Overview

The Scripps Institution of Oceanography operates as an academic department of UC San Diego, offering over 45 undergraduate courses covering a wide breadth of earth and marine and environmental sciences on several different levels. There are multiple introductory classes for non majors, and upper-division courses intended for a wide range of students in natural science majors. For students interested in careers in earth sciences, the Scripps Institution of Oceanography offers a B.S. degree and a contiguous B.S./M.S. degree in Earth Sciences. In addition, students may follow a physics major with a specialization in earth sciences, or an environmental systems/earth sciences major (see the "Physics," or "Environmental Systems" sections of the catalog for details). The program also offers an academic minor in earth sciences.

For students interested in broadening their understanding of the biological processes of marine ecosytems, the program offers an academic major in Marine Biology (B.S.).  Also offered is the Marine Science minor.  The Marine Science minor is designed to complement the strong disciplinary training of UC San Diego basic natural science and engineering majors (i.e. chemistry, physics, biological sciences, earth sciences, engineering, mathematics etc.) by providing a broad interdisciplinary perspective on marine science and oceanography with an applied environmental focus.

In addition to formal coursework, dozens of UC San Diego undergraduates, from a wide variety of majors, benefit each year from individual and group research projects with SIO faculty and researchers.