes:

MA

• Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
• Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.

MS

• Conduct research or produce some other form of creative work.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
• Conduct scholarly or professional activities in an ethical manner.

PhD

• Produce and defend an original significant contribution to knowledge.
• Demonstrate mastery of subject material.
• Conduct scholarly activities in an ethical manner.

OEAS Concentration Areas

Atmospheric Sciences

The atmospheric sciences are concerned with dynamics, physics and processes, including the interactions of the atmosphere with soil physics, hydrology and oceanic circulation. The atmospheric sciences concentration prepares students for careers in teaching and research through advanced study and participation in research projects directed by faculty members.

Applicants should have an undergraduate degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, chemistry or atmospheric science, with strength in mathematics. All applicants should have completed one year each of chemistry and physics with calculus, and courses in vector calculus and in differential equations.

Students perform thesis research on a wide range of problems including the study of global climate change, clouds and the earth’s radiation budget, the structure and dynamics of turbulent flows, air-sea interaction, planetary atmospheres, the optimal use and economic value of weather and climate forecasts, and the study of acid rain and its effects on terrestrial ecosystems. In addition to theoretical, numerical, and observational methods of analysis, approximately one-fourth of the research projects either use or are developing methods for obtaining meteorological information from satellites.

Opportunities exist for PhD candidates to conduct some of their thesis research in Europe or at the National Center for Atmospheric Research. Most research projects involve collaboration with other scientists, either on the Oregon State University campus or at major domestic or international research centers.

Geophysics

Geophysics is concerned with physical processes within and on Earth, especially the internal physical constitution of the planet, and seismic, gravitational, geothermal, geoelectrical, geomagnetic phenomena and their relation to geological processes. Candidates should have an undergraduate degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, geology, or geophysics. Mathematics through differential equations is required and mathematical physics is desirable.  Opportunities for research exist on a wide range of geophysical problems in marine and continental regimes, emphasizing experimental, applied, and theoretical aspects.

Oceanography

Oceanography, the application of the sciences to the study of the oceans, is an interdisciplinary environmental science concerned with all processes: biological, chemical, geological, and physical, as well as the interactions between the ocean.

For all areas in oceanography, applicants should have a strong quantitative background and an undergraduate degree in a relevant field of science or engineering and one year each of chemistry, physics, and calculus. Prior background in oceanography is not essential.

In geological oceanography (marine geology), a broad range of geological processes that influence the ocean is studied. Fields of interest include plate tectonics and the structure of the ocean basins, igneous petrology and geochemistry, paleoceanography and paleoclimatology, and coastal sedimentary processes. Candidates show strength in one or more of these fields: earth science, chemistry, physics, biology or mathematics.

Physical oceanography research covers the physical processes in the sea, exchange of energy and momentum at the air-sea interface, and the transmission and absorption of energy in the sea (e.g., light, heat, and sound). Circulation, tides, waves, heat content and density distributions are some of the other phenomena of particular interest. Candidates should have an undergraduate major in physics, mathematics, or engineering.

Major Code: 5001