DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY

F.C. Dobbs , Graduate Program Director
fdobbs@odu.edu

Admission

The doctoral degree in oceanography is granted to students who have (1) mastered definite fields of knowledge, become familiar with research in these specific fields, and developed perceptions of opportunities for further advances; (2) demonstrated the capacity to do original, independent, scholarly investigation or creative work in their specific fields; and (3) shown the ability to integrate the field of specialization with the larger domains of knowledge and understanding.

All students in the oceanography Ph.D. program are responsible for reading and understanding the regulations and policies set forth here and throughout this Catalog regarding requirements for the Ph.D. degree. The essential credit requirements for the Ph.D. are as follows. The student shall complete 48 credit hours beyond the master's degree or 78 credit hours for students admitted to the program with a bachelor's degree. Up to 24 credits can be granted for dissertation.

Substantial financial resources are available for assisting oceanography graduate students with their education costs. University and departmental fellowships and research assistantships at both the M.S. and Ph.D. levels are available. In addition, the department has a number of standard teaching and grant-supported research assistantships. With an assistantship or fellowship, doctoral students are eligible for a waiver of all tuition and fees. Out-of-state students in the M.S. program who are awarded an assistantship or fellowship are eligible in-state tuition (i.e., the university will waive the difference between the out-of-state and in-state tuition rate).

Students wishing to apply must submit the following application materials by the departmental deadline of February 15 (for full financial assistance consideration): official transcripts, official GRE scores, official TOEFL scores (foreign applicants only), three letters of recommendation, statement of research interest and application fee. Complete applications received after the February 15 deadline will be processed, although in these cases limited funds will likely be available for financial aid. Incomplete applications received after the application deadlines will be processed for the following term only if the applicant notifies the Admissions Office as well as the department in writing that they wish to defer their application.

Doctor of Philosophy Requirements