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USC's
Marine Science program is an interdisciplinary curriculum which
draws on the fields of biology, chemistry, geology, mathematics,
and physics in order to understand our oceans and estuaries and
the processes that govern these environments. The Marine Science
program was founded in 1972 and offers Bachelor of Science, Masters
of Science, and Doctor of Philosophy degrees. The program currently
has approximately 40 faculty members, 30 graduate students, and
140 undergraduate students. USC's program has consistently been
ranked one of the nation's top marine science programs in the nation.
Read
more at USC's Marine Science homepage.
What
students have to say about the Marine Science program:
One
of the things I like most about the MSCI program is the sense of
‘community.’ You have classes with lots of the same
people, so you all get to know each other. This is really helpful
when you’re working on assignments or having study groups.
The faculty is very helpful and approachable and friendly. As far
as curriculum goes, the MSCI classes have been some of the most
interesting and fun classes I’ve taken. I also like the fact
that we get a broad science background while
still being able to specialize in what we’re interested in.
I came to USC specifically for MSCI, but from what I can tell it’s
a very unique major with lots of opportunities that others don’t
offer.
-Kelly Vogel '06
One
of the main attractions of USC is the opportunity for undergraduate
research. Even as a freshman I was able to join a group (MARE) and
start getting involved and learning about the process. We take trips
to the coast, conferences, learn how to operate and take care of
boats and get funded by the school to do our own research. The faculty
is willing to help you, they are very approachable.
-Anna-Marie Laura '06
Courses:
Current course listings in Marine Science
Recent
courses taught by Dr. Styles:
| Courses |
Course
Semesters |
| |
Fall
2004 |
| |
Fall
2003 |
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Fall
2002 |
| |
Spring
2004, 2006, 2007, and 2008 |
| |
Spring
2005 |
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Spring
2003 and Fall 2006 |
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Fall
2005 and 2007 |
Course
Descriptions:
MSCI
305 -- Ocean Data Analysis
This course focuses primarily on familiarizing students
with the computational aspects of marine science study.
Topics include instrumentation, oceanographic time series,
spatial and directional data sets, and basic parametic modeling.
This course will heavily emphasize MATLAB, a technical programming
language ideal for algorithm design, data analysis, and
data visualization. This course is essential for students
planning to pursue research in marine science.
MSCI
781 -- Physical Oceanography
This
is a graduate/upper level undergraduate course focusing
on the geographical and hydrodynamical aspects of oceanography,
primarily in an estuarine environment. Topics include the
physical characteristics of sea water, as well as physical
processes governing ocean currents, air-sea interactions,
waves, and tides.
MSCI/GEOL
582 -- Marine Hydrodynamics
This
is a graduate/upper level undergraduate course focusing
on shallow water flow dynamics of waves, currents, and tides
over continental shelves. Topics include conservation of
mass, momentum, and energy, as well as viscosity, vorticity,
and boundary layers. This course has a quantitative emphasis,
and includes hydrodynamic equations of motion and their
solutions for waves and currents.
Syllabus
MSCI
312 -- Physical and Chemical Oceanography
This
course explores physical and chemical properties of oceans.
Topics include properties of sea water, mass balance, biogeochemical
cycles, ocean circulation and mixing, waves and tides, continental
shelf processes, as well as estuarine dynamics. This class
includes weekly lab and field trips. View photos from the
Field Trip here!
Course
Documents
MSCI
101 -- Introduction to Oceanography
This
4-hour course presents an overview of the physical, chemical,
geological, and (some) biological characteristics of our
blue planet. Topics include plate tectonics, ocean circulation,
chemical composition, and primary production. This course
includes weekly lab and field trips to the South Carolina
coast. Read more about our field trip here!
MSCI
101.501 -- Introduction to Oceanography
This is the Honors section of Introduction to Oceanography.
This 4-hour course presented an overview of the physical,
chemical, geological, and (some) biological characteristics
of our blue planet. Topics include plate tectonics, ocean
circulation, chemical composition, and primary production.
This course includes weekly lab and field trips to the South
Carolina coast. Read more about our field work
here.
MSCI
205X
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Things
should be made as simple as possible, but not any simpler.
-- Albert Einstein
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