HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA | CANADA B3H 4R2 | +1 (902) 494-3557
GRADUATE PROGRAMS
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| Canada Research Chair in Marine Biochemistry Helmuth Thomas, whose work involves the coastal carbon cycle. (Photo: Wayne Glowacki Winnipeg Free Press). |
We continue to look to the oceans for answers to some of the world's most challenging problems.
Together with the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and local marine companies that export globally, Dalhousie University comprises Canada's largest concentration of ocean expertise.
Our researchers study every aspect of the world's oceans, from the velocity of the waves to the salinity of the water, the biology of the deep sea to the mud of the ocean floor. Their research has real-world results: from moving shipping lanes in the Bay of Fundy to protect endangered right whales, to collecting valuable data from the ocean that helps us to better understand climate change and predict the weather.
Degree Programs
A. Master of Science (MSc)
For minimum time required to complete this program, see the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations. We do not offer a two year Master's Programme.
The Departmental rules require a minimum of 5 half-credit classes at the 5000 level or higher, at least three of which must be chosen from core Oceanography courses:
OCEA 5110 - Geological Oceanography
OCEA 5120 - Physical Oceanography
OCEA 5130 - Chemical Oceanography
OCEA 5140 - Biological Oceanography
Additional classes may be required to strengthen a student's background in basic science.
Research and a thesis are required.
B. Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
For minimum time required to complete this program, see the Faculty of Graduate Studies regulations.
Students must complete at least 6 half-credit classes at the 5000 level or higher, including at least two Oceanography core courses (see above) outside the student's sub-discipline, and other additional qualifying criterion (as determined by the sub-discipline).
Candidates must write and defend a proposal for thesis research.
Research and a thesis are required.
Advice from Admissions Committee
Postgraduate students typically conduct research with faculty supervisors, and support for the students’ living and research expenses comes mainly from supervisors’ research grants. Supervisors are not just teachers; they are also mentors, research advisors and collaborators, and sometimes employers. Accordingly, applicants to postgraduate school are advised strongly to establish personal contact with potential faculty supervisors, and to do so before beginning the formal application process. Oceanography faculty have a broad range of research interests, and so contact will be most effective when an applicant displays a familiarity with the research being conducted by individual professors. This website is a good starting point for learning about the various research interests in the department and it also provides links to publications written by professors and their postgraduate students. Potential applicants who assess this information in the context of their own background, interests, and career goals, should be able to identify those potential advisors whom they should contact. It should come as no surprise that an informed, specific, and well-written email or letter of enquiry, accompanied by a curriculum vitæ and unofficial undergraduate transcripts, is more likely to interest a potential supervisor than a generic note expressing a love of the sea. It is important for potential applicants to act quickly, to get in ahead of the competition. Any of our professors would be delighted to forward promising messages to colleagues whose research interests better match those outlined by a potential student, or who have new openings for students.
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Admissions | |
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Prospective students are encouraged to contact potential supervisors in accordance with the advice of the Admissions Committee (above). Department of Oceanography | |