Bachelor of Science in Oceanography The University of British Columbia

Oceanography is the study of our oceans, including their circulation, physical and chemical properties, and life. Physical, biological, and chemical oceanographers often work together in this richly interdisciplinary science to better understand how the ocean works, affects global climate, and impacts communities. You could tackle challenges of safe shipping, sustainable food supply, sanitary sewage disposal, and healthy recreation.

Oceanographers study the physical and chemical properties of ocean water, the life within it, the sea floor, and the ocean’s connection to the rest of the planet. Oceanography draws from biology, physics, chemistry, and geology, making it a truly multidisciplinary science. Oceanographers work in diverse areas, including biological oceanography; the physics of waves, tides, and currents; the creation, evolution, and structure of sea floors; and chemical oceanography. They work to understand how the ocean works and tackle challenges related to global climate change and its impacts on ocean communities, safe shipping, and sustainable food supplies.

Oceanography is offered at the undergraduate level through the Honours in Fisheries Oceanography program, which is intended for students wishing to pursue graduate studies in the field or work as consultants in fisheries/environmental management. Oceanography can also be paired with another science subject as a Combined Major or Combined Honours degree, including Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Geophysics, Microbiology and Immunology, or Physics. The Combined Honours programs are generally geared towards students intending to pursue graduate work in oceanography and involve an upper-level field course in which students develop and carry out their own research program.