About Us

The department's primary objective is to offer rigorous and comprehensive degree programs in geography and geology, sharing fundamental geographic and geologic knowledge and the latest innovations within these disciplines.

The degree programs emphasize experiential learning opportunities like:

• Field studies
• Laboratory analysis
• Geospatial
• Quantitative methods
• Student research
• Internships
• International studies

Faculty research and service include a wide range of efforts dedicated to scholarly achievement, civic engagement and applied problem-solving at the local, regional, national and international levels.

We build on the department's traditional strengths while contributing specifically to the University's goals of:

• Providing a powerful learning experience for students
• Maintaining a faculty of outstanding scholars
• Strengthening regional engagement and outreach
• Preparing students to be global citizens
• Encouraging and enhancing diversity

Meet our faculty

The Department of Earth and Ocean Sciences is located in DeLoach Hall and Osprey Hall. These two halls contain modern technology which have smart facilities. The department contemporary instruments for geologic, geographic and oceanographic studies.

The geology, geography and oceanography programs at UNCW make extensive use of computers for both laboratory and classroom instruction.

The department maintains state-of-the-art spatial analysis, cartography and remote sensing laboratories used collaboratively to:

• Analyze data
• Geographic information
• Science geovisualization
• Modeling
• Geoprocessing
• Digital image processing
• Programming
• Instructors use microcomputers equipped with advanced multimedia systems for classroom presentations.

Approximately one-third of the earth and ocean sciences faculty have offices and research laboratories less than seven miles away from UNCW main campus at the Center for Marine Science.

This facility serves as a marine science center for UNCW and visiting scientists from other campuses of the University of North Carolina system and for visitors from other universities. The center also provides space for other related agencies and supports marine research projects conducted in the coastal region of North Carolina, in the southeast region of the U.S.A. and other locations as required.