In this premier marine science graduate program, students have the resources of two world-class institutions—Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution—at their fingertips. With unmatched access to instruments, ships, technology and scientific guidance, our students can tackle some of the biggest scientific and engineering questions of our world.
The goal of the MIT-WHOI Joint Program is for each student to achieve his/her full intellectual potential in a chosen area of research. The five focal areas are:
Research on some topics can be carried out within more than one focal area, such as climate and climate impacts, and students can choose the focal area best suited to their specific interests.
Alternatively, research can span two or more focal areas and a student can formulate an individual course of study using guidelines set out in the Joint Program Interdisciplinary Statement.
See examples of interdisciplinary research here.
On land, rivers flow down mountain slopes. On the seafloor, scientists are observing that strong currents in deep canyons may flow up the sides of mountains. The discovery has fascinating implications for understanding the ocean's global circulation.
Scientists are using new strategies to learn where endangered sharks live, mate, and give birth.
Scientists believe baleen whales, including blue whales and right whales, are great listeners, possibly calling to each other over hundreds of miles. Maya Yamato is on the frontier of learning how their ears work.
Whether you are a current Joint Program student or a prospective student applying to the program, remember there may be a fellowship available to you. Many of the deadline dates for fellowship applications are due in the next few months.
Look at many of the funding opportunities available to graduate students. »
At various times throughout the year, MIT/WHOI Joint Program students may receive recognition for a poster, a presentation or receive a fellowship of some kind for their research.
See a list of the most recent awards the Joint Program students have received. »
Joint Program student Evelyn Mervine writes about geology, travel, the life of a grad student, and other musings on her blog, Georneys.
Follow six Joint Program students as they spend two weeks participating in a field course on tropical marine biology at the Liquid Jungle Lab in Panama.
