![Coastal bluff overlook, wide — Landing page imagery, aspirational hero.](/sites/default/files/2026-01/Coastal_Bluff_Overlook_Wide.png?alternateWidths=/sites/default/files/styles/canvas_parametrized_width--%7Bwidth%7D/public/2026-01/Coastal_Bluff_Overlook_Wide.png.avif%3Fitok%3DhFcNjTBg) Case Study # Marine Geoscience The geology of the ocean and the coast — sediment, structure, and the climate record held in both. The smallest of the undergraduate science programs and the one with the most field time. [ Start an application ](/standard-page/how-to-apply) [ Download the handbook ](/standard-page/admissions) Marine Geoscience is about the solid part: the sediment on the seafloor, the structure beneath it, the shoreline that both produce, and the record of past climate held in the layering. It is the smallest of our undergraduate science programs, which means small classes and early access to equipment that at a larger institution would be reserved for graduate students. ## What you study Earth systems and introductory oceanography first, then sedimentology, coastal geomorphology, marine geophysics and paleoceanography. The sequence is deliberately arranged so that you learn to describe sediment before you learn to interpret it, which is the reverse of how most people would prefer to do it and produces better geologists. The core laboratory holds the department's sediment cores, including a 2024 recovery from a basin off the shelf edge with a well-preserved section from the last interglacial. Undergraduates work on real core material, not teaching sets. ## Field and sea time More than any other program here. Coastal geomorphology runs almost entirely outdoors, and geophysics takes students to sea aboard R/V *Cascadia Strait* to run survey lines and process the results themselves. ## Where it leads Geotechnical and survey work, offshore site characterization, coastal management, environmental consulting, and graduate study in geology, geophysics or paleoclimate. The offshore energy sector — including wind — hires heavily from this discipline and students are often surprised how directly the training transfers. ## What to expect Weather, mud, and long days on a shoreline in conditions nobody would choose. There is a standing offer to any undergraduate willing to spend a semester describing core sections, which has never produced a queue. ## Curriculum GEOL 150 [Earth Systems](/course/earth-systems)Plate tectonics, the rock cycle, surface processes and deep time — the physical foundation the marine geoscience sequence builds on. 1 OCEA 110 [Introduction to Oceanography](/course/introduction-to-oceanography)The ocean as a physical, chemical, geological and biological system. Taken by students across every program here. 1 GEOL 260 [Sedimentology](/course/sedimentology)Sediment production, transport and deposition, and the discipline of describing a deposit before interpreting it. 1 GEOL 330 [Coastal Geomorphology](/course/coastal-geomorphology)How shorelines are built and taken apart: sediment budgets, littoral transport, and the response of a coast to changing supply and sea level. 1 GEOL 410 [Marine Geophysics](/course/marine-geophysics)Seeing beneath the seafloor: seismic reflection, multibeam bathymetry, and sub-bottom profiling, with survey time at sea. 1.5 GEOL 470 [Paleoceanography](/course/paleoceanography)Reconstructing past ocean states from sediment records, and deciding how much of a record is signal. 1 ## Common questions ### Click to expand accordion Is housing guaranteed for first-year students? Yes, for all students entering directly from high school. Transfer students are housed as space allows, and the waitlist usually clears by mid-July. [Housing and residence life](#) ### Click to expand accordion How do I get between campuses? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What is the weather actually like? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### Click to expand accordion What if I get seasick? Accordion content - Officiis porta iusto luctus maecenas ultricies libero quisquam commodi do sequi facilisis, accusamus aut? Sapien dignissim nascetur nesciunt phasellus eros dis cupidatat tempor egestas cillum eveniet lobortis, sunt eos tellus atque quaerat, voluptatem exercitationem voluptatibus nesciunt, eveniet in dicta quae. ### At a glance Credential awardedBS Degree levelundergraduate Program length4 years Start termsfall ## Program Lead ![Marine operations lead portrait, research vessel gangway — Person `person_portrait`.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Marine_operations_lead_portrait_vessel_gangway.png.avif?itok=Fjh3iKQQ) ### Dr. Tobias Wren Associate Professor of Marine Geology Related ## Other programs ![Coastal engineering hero — sea wall inspection at low tide — Program imagery, coastal engineering cluster.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering_Sea_Wall_Inspection.png.avif?itok=7E8SMAHh) MS / Certificate ### Coastal Resilience A professional master's for people who will make decisions about a shoreline that is moving. Taught jointly by the policy and ocean science departments. - 2 years - Graduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/coastal-resilience) ![Boardwalk toward the field station, wide — Landing page imagery, coastal hero.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Boardwalk_to_Field_Station_Wide.png.avif?itok=BdvHihj5) BS ### Environmental Science The applied environmental degree, built around estuaries, water quality and the coast. It is the most interdisciplinary program we run. - 4 years - Undergraduate Starts Fall, Spring [](/program/environmental-science) ![Coastal engineering hero — dune restoration site — Program imagery, coastal engineering cluster.](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2026-01/Coastal_Engineering.png.avif?itok=NX5Gvkwq) BS ### Oceanography The physics, chemistry and geology of the ocean, taught by a department that operates its own research vessel. Every student in this program goes to sea. - 4 years - Undergraduate Starts Fall [](/program/oceanography) ## Come and see the tidal flats for yourself Open days run four times a year, and the Wrightsville tour always includes the field station. [ Book an open day ](/standard-page/visit-campus) [ Contact the department ](/standard-page/contact-us)