Why Study Oceanography?

• Learn and do. Oceanography students learn science theory and directly engage in its practice.
• Hands-on from day one. Learn by Doing is embedded throughout the curriculum from day one. Our students don’t have to wait until their senior project or occasional field trip to experience hands-on learning and research.
• Real science. Students deploy instruments, collect samples, and make observations aboard our fleet of vessels as well as conduct laboratory analyses and interpret real oceanographic data.
• Latest tech. Students train with modern oceanographic instrumentation in the field and laboratory.
• Get on board. Every oceanography student uses the research vessel Questuary in classes each semester, making vessel-based oceanography a regular part of the academic experience.

• Our Oceanography and Natural Sciences Department is a tight-knit community of students learning from dedicated faculty and staff scientists who care about their future and well-being.
• Undergrads work closely and collaboratively with faculty and staff to address real-world problems in ocean science and gain firsthand knowledge.
• Our students are not small fish in a big ocean! The size of the program creates opportunities for close faculty mentorship, undergraduate research, field experiences and development of practical skills.
• Students become active participants in the program rather than simply moving through large lecture courses.

• The campus is located directly on the shore of the San Francisco Estuary — the largest on the U.S. West Coast.
• The Estuary sits at the heart of California’s water infrastructure and is one of the most intensively studied estuaries in the world.
• This gives students an extraordinary and unique natural laboratory immediately outside the classroom.

Oceanography is a field science. At Cal Poly Maritime Academy, students learn to work on the water and throughout the diverse coastal environments of Northern California and beyond.

• R/V Questuary: Students regularly use our research vessel as part of their oceanography coursework, gaining experience conducting vessel-based oceanographic sampling, deploying instrumentation and contributing to long-term monitoring in the San Francisco Bay.
• Small-boat fieldwork: Students use small boats for fieldwork, including work on the Napa River and within the San Francisco Estuary, allowing them to reach environments and sampling locations that cannot be studied from shore.
• Learn to operate boats safely: Oceanography students develop practical skills in small-boat handling and operation.
• Take oceanography offshore: In summer, oceanography students may conduct oceanographic work aboard a research vessel or our campus training ship, making observations and sampling open-ocean environments.
• Work in wetlands and estuaries: Students participate in fieldwork in tidal wetlands around San Pablo Bay and in Suisun Marsh, addressing questions about water quality, ecosystem processes, climate and coastal change.
• Study the California coast: Field experiences extend beyond the Bay and include places such as Point Reyes National Seashore, the Marin County coast and rocky intertidal environments along the San Mateo Coast, where students encounter very different coastal and oceanographic systems. 

• Students benefit from Cal Poly Maritime Academy being located approximately halfway between San Francisco and Sacramento.
• The Bay Area and nearby Silicon Valley include companies developing ocean technology, including autonomous vehicles and gliders, robotics, sensors and new approaches to ocean-observing.
• Sacramento is the center of California state government and home to many of the state’s natural resource and environmental agencies.
• Our location gives students access to opportunities in science, technology, environmental management, government, consulting and research.

• Career preparation isn’t something students are expected to figure out on their own after graduation. It is embedded in the oceanography curriculum.
• Every oceanography student completes a required internship consisting of at least eight weeks of full-time professional employment.
• The internship gives students an opportunity to apply their scientific and practical skills in a professional setting and develop meaningful career experience before graduation.
• Faculty and staff actively help students identify and secure internships rather than simply requiring students to find opportunities independently.
• Students receive professional-development preparation and support so they are ready to succeed in internships and other professional environments.
• Internship opportunities can take advantage of our location near government agencies, research organizations, environmental organizations, consulting firms and the ocean-technology and blue economy sectors.
• The goal is for students to graduate with both an Oceanography degree and demonstrated professional experience.

• The ocean is inherently global, and Cal Poly Maritime Academy has a strong international orientation.
• All oceanography students participate in a global education experience as part of their degree.
• Experiences might include studying tropical marine systems in Roatán, Honduras, or conducting oceanographic work aboard a training ship.
• Oceanography students have, for example, sailed from San Diego to Hawaiʻi, surveying ocean plastics and conducting oceanographic observations along the way.
• These experiences allow students to compare the San Francisco Estuary and California coast with very different ocean environments and develop a broader understanding of the global ocean.