GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN OCEANOGRAPHY

The University of Colorado recognizes that interdisciplinary study at the graduate level may involve coursework and formal requirements that exceed those of established degree programs. To recognize this additional work by graduate students, interdisciplinary faculty may establish a certificate program within the Graduate School.

Graduate students can pursue the Graduate Certificate in Oceanography while earning a graduate degree at CU-Boulder or while taking coursework as a non-degree seeking student through Continuing Education’s ACCESS Program, provided they have already earned a bachelor’s degree and meet the course prerequisites. The Oceanography Graduate Certificate is noted on the official CU transcript.

Following is a list of the faculty members (in alphabetic order) that participate in the oceanography certificate program.

•       Emery, William (Professor, ASEN)
•       Han, Weiqing (Assistant Professor, ATOC)
•       Kantha, Lakshmi (Professor, ASEN)
•       Leben, Robert (Associate Research Professor, ASEN) 
•       Marchitto, Tom (Assistant Professor, INSTAAR)
•       Syvitski. James (Professor, INSTAAR)
•       Weiss, Jeffrey (Associate Professor, ATOC)

The Coordinating Committee is currently composed of Professors William Emery (ASEN), Weiqing Han (ATOC), Lakshmi Kantha (ASEN), Robert Leben (ASEN), James Syvitski (INSTAAR), and Jeffrey Weiss (ATOC).

Students interested in pursuing a Graduate Certificate in Oceanography should contact the Program Director, Dr. Weiqing Han (whan@enso.colorado.edu).

Requirements for a Graduate Certificate in Oceanography

All students must take at least three oceanography core courses (see below) passed with grade B or better. In addition, they may take an independent study course to replace one of the core courses. The list of oceanography core courses is: :

Courses:

• ATOC 5051: Introduction to Physical Oceanography. An ATOC introductory graduate course that focuses on ocean circulation, dynamics and thermodynamics. Offered once per year (3 credits).
• ATOC 5061: Dynamics of Oceans. An ATOC advanced graduate course that focuses on detailed ocean dynamics. Mostly offered every other year (3 credits).
• ASEN 5215/4215: Oceanography. Same as ATOC 5215. This is a lower division graduate and upper division undergraduate course that introduces descriptive and dynamical oceanography. Offered once per year (3 credits).
• ASEN 5307/4307: Engineering Data Analysis Methods. This is a lower division graduate and upper division undergraduate course that teaches oceanography data analysis and programming. Offered once per year (3 credits).
• GEOL 5060/4060: Oceanography. This is a lower division graduate and upper division undergraduate course that examines the ocean as a system influencing the Earth's surface processes and climate, waves, tides, coastal-, shallow-, and deep-water processes, biogeochemical cycles, and deep sea sediments. Offered once per year (3 credits).
• GEOL 5270: Marine Chemistry and Geochemistry. Examines the chemical, biological, geological, and physical processes affecting (and affected by) the chemistry of the oceans. Topics include: chemical speciation in seawater; the marine carbon cycle and its long-term control on atmospheric CO2; the large-scale interdependence of nutrient distributions and biological productivity; chemical tracers of ocean circulation; and the chemistry of marine sediments, including early diagenesis.
• GEOL 5430: Paleoceanography and Paleoclimatology. Examines scientific tools, data, and theories related to the dramatically varied past climate of the Earth. Focus will be on marine records of climate change and ocean circulation, but ice core and continental archives will also be discussed. Course will cover the Cretaceous Period to the present, with particular emphasis on the past 150,000 years (the last ice age cycle).
• INDEPENDENT STUDY (3 credits).The students are allowed to take an “independent study” course to replace one of the core courses. The students may choose any member from the Oceanography Certificate Coordinating Committee or any professor who contributes to teaching the core courses to complete the “independent study” course. It is subject to the Certificate Program Director’s approval if the students choose independent study advisors from someone other than the above list. The course should combine textbook knowledge with real research experience, and thus provide the students with some basic research experience in oceanography. The course will also increase choices for the students who wish to obtain research experience.